1 Chronicles 21:1–14

David Counts the Fighting Men

21:1–26pp—2Sa 24:1–25

21Satan^x rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census^y of Israel. ²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count^z the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

³But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over.^a My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. ⁵Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel^b there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

⁶But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. ⁷This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

⁸Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

⁹The Lord said to Gad,^c David’s seer,^{d 10}“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”

¹¹So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: ¹²three years of famine,^e three months of being swept away^a before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword^f of the Lord^g—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

¹³David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy^h is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁴So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.ⁱ