2 Samuel 24:10–25

10 David was conscience-strickenx after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinnedy greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.z”

11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gada the prophet, David’s seer:b 12 “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.’ ”

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you threeb years of faminec in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plagued in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercye is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.f 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relentedg concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lordh was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,c have done wrong. These are but sheep.i What have they done?j Let your hand fall on me and my family.”k

David Builds an Altar

24:18–25pp—1Ch 21:18–26

18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunahl the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”m

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxenn for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunahd giveso all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”p

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekelse q of silver for them. 25 David built an altarr to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayers in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.