2 Samuel 24:1–15

¹And the anger of Jehovah addeth to burn against Israel, and an adversary moveth David about them, saying, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’ ²And the king saith unto Joab, head of the host that is with him, ‘Go to and fro, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and inspect ye the people—and I have known the number of the people.’ ³And Joab saith unto the king, ‘Yea, Jehovah thy God doth add unto the people, as they are, a hundred times, and the eyes of my lord the king are seeing; and my lord the king, why is he desirous of this thing?’ ⁴And the word of the king is severe towards Joab, and against the heads of the force, and Joab goeth out, and the heads of the force, from before the king to inspect the people, even Israel; ⁵and they pass over the Jordan, and encamp in Aroer, on the right of the city that is in the midst of the brook of Gad, and unto Jazer, ⁶and they come in to Gilead, and unto the land of Tahtim-Hodshi, and they come in to Dan-Jaan, and round about unto Zidon, ⁷and they come in to the fortress of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivite, and of the Canaanite, and go out unto the south of Judah, to Beer-Sheba. ⁸And they go to and fro through all the land, and come in at the end of nine months and twenty days to Jerusalem, ⁹and Joab giveth the account of the inspection of the people unto the king, and Israel is eight hundred thousand men of valour, drawing sword, and the men of Judah five hundred thousand men.

¹⁰And the heart of David smiteth him, after that he hath numbered the people, and David saith unto Jehovah, ‘I have sinned greatly in that which I have done, and now, O Jehovah, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.’ ¹¹And David riseth in the morning, and the word of Jehovah hath been unto Gad the prophet, seer of David, saying, ¹²‘Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, Thus said Jehovah: Three—I am lifting up for thee, choose thee one of them, and I do it to thee.’ ¹³And Gad cometh in unto David, and declareth to him, and saith to him, ‘Do seven years of famine come in to thee in thy land? or three months art thou fleeing before thine adversary—and he pursuing thee? or are three days’ pestilence in thy land? now, know and see what word I take back to Him sending me.’ ¹⁴And David saith unto Gad, ‘I have great distress, let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for many are His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.’ ¹⁵And Jehovah giveth a pestilence on Israel from the morning even unto the time appointed, and there die of the people, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, seventy thousand men,