why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
4
Nevertheless
the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel,
and came to Jerusalem.
5
And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all
they of
Israel were a
thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah
was
four hundred
threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
6
But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among
them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7
And God was displeased with this thing;
therefore he smote Israel.
8
And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done
this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
9
And the L
ORD
spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,
10
Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith
the L
ORD
, I offer thee three
things:
choose thee one of them, that I may do
it
unto thee.
11
So Gad
came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the L
ORD
, Choose thee
12
Either three years’ famine;
or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh
thee;
or else three days the sword of the L
ORD
, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the
L
ORD
destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall
bring again to him that sent me.
13
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now
into the hand of the L
ORD
; for very great
are
his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.
14
So the L
ORD
sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
15
And
God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the L
ORD
beheld, and he
repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand.
And the angel of the L
ORD
stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16
And David lifted
up his eyes, and saw the angel of the L
ORD
stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn
sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders
of Israel, who were
clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17
And David said unto God,
Is it
not I
that
commanded
the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but
as for
these sheep,
what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O L
ORD
my God, be on me, and on my father’s
house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
18
Then the angel of the L
ORD
commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and
set up an altar unto the L
ORD
in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19
And David went up at
the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the L
ORD
.
20
And Ornan turned back, and saw
the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21
And as
David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed
himself to David with
his
face to the ground.
22
Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of
this
threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the L
ORD
: thou shalt grant it me for the
full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23
And Ornan said unto David, Take
it
to thee, and let my lord the king do
that which is
good in his eyes: lo,I give
thee
the oxen
also
for
burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give
it all.
24
And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not
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KJV Bible