1And again the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl, and moved Dawiḏ against them to say, “Go, number Yisra’ĕl and Yehuḏah.”

2And the sovereign said to Yo’aḇ the commander of the army who was with him, “Go please, throughout all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, from Dan to Be’ĕrsheḇa, and register the people, so that I know the number of the people.”

3And Yo’aḇ said to the sovereign, “Even if יהוה your Elohim does add to the people a hundredfold more than there are, and the eyes of my master the sovereign see it, but why does my master the sovereign delight in this matter?”

4However, the sovereign’s word prevailed against Yo’aḇ and against the commanders of the army. And Yo’aḇ and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the sovereign to register the people of Yisra’ĕl.

5And they passed over the Yardĕn and camped in Aro‛ĕr, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the wadi of Gaḏ, and toward Ya‛zĕr.

6Then they came to Gil‛aḏ and to the land of Taḥtim Ḥoḏshi, and they came to Dan Ya‛an and around to Tsiḏon.

7And they came to the stronghold of Tsor and to all the cities of the Ḥiwwites and the Kena‛anites, and went out to South Yehuḏah as far as Be’ĕrsheḇa.

8And when they had gone through all the land, they came to Yerushalayim at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9And Yo’aḇ gave the number of the registration of the people to the sovereign, and there were in Yisra’ĕl eight hundred thousand brave men who drew the sword, and the men of Yehuḏah were five hundred thousand men.

10And the heart of Dawiḏ smote him after he had numbered the people. And Dawiḏ said to יהוה, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, I pray, O יהוה, take away the crookedness of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

11And Dawiḏ rose up in the morning, and the word of יהוה came to the prophet Gaḏ, Dawiḏ’s seer, saying,

12“Go, and you shall speak to Dawiḏ, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I hold three options before you. Choose one of them, and I do it to you.” ’ ”

13Gaḏ then came to Dawiḏ and informed him. And he said to him, “Should seven years of scarcity of food come to you in your land? Or would you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or should there be three days’ plague in your land? Now know and see what answer I take back to Him who sent me.”

14And Dawiḏ said to Gaḏ, “I am in great trouble. Please let us fall into the hand of יהוה, for His compassion is great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

15And יהוה sent a plague upon Yisra’ĕl from the morning till the appointed time, and from Dan to Be’ĕrsheḇa seventy thousand men of the people died.

16And the messenger stretched out His hand over Yerushalayim to destroy it, and יהוה relented concerning the evil, and said to the messenger who was destroying the people, “It is enough, now stop Your hand.” And the messenger of יהוה was by the threshing-floor of Arawnah the Yeḇusite.

17And Dawiḏ spoke to יהוה when he saw the messenger who was smiting the people, and said, “See, I have sinned, and I have done perversely. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

18And Gaḏ came that day to Dawiḏ and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to יהוה on the threshing-floor of Arawnah the Yeḇusite.”

19And Dawiḏ, according to the word of Gaḏ, went up as יהוה commanded.

20And Arawnah looked and saw the sovereign and his servants coming toward him. And Arawnah went out and bowed before the sovereign with his face to the ground.

21And Arawnah said, “Why has my master the sovereign come to his servant?” And Dawiḏ said, “To buy the threshing-floor from you, to build an altar to יהוה, so that the plague be withdrawn from the people.”

22And Arawnah said to Dawiḏ, “Let my master the sovereign take and offer that which seems good to him. Here are cattle for burnt offering, and threshing implements and the yokes of the cattle for wood.

23“All these, O sovereign, Arawnah has given to the sovereign.” And Arawnah said to the sovereign, “יהוה your Elohim accept you!”

24And the sovereign said to Arawnah, “No, let me buy it from you for a price, for certain. I am not offering burnt offerings to יהוה my Elohim without cost.” So Dawiḏ bought the threshing-floor and the cattle for fifty sheqels of silver.

25And Dawiḏ built an altar to יהוה there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And יהוה answered the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Yisra’ĕl.