1 Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel. 2 David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, "Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know how many there are."
3 Joab said, "May Yahweh make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, then came to Jerusalem. 5 Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew a sword; and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew a sword. 6 But he didn’t count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel. 8 David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly."
9 Yahweh spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, 10 "Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Yahweh says, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."’"
11 So Gad came to David and said to him, "Yahweh says, ‘Take your choice: 12 either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and Yahweh’s angel destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.’"
13 David said to Gad, "I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into Yahweh’s hand, for his mercies are very great. Don’t let me fall into man’s hand."
14 So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, Yahweh saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough. Now withdraw your hand." Yahweh’s angel was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 David lifted up his eyes, and saw Yahweh’s angel standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem.
Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 David said to God, "Isn’t it I who commanded the people to be counted? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Yahweh my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued."
18 Then Yahweh’s angel commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in Yahweh’s name.
20 Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, "Sell me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to Yahweh on it. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people."
23 Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Behold, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all."
24 King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for Yahweh, nor offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
25 So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place. 26 David built an altar to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering.
27 Then Yahweh commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. 29 For Yahweh’s tabernacle, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of Yahweh’s angel.
1 撒但起来攻击以色列人， 引诱大卫去数点以色列人的数目。
2 于是大卫对约押和民众的领袖说： "你们去数点以色列人， 从别是巴直到但， 然后回来见我， 让我知道他们的数目。"
3 约押说： "愿耶和华使他的子民比现在增加百倍。我主我王啊， 他们不都是我主的仆人吗？我主为什么要作这事呢？为什么使以色列人陷在罪里呢？"
4 但王坚持他的命令， 约押不敢违抗； 约押就出去， 走遍以色列各地， 然后回到耶路撒冷。
5 约押把数点人民的数目呈报大卫： 全以色列能拿刀的人， 共有一百一十万； 犹大能拿刀的人， 共有四十七万。
6 唯有利未人和便雅悯人， 他没有数点在内， 因为约押厌恶王这个命令。
7 神不喜悦这事， 所以他击打以色列人。
8 大卫对 神说： "我犯了重罪， 因为我行了这事； 现在求你除去你仆人的罪孽， 因我作了十分愚昧的事。"
9 耶和华告诉大卫的先见迦得， 说：
10 "你去告诉大卫， 说： ‘耶和华这样说： 我给你提出三件事， 你可以选择一件， 我好向你施行。’"
11 于是迦得来见大卫， 对他说： "耶和华这样说： ‘你可以选择：
12 或是三年的饥荒； 或是在你敌人面前逃亡， 被你仇敌的刀剑追杀三个月； 或是耶和华的刀攻击三天， 就是在国中发生瘟疫三日， 耶和华的使者在以色列的四境施行毁灭。’现在你考虑一下， 我该用什么话回复那差派我来的。"
13 大卫对迦得说： "我十分作难， 我情愿落在耶和华的手里， 因为他有极丰盛的怜悯， 我不愿落在人的手里。"
14 于是耶和华使瘟疫降在以色列人身上； 以色列人死了七万人。
15 神差派一位使者到耶路撒冷去， 要毁灭那城； 正要施行毁灭的时候， 耶和华看见了， 就后悔所要降的这灾， 于是对施行毁灭的天使说： "够了！ 住手吧！ "那时， 耶和华的使者正站在耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾场附近。
16 大卫举目看见耶和华的使者站在天地中间， 手里拿着出了鞘的刀， 指向耶路撒冷。大卫和众长老都穿上麻布， 脸伏于地。
17 大卫对 神说： "吩咐统计这人民的不是我吗？是我犯了罪， 行了这大恶； 但这羊群作了什么呢？耶和华我的 神啊， 愿你的手攻击我和我的家族， 不可把瘟疫降在你子民的身上。"
18 耶和华的使者吩咐迦得去告诉大卫， 叫他上去， 在耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾场上， 为耶和华筑一座祭坛。
19 大卫就照着迦得奉耶和华的名所说的话上去了。
20 那时阿珥楠正在打麦子； 阿珥楠转过身来看见了天使， 就和他的四个儿子一起躲藏起来。
21 大卫来到阿珥楠那里， 阿珥楠看见大卫， 就从禾场上出来， 脸伏于地， 向大卫下拜。
22 大卫对阿珥楠说： "请把这块禾场的地让给我， 我要在这里为耶和华筑一座祭坛， 请你算足价银让给我， 使民间的瘟疫可以止息。"
23 阿珥楠对大卫说： "只管拿去吧， 我主我王看怎样好就怎样行吧； 你看， 我把牛给你作燔祭， 把打禾的用具当柴烧， 拿麦子作素祭； 这一切我都送给你。"
24 大卫王对阿珥楠说： "不， 我必照足价银向你买； 我不能拿你的东西献给耶和华， 也不能把没有付代价的东西献上作燔祭。"
25 于是大卫称了六千八百四十克金子给阿珥楠， 买了那块地。
26 大卫在那里为耶和华筑了一座祭坛， 献上燔祭和平安祭； 他呼求耶和华， 耶和华就应允他， 从天上降火在燔祭坛上。
27 耶和华吩咐使者， 他就收刀入鞘。
28 那时， 大卫见耶和华在耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾场上应允了他， 就在那里献祭。
29 摩西在旷野所做耶和华的帐幕和燔祭坛， 那时都在基遍的高地，
30 只是大卫不敢上去求问 神， 因为惧怕耶和华使者的刀。 [ (I Chronicles 21:31) 于是大卫说： "这就是耶和华 神的殿， 这就是给以色列人献燔祭的坛。" ]