David's Census and the Plague

Wycliffe's Bible (Modern Spelling)

2Sa 24:1–25

1 And the strong vengeance of the Lord added to be wroth against Israel, and he stirred against them David, saying to Joab, Go thou, and number thou Israel and Judah.
2 And the king said to Joab, the prince of his host, Go thou by all the lineages of Israel, from Dan till to Beersheba, and number thou the people, that I know the number thereof.
3 And Joab said to the king, Thy Lord God increase to this people, how great it is now, and again multiply he it an hundredfold in the sight of my lord the king; but what will or mean my lord the king to himself in such a thing?
4 But the word of the king overcame the words of Joab, and of the princes of the host; and Joab went out, and the princes of the knights, from the face of the king, that they should number the people of Israel.
5 And when they had passed over Jordan, they came into Aroer, to the right side of the city that is in the valley of Gad; and they passed forth by Jazer
6 into Gilead, and into the lower land of Hodshi, and they came into the woody places of Dan; and they went about beside Sidon,
7 and passed nigh the walls of Tyre, and nigh all the land of Hivites, and of Canaanites; and they came to the south of Judah, into Beersheba.
8 And when all the land was com-passed, they came after nine months and twenty days into Jerusalem.
9 And so Joab gave the number of the describing of the people to the king. And of Israel were found nine hundred thousand of strong men, that drew out sword; and of Judah five hundred thousand of fighters.
10 And the heart of David smote him, that is, his conscience reproved him, after that the people was numbered; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in this deed; but, Lord, I pray, that thou turn away the wickedness of thy servant, for I have done full follily.
11 Therefore David rose early; and the word of the Lord was made to Gad, the prophet and seer, and said,
12 Go thou, and speak to David, The Lord saith these things, The choice of three things is given to thee; choose thou one, which thou wilt of these, that I do to thee.
13 And when Gad had come to David, he told to him, and said, Either hunger shall come to thee in thy land seven years; either three months thou shalt flee thine adversaries, and they shall pursue thee; either certainly three days pestilence shall be in thy land; now therefore deliver thou, either advise or examine thou, and see, what word I shall answer to him that sent me.
14 And David said to Gad, I am constrained on each side greatly; but it is better that I fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies be many, than into the hands of men.
15 And the Lord sent pestilence into Israel from the morrowtide till to the time ordained; and seventy thousand of men were dead of the people from Dan till to Beersheba.
16 And when the angel of the Lord had held forth his hand over Jerusalem, that he should destroy it, the Lord had mercy on the tormenting; and said to the angel smiting the people, It sufficeth now; withhold thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was beside the cornfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 And David said to the Lord, when he had seen the angel slaying the people, I am he that have sinned, and I have done wickedly; what have these or they done, that be sheep? I beseech, thine hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father.
18 Forsooth Gad, the prophet, came to David in that day, and said to him, Go thou up, and ordain an altar to the Lord in the cornfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 And David went up, after the word of Gad, which the Lord had commanded to him.
20 And Araunah beheld, and per-ceived, that the king and his servants passed over to him; and he went out, and worshipped the king with low cheer to the earth;
21 and said, What is the cause, that my lord the king cometh to his servant? To whom David said, That I buy of thee the cornfloor, and build an altar to the Lord, and the slaying cease, that is cruel in the people.
22 And Araunah said to David, My lord the king take, and offer, as it pleaseth to him; thou hast oxen into burnt sacrifice, and a wain and yokes of oxen into uses of wood.
23 Araunah gave, that is, would give, all things to the king. And Araunah said to the king, Thy Lord God receive thy vow.
24 To whom the king answered, and said, Not as thou wilt, but I shall buy it of thee for price, and I shall not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices given freely. Therefore David bought the cornfloor for six hundred shekels of gold, and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 And David builded there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt sacrifices and peaceable sacrifices; and the Lord did mercy to the land, and the vengeance was refrained from Israel.

1Ch 21:1–27

1 Soothly Satan rose against Israel, and stirred David for to number Israel.
2 And David said to Joab, and to the princes of the people, Go ye, and number all Israel from Beersheba till to Dan, and bring ye the number to me, that I know what it is.
3 And Joab answered, The Lord increase his people an hundredfold more than they be; my lord the king, whether all be not thy servants? Why seeketh my lord this thing, that shall be areckoned into sin to Israel?
4 But the word of the king had more the mastery; and Joab went out, and compassed all Israel, and turned again into Jerusalem.
5 And he gave to David the number of them, which he had compassed; and all the number of Israel was found a thousand thousand, and an hundred thousand of men, drawing out sword; forsooth of Judah were three hundred thousand, and seventy thousand warriors.
6 But Joab numbered not Levi and Benjamin, for against his will he did the commandment of the king.
7 Forsooth that thing that was commanded displeased the Lord, therefore he smote Israel.
8 And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, that I would do this thing; I beseech thee, Lord, do thou away the wickedness of thy servant, for I did follily.
9 And the Lord spake to Gad, the prophet of David, and said to him,
10 Go thou, and speak to David, and say to him, The Lord saith these things, I give to thee the choosing of three things; choose thou one which thou wilt, that I do to thee.
11 And when Gad was come to David, he said to David, The Lord saith these things, Choose thou that that thou wilt of these,
12 either pestilence three years, either that three months thou flee thine enemies, and be not able to escape their sword, either that the sword of the Lord and death reign three days in the land, and that the angel of the Lord slay in all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore see thou, what I shall answer to him that sent me.
13 And David said to Gad, Anguishes oppress me on each part, but it is better to me, that I fall into the hands of the Lord, for his merciful doings be many, then into the hands of men.
14 Therefore the Lord sent pestilence into Israel, and seventy thousand of men felled down of Israel.
15 Also the Lord sent an angel into Jerusalem, that he should smite it; and when it was smitten, the Lord saw, and had mercy upon the greatness of evil; and he commanded to the angel that smote, and said, It sufficeth, now thine hand cease. And the angel of the Lord stood beside the cornfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David raised up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord standing betwixt heaven and earth, and a drawn sword in his hand, turned against Jerusalem. And both he and the greater men in birth were clothed with hair-shirts, and they fell down upon the earth.
17 And David said to the Lord, Whether I am not he that commanded that the people should be numbered? I it am that sinned, I it am that did evil; what hath this flock deserved? My Lord God, I beseech thee, thine hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father; but thy people be not smitten.
18 And the angel of the Lord commanded to Gad, that he should say to David, that he should go up, and build an altar to the Lord God in the cornfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 Therefore David went up by the word of Gad, which he spake to him by the word of the Lord.
20 And when Ornan had beheld, and saw the angel, and his four sons with him had seen, they hid them-selves, for in that time Ornan threshed wheat in the cornfloor.
21 Therefore when David came to Ornan, Ornan beheld David, and went forth from the cornfloor against or towards him, and worshipped him lowly upon the ground.
22 And David said to him, Give the place of the cornfloor to me, that I build therein an altar to the Lord; so that thou take as much silver as it is worth, and that the vengeance cease from the people.
23 And Ornan said to David, Take thou it, and my lord the king do he whatever thing pleaseth him; but also I give oxen into burnt sacrifice, and instruments of wood, whereby corns be threshed, into sticks to be burnt, and wheat into sacrifice; I give gladly all these things.
24 And king David said to him, It shall not be done so, but I shall give to thee silver for as much as it is worth; for I owe not to take away from thee, and offer so to the Lord burnt sacrifices freely given.
25 Therefore David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold of full just weight.
26 And David builded there an altar to the Lord, and offered thereon burnt sacrifices and peaceable sacrifices, and he inwardly called God; and God heard him in fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt sacrifice.
27 And the Lord commanded to the angel, and he turned his sword again into the sheath.