David Numbers Israel and Judah

241 And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. 2 And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3 And Joab said to the king, May Jehovah thy God even add to the people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see [it]; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing? 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. 5 And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jaazer. 6 And they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and came to Dan-jaan, and to the environs of Sidon; 7 and they came to the fortified city of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and went out to the south of Judah, to Beer-sheba. 8 And they went through all the land, and came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king; and there were of Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; and now, I beseech thee, Jehovah, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 Go and say to David, Thus saith Jehovah: I impose on thee three [things]; choose one of them that I may do it unto thee. 13 And Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine adversaries while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy land? Now be aware and consider what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. 14 And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. 15 And Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the set time; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. 16 And the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it; but Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed among the people, It is enough: withdraw now thine hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote among the people, and said, Behold, it is I that have sinned, and it is I that have committed iniquity; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be on me, and on my father's house!

18 And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, Go up, rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as Jehovah had commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on towards him; and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar to Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up that which is good in his sight: see, [here are] oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges and implements of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things, O king, doth Araunah give to the king. And Araunah said to the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said to Araunah, No; but I will in any case buy [them] of thee at a price: neither will I offer up to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings without cost. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And Jehovah was propitious to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

David Numbers Israel and Judah

211 And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. 3 And Joab said, Jehovah add to his people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold: are they not all, my lord O king, my lord's servants? why does my lord require this thing? why should he become a trespass to Israel? 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab; and Joab departed, and went through all Israel, and came [again] to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. And all they of Israel were eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword; and of Judah, four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword. 6 But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

7 And God was displeased on account of this thing, and he smote Israel. 8 And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing; and now, I beseech thee, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 9 And Jehovah spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 10 Go and speak to David saying, Thus saith Jehovah: I offer thee three [things]; choose one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 11 And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: 12 Choose thee, either three years of famine, or three months to be destroyed before thine adversaries while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, or three days the sword of Jehovah and the pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying through all the borders of Israel. And now consider what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. 13 And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. 14 And Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough; withdraw now thine hand. And the angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah stand between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? It is I that have sinned and done evil; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, Jehovah my God, be on me and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be smitten.

18 And the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of Jehovah. 20 And Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 And David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with [his] face to the ground. 22 And David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build an altar in it to Jehovah: grant it to me for the full money, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23 And Ornan said to David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his sight: see, I give the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges for wood, and the wheat for the oblation; I give it all. 24 And king David said to Ornan, No; but I will in any case buy [them] for the full money; for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, to offer up a burnt-offering without cost. 25 And David gave to Ornan for the place in shekels of gold the weight of six hundred [shekels]. 26 And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. 27 And Jehovah spoke to the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath.

The Site for the Temple

28 At that time when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. 29 And the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

221 And David said, This is the house of Jehovah Elohim, and this is the altar of burnt-offering for Israel.

David's Preparation for the Temple

2 And David commanded to collect the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. 3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joists, and brass in abundance without weight; 4 and cedar-trees innumerable; for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought cedar-wood in abundance to David. 5 For David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for Jehovah must be exceeding great in fame and in beauty in all lands: I will therefore make preparation for it. And David prepared abundantly before his death.

6 And he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a house for Jehovah the God of Israel. 7 And David said to Solomon, As for me, my son, I was minded to build a house unto the name of Jehovah my God. 8 But the word of Jehovah came to me saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build a house unto my name, for thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and in his days I will give peace and quietness unto Israel. 10 He shall build a house unto my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. 11 Now, my son, Jehovah be with thee, that thou mayest prosper, and build the house of Jehovah thy God, as he has said of thee. 12 Only, Jehovah give thee wisdom and understanding, and place thee over Israel, and to keep the law of Jehovah thy God. 13 Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to perform the statutes and ordinances which Jehovah commanded Moses for Israel: be strong and courageous; fear not, neither be dismayed. 14 And behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight, for it is in abundance; and timber and stone have I prepared; and thou shalt add to it. 15 And there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of skilful men for every kind of work. 16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing and Jehovah be with thee.

17 And David commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, [saying,] 18 Is not Jehovah your God with you? and has he [not] given you rest on every side? for he has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before Jehovah, and before his people. 19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek Jehovah your God; and arise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah Elohim, to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the vessels of the sanctuary of God into the house that is to be built unto the name of Jehovah.

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

301 A Psalm of David: dedication-song of the house. I will extol thee, Jehovah; for thou hast delivered me, and hast not made mine enemies to rejoice over me. 2 Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, thou hast quickened me from among those that go down to the pit. 4 Sing psalms unto Jehovah, ye saints of his, and give thanks in remembrance of his holiness. 5 For a moment [is passed] in his anger, a life in his favour; at even weeping cometh for the night, and at morn there is rejoicing.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. 7 Jehovah, by thy favour thou hadst made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled. 8 I called to thee, Jehovah, and unto the Lord did I make supplication: 9 What profit is there in my blood, in my going down to the pit? shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? 10 Hear, O Jehovah, and be gracious unto me; Jehovah, be my helper. 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 That [my] glory may sing psalms of thee, and not be silent. Jehovah my God, I will praise thee for ever.