1Chronicles:21

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* Now Satan stood up against Israel , and moved David to number Israel . * So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people , "Go , number Israel from Beersheba to Dan , and bring the number of them to me that I may know it ." * And Joab answered , "May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are . But , my lord the king , are they not all my lord 's servants ? Why then does my lord require this thing ? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel ?" * Nevertheless the king 's word prevailed against Joab . Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem . * Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David . All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword , and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword . * But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them , for the king 's word was abominable to Joab . * And God was displeased with this thing ; therefore He struck Israel . * So David said to God , "I have sinned greatly , because I have done this thing ; but now , I pray , take away the iniquity of Your servant , for I have done very foolishly ." * Then the LORD spoke to Gad , David 's seer , saying , * "Go and tell David , saying , "Thus says the LORD : "I offer you three things ; choose one of them for yourself , that I may do it to you .""' * So Gad came to David and said to him , "Thus says the LORD : "Choose for yourself , * either three years of famine , or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you , or else for three days the sword of the LORD--the plague in the land , with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel .' Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me ." * And David said to Gad , "I am in great distress . Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD , for His mercies are very great ; but do not let me fall into the hand of man ." * So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel , and seventy thousand men of Israel fell . * And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it . As he was destroying , the LORD looked and relented of the disaster , and said to the angel who was destroying , "It is enough ; now restrain your hand ." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite . * Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven , having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem . So David and the elders , clothed in sackcloth , fell on their faces . * And David said to God , "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered ? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed ; but these sheep , what have they done ? Let Your hand , I pray , O LORD my God , be against me and my father 's house , but not against Your people that they should be plagued ." * Therefore , the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite . * So David went up at the word of Gad , which he had spoken in the name of the LORD . * Now Ornan turned and saw the angel ; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves , but Ornan continued threshing wheat . * So David came to Ornan , and Ornan looked and saw David . And he went out from the threshing floor , and bowed before David with his face to the ground . * Then David said to Ornan , "Grant me the place of this threshing floor , that I may build an altar on it to the LORD . You shall grant it to me at the full price , that the plague may be withdrawn from the people ." * But Ornan said to David , "Take it to yourself , and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes . Look , I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings , the threshing implements for wood , and the wheat for the grain offering ; I give it all ." * Then King David said to Ornan , "No , but I will surely buy it for the full price , for I will not take what is yours for the LORD , nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing ." * So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place . * And David built there an altar to the LORD , and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings , and called on the LORD ; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering . * So the LORD commanded the angel , and he returned his sword to its sheath . * At that time , when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite , he sacrificed there . * For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering , which Moses had made in the wilderness , were at that time at the high place in Gibeon . * But David could not go before it to inquire of God , for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD .

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