David Counts the People
(1 Chronicles 21.1-6)1 The Lord was angry with Israel again, and he made David think it would be a good idea to count the people in Israel and Judah. 2 So David told Joab and the army officers, “Go to every tribe in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north all the way south to Beersheba, and count everyone who can serve in the army. I want to know how many there are.”
3 Joab answered, “I hope the Lord your God will give you 100 times more soldiers than you already have. I hope you will live to see that day! But why do you want to do a thing like this?”
4 But when David refused to change his mind, Joab and the army officers went out and started counting the people. 5 They crossed the Jordan River and began with Aroer and the town in the middle of the river valley. From there they went toward Gad and on as far as Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to Kadesh in Syria. Then they went to Dan, Ijon, and on toward Sidon. 7 They came to the fortress of Tyre, then went through every town of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Finally, they went to Beersheba in the Southern Desert of Judah. 8 After they had gone through the whole land, they went back to Jerusalem. It had taken them 9 months and 20 days.
9 Joab came and told David, “In Israel there are 800,000 who can serve in the army, and in Judah there are 500,000.”
The Lord Punishes David
(1 Chronicles 21.7-17)10 After everyone had been counted, David realized he had done wrong. He told the Lord, “What I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Lord, please forgive me.”
11 Before David even got up the next morning, the Lord had told David's prophet Gad 12-13 to take a message to David. Gad went to David and told him:
You must choose one of three ways for the Lord to punish you: Will there be seven years when the land won't grow enough food for your people? Or will your enemies chase you and make you run from them for three months? Or will there be three days of horrible disease in your land? Think about it and decide, because I have to give your answer to God, who sent me.
14 David was really frightened and said, “It's a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind, and I'd rather be punished by him than by anyone else.”
15-16 So that morning, the Lord sent an angel to spread a horrible disease everywhere in Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. And before it was over, 70,000 people had died.
When the angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord felt sorry for all the suffering he had caused and told the angel, “That's enough! Don't touch them.” This happened at the threshing place that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel killing everyone and told the Lord, “These people are like sheep with me as their shepherd. I have sinned terribly, but they have done nothing wrong. Please, punish me and my family instead of them!”
David Buys Araunah's Threshing Place
(1 Chronicles 21.18—22.1)18-19 That same day the prophet Gad came and told David, “Go to the threshing place that belongs to Araunah and build an altar there for the Lord.”
So David went.
20 Araunah looked and saw David and his soldiers coming up toward him. He went over to David, bowed down low, 21 and said, “Your Majesty! Why have you come to see me?”
David answered, “I've come to buy your threshing place. I have to build the Lord an altar here, so this disease will stop killing the people.”
22 Araunah said, “Take whatever you want and offer your sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the sacrifice. You can use the threshing-boards and the wooden yokes for the fire. 23 Take them—they're yours! I hope the Lord your God will be pleased with you.”
24 But David answered, “No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for 50 pieces of silver. 25 Then he built an altar for the Lord. He offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for his blessings.
The Lord answered the prayers of the people, and no one else died from the terrible disease.
Okuvalwa kwoshiwana Oudu wolutapo muIsrael
1 Nehandu lOmwene la xwama vali kOvaisraeli, ndele Ye okwa hongaifa David navo ndele ta ti: “Inda u ka vale Israel naJuda.” 2 Opo nee ohamba tai ti kuJoab, ondjai, ya kala puye: “Endaenda mokati komapata aeshe Ovaisraeli okudja kuDan fiyo okuBerseba, ndele vala ovanhu, ndi shiive omuvalu wovanhu.” 3 Ndele Joab okwa nyamukula ohamba ndele ta ti: “Omufimanekwa, Omwene Kalunga koye na hapupalife Ovaisraeli lwefele ve dule ava ve li po paife, nohamba nai kale nomwenyo i shi mone. Ndelenee omolwashike ohamba ya hala okuninga ngaha?” 4 Ndele eendjovo dohamba da li di dule odo daJoab naado dovakulunhu vovakwaita. Ndele Joab okwa ya pamwe novakulunhu vovakwaita vohamba va ka vale Ovaisraeli. 5 Ndele vo va taulula Jordan ndele va onga onhanda muAroer kombinga yokolulyo loshilando osho shi li mefilu laGad nofiyo okuJaeser. 6 Ndele ve uya vali kuGilead nokuKades moshitukulwa shOvaheti nokuDan, ndele va dingilila ve uya kuSidon. 7 Ndele ve uya kohotelando yaTirus nokoilando aishe yOvahevi noyOvakaanan. Ndele va dja ko ve uya kuBerseba kombinga yokoumbuwanhu muJuda. 8 Osho hano va endaenda nokutaulula moshilongo ashishe ndele ve uya kuJerusalem, eshi pa pita eehani omugoi nomafiku omilongo mbali. 9 Ndele Joab okwa yandja kohamba omuvalu wovanhu. MuIsrael mwa li ovalumenhu va wana okulwa omayovi omafele ahetatu, ndele muJuda omayovi omafele atano aveke.
10 Ndelenee eliudo laDavid le mu vela ombedi, ye eshi a vala ovanhu, ndele David okwa lombwela Omwene ndele ta ti: “Ame nda nyona nai shili, eshi nda longa oshinima eshi. Ndelenee, Omwene, dimine nge po oilonga ei youshima.” 11 Ndele David eshi a penduka ongula, ondjovo yOmwene ya li ye uya komuxunganeki Gad, omumonikokule waDavid ndele ta ti: 12 “Inda u ka lombwele David u tye: ‘Ame Omwene ohandi ku pe u hoolole poinima itatu. Eshi to hoolola po, osho handi ke ku ningila.’ ” 13 Opo nee Gad e uya kuDavid ndele e mu shiivifila ondjovo yOmwene, ndele ta pula ta ti: “Shilipipo wa hala? Omido nhatu dondjala, ile eehani nhatu okuya onhapo ovafininiki voye eshi tave ku taataa, ile omafiku atatu eongamukonda lOmwene, nokutya, oudu wolutapo moshilongo? Shi diladila hano paife, ove u pe nge enyamukulo eli hai twala kOmwene.” 14 Opo nee David ta ti kuGad: “Ame onda fininikwa unene. Ndelenee natu wileni momake Omwene, osheshi olune laye olinene, ndelenee inandi hala okuwila momake ovanhu.” 15 NOmwene okwa tuma mOvaisraeli oudu wolutapo okuhovela ongula fiyo okefimbo la pangelwa. Pokati kaDan naBerseba opa fya ovalumenhu omayovi omilongo heyali. 16 Ndelenee omweengeli eshi a nana eke laye kuJerusalem e shi tokeke, Omwene okwe lialuluka omupya, ndele a lombwela omweengeli ou a hanauna po ovanhu ndele ta ti: “Sha wana! Alula eke loye!” Nomweengeli wOmwene okwa li pefimbo olo poshipale shaArauna, Omujebusi.
17 David eshi a mona nhumbi omweengeli ta dipaa ovanhu, ye okwa lombwela Omwene ndele ta ti: “Tala, ame nda nyona, naame nda ninga osho inashi yuka, ndelenee eedi odo oda ninga shike? Eke loye nali denge nge nepata lange yo.” 18 Opo nee mefiku tuu olo Gad e uya kuDavid ndele ta ti kuye: “Fikama u tungile Omwene oaltari moshipale shaArauna, Omujebusi.” 19 Ndele David okwa ya palombwelo laGad, ngaashi Omwene e mu lombwela. 20 Arauna eshi a yelula omesho ndele ta mono ohamba novapiya vayo tave uya kuye, Arauna okwa ya nokwe linyongamena pedu koshipala shohamba. 21 Ndele Arauna ta ti: “Omolwashike omwene wange ohamba tai uya komupiya wayo?” Opo nee David ta ti: “Nda hala ndi lande oshipale shoye, ndi tungile Omwene oaltari, opo oudu wolutapo u xule po.” 22 Ndelenee Arauna ta ti kuDavid: “Omwene wange ohamba nai kufe nokuyamba keshe eshi she i wapalela; tala, eengobe ododo exwikiloyambo noilei neendjoko deengobe oikuni.…eengobe ododo exwikiloyambo noilei neendjoko deengobe oikuni. 23 Akutu ohamba!” Arauna ta yandje ashishe eshi kohamba. Arauna ta ti vali kohamba: “Omwene Kalunga koye ne ku hokwe!” 24 Ndelenee ohamba ya nyamukula Arauna: “Ahowe, ndelenee nda hala oku shi landa pandjele yasho, ndele inandi hala okuyambela Omwene Kalunga kange omaxwikiloyambo nde a pewa oshali.” Ndele David okwa landa oshipale neengobe neesekeli omilongo nhano doshisiliveli. 25 Opo nee David a tungila Omwene oaltari ndele ta yambe omaxwikiloyambo nomapanduloyambo. NOmwene okwa fila oshilongo onghenda nokwa kandula po oudu wolutapo kOvaisraeli.
