1 Crônicas 21

Telling van die volk. Pes in Israel.

1 TOE het Satan teen Israel opgetree en Dawid aangehits om Israel te tel.

2 En Dawid het aan Joab en die owerstes van die volk gesê: Gaan tel Israel van Berséba tot Dan, en bring vir my berig, dat ek hulle getal kan weet.

3 En Joab sê: Mag die Here by sy volk honderd maal meer byvoeg as wat hulle is; hulle is tog almal, my heer koning, my heer se dienaars. Waarom verlang my heer dit? Waarom moet Israel skuldig word?

4 Maar die woord van die koning het die oorhand gehad oor Joab, en Joab het uitgetrek en die hele Israel deurgetrek en in Jerusalem aangekom.

5 En Joab het die getal van die volkstelling aan Dawid gegee; en die hele Israel was elfhonderdduisend man wat die swaard uittrek, en Juda vierhonderd-en-sewentigduisend man wat die swaard uittrek.

6 Maar Levi en Benjamin het hy nie onder hulle getel nie, want die woord van die koning was vir Joab 'n gruwel.

7 En hierdie saak was verkeerd in die oë van God; daarom het Hy Israel swaar getref.

8 Toe sê Dawid tot God: Ek het swaar gesondig, dat ek hierdie ding gedoen het; maar vergeef tog nou die skuld van u kneg, want ek het my baie besondig.

9 En die Here het met Gad, die siener van Dawid, gespreek en gesê:

10 Gaan heen en spreek met Dawid en sê: So spreek die Here: Drie dinge lê Ek jou voor; kies vir jou een daaruit, dat Ek dit aan jou kan doen.

11 Toe kom Gad by Dawid en sê vir hom: So spreek die Here: Kies vir jou

12 òf drie jaar lank hongersnood, òf om drie maande lank om te kom vanweë jou teëstanders deurdat die swaard van jou vyande jou inhaal, òf drie dae lank die swaard van die Here, naamlik pes in die land deurdat die engel van die Here verderf aanrig in die hele grondgebied van Israel; oorweeg dan nou watter antwoord ek my Sender moet bring.

13 Daarop sê Dawid vir Gad: Ek is baie benoud; laat my tog in die hand van die Here val, want sy barmhartighede is baie groot, maar laat my in die hand van mense nie val nie.

14 En die Here het 'n pes onder Israel beskik, en van Israel het daar sewentigduisend man geval.

15 En God het 'n engel na Jerusalem gestuur om dit te verwoes; en terwyl hy dit verwoes, het die Here dit gesien, en dit het Hom berou oor die onheil, en Hy het aan die engel wat die verwoesting moes aanrig, gesê: Genoeg, trek nou jou hand terug! En die engel van die Here het by die dorsvloer van Ornan, die Jebusiet, gestaan.

16 Toe Dawid sy oë opslaan, sien hy die engel van die Here staan tussen die aarde en die hemel met sy ontblote swaard in sy hand oor Jerusalem uitgestrek. Daarop val Dawid en die oudstes, met rouklere bedek, op hulle aangesig.

17 En Dawid sê tot God: Is dit nie ék wat beveel het om die volk te tel nie? Ja, dit is ek wat gesondig en baie verkeerd gehandel het; maar hierdie skape, wat het hulle gedoen? Here, my God, laat u hand tog teen my en my familie wees, maar nie as 'n plaag teen u volk nie.

18 Daarop gee die engel van die Here bevel aan Gad om aan Dawid te sê dat Dawid moet opgaan om vir die Here 'n altaar op te rig op die dorsvloer van Ornan, die Jebusiet.

19 En Dawid het opgegaan volgens die woord van Gad wat hy in die Naam van die Here gespreek het.

20 Toe Ornan hom omdraai, sien hy die engel; en sy vier seuns wat by hom was, het hulle weggesteek; Ornan het naamlik koring gedors.

21 Toe Dawid by Ornan kom, het Ornan opgekyk en Dawid gesien, en hy het van die dorsvloer uitgegaan en hom voor Dawid met sy aangesig na die aarde gebuig.

22 Daarop sê Dawid vir Ornan: Gee aan my die plek van die dorsvloer, dat ek daarop vir die Here 'n altaar kan bou; gee dit aan my vir die volle geld, sodat die plaag van die volk afgewend kan word.

23 Maar Ornan sê vir Dawid: Neem dit vir u, en laat my heer die koning doen wat goed is in sy oë; kyk, ek gee die beeste as brandoffers en die sleë as hout en die koring as 'n spysoffer; ek gee dit alles.

24 Maar koning Dawid het vir Ornan gesê: Nee, maar ek wil dit verseker koop vir die volle geld; want ek wil nie wat aan jou behoort, vir die Here neem, dat ek verniet 'n brandoffer sou bring nie.

25 En Dawid het vir die plek seshonderd sikkels goud in gewig aan Ornan gegee.

26 En Dawid het daar vir die Here 'n altaar gebou en brandoffers en dankoffers gebring. Onderwyl hy die Here aanroep, het Hy hom met vuur uit die hemel op die brandofferaltaar geantwoord.

27 En die Here het die engel beveel om sy swaard weer in die skede te steek.

28 In dié tyd, toe Dawid sien dat die Here hom geantwoord het op die dorsvloer van Ornan, die Jebusiet, het hy daar geoffer;

29 want die tabernakel van die Here wat Moses in die woestyn gemaak het, en die brandofferaltaar was in dié tyd op die hoogte in Gíbeon.

30 En Dawid het nie daarvoor durf verskyn om God te soek nie, want hy was verskrik vanweë die swaard van die engel van die Here.

1 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 me word, that I may know the sum of them. 3 And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel? 4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. 6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. 7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. 8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

9 And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, 10 Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt: 12 either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 14 So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. 15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father’s house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

18 Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah. 20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 And 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, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all. 24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost. 25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 26 And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering. 27 And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

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 For the tabernacle of Jehovah, 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 could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.