1 Satanás levantou-se contra Israel e levou Davi a fazer um recenseamento do povo.2 Davi disse a Joabe e aos outros comandantes do exército: "Vão e contem os israelitas desde Berseba até Dã e tragam-me um relatório para que eu saiba quantos são".3 Joabe, porém, respondeu: "Que o Senhor multiplique o povo dele por cem. Ó rei, meu senhor, não são, porventura, todos eles súditos do meu senhor? Por que o meu senhor deseja fazer isso? Por que deveria trazer culpa sobre Israel? "4 Mas a palavra do rei prevaleceu, de modo que Joabe partiu, percorreu todo o Israel e então voltou a Jerusalém.5 Joabe apresentou a Davi o relatório com o número dos homens de combate: Em todo o Israel havia um milhão e cem mil homens habilitados para o serviço militar, sendo quatrocentos e setenta mil de Judá.6 Mas Joabe não incluiu as tribos de Levi e de Benjamim na contagem, pois a ordem do rei lhe parecera absurda.7 Essa ordem foi reprovada por Deus, e por isso ele puniu Israel.8 Então Davi disse a Deus: "Pequei gravemente com o que fiz. Agora eu te imploro que perdoes o pecado do teu servo, porque cometi uma grande loucura! "9 O Senhor disse a Gade, o vidente de Davi:10 "Vá dizer a Davi: ‘Assim diz o Senhor: Estou lhe dando três opções. Escolha uma delas, e eu a executarei contra você’ ".11 Então Gade foi a Davi e lhe disse: "Assim diz o Senhor: ‘Escolha:12 três anos de fome, três meses fugindo de seus adversários, perseguido pela espada deles, ou três dias da espada do Senhor, isto é, três dias de praga, com o anjo do Senhor assolando todas as regiões de Israel’. Decida agora como devo responder àquele que me enviou".13 Davi respondeu: "É grande a minha angustia! Prefiro cair nas mãos do Senhor, pois é grande a sua misericórdia, e não nas mãos dos homens".14 Então o Senhor enviou uma praga sobre Israel, e setenta mil homens de Israel morreram.15 E Deus enviou um anjo para destruir Jerusalém. Mas, quando o anjo ia fazê-lo, o Senhor olhou e arrependeu-se de trazer a catástrofe, e ele disse ao anjo destruidor: "Pare! Já basta! " Naquele momento o anjo do Senhor estava perto da eira de Araúna, o jebuseu.16 Davi olhou para cima e viu o anjo do Senhor entre o céu e a terra, com uma espada na mão erguida sobre Jerusalém. Então Davi e as autoridades de Israel, vestidos de luto, prostraram-se, rosto em terra.17 Davi disse a Deus: "Não fui eu que ordenei contar o povo? Fui eu que pequei e fiz o mal. Estes não passam de ovelhas. O que eles fizeram? Ó Senhor meu Deus, que o teu castigo caia sobre mim e sobre a minha família, mas não sobre o teu povo! "18 Então o anjo do Senhor mandou Gade dizer a Davi que construísse um altar na eira de Araúna, o jebuseu.19 Davi foi para lá, em obediência à palavra que Gade havia falado em nome do Senhor.20 Araúna estava debulhando o trigo; virando-se, viu o anjo, e ele e seus quatro filhos que estavam com ele se esconderam.21 Nisso chegou Davi e, quando Araúna o viu, saiu da eira e prostrou-se diante de Davi, rosto em terra.22 E Davi lhe pediu: "Ceda-me o terreno da sua eira para eu construir um altar em honra do Senhor, para que cesse a praga sobre o povo. Venda-me o terreno pelo preço justo".23 Mas Araúna disse a Davi: "Considera-o teu! Que o meu rei e senhor faça dele o que desejar. Eu darei os bois para os holocaustos, o debulhador para servir de lenha, e o trigo para a oferta de cereal. Tudo isso eu dou a ti".24 O rei Davi, porém, respondeu a Araúna: "Não! Faço questão de pagar o preço justo. Não darei ao Senhor aquilo que pertence a você, nem oferecerei um holocausto que não me custe nada".25 Então Davi pagou a Araúna sete quilos e duzentos gramas de ouro pelo terreno.26 E Davi edificou ali um altar ao Senhor e ofereceu holocaustos e sacrifícios de comunhão. Davi invocou o Senhor, e o Senhor lhe respondeu com fogo que veio do céu sobre o altar de holocaustos.27 E o Senhor ordenou ao anjo que pusesse a espada na bainha.28 Nessa ocasião viu Davi que o Senhor lhe havia respondido na eira de Araúna, o jebuseu, e passou a oferecer sacrifícios ali.29 Naquela época, o tabernáculo do Senhor que Moisés fizera no deserto, e o altar de holocaustos, estavam em Gibeom.30 Mas Davi não podia consultar a Deus lá, pois tinha medo da espada do anjo do Senhor.

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, Yahweh make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's slaves? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.5 And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to David. And all those of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men who drew sword: and Judah was 470,000 men who drew sword.6 But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was disgusting to Joab.7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.8 And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I urge you, the iniquity of your slave; for I have done very foolishly.9 And Yahweh spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,10 Go and speak to David, saying, Thus says Yahweh, I offer you three things: choose for yourself one of them, that I may do it to you.11 So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Take which you will:12 either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or three days the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I will return to him who sent me.13 And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Yahweh; for very great are his mercies: and don't let me fall into the hand of man.14 So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Yahweh looked, and he repented of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now let down your hand. And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Yahweh 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 on their faces.17 And David said to God, Is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray you, O Yahweh my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued.18 Then the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar to Yahweh in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh.20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons who 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 on it an altar to Yahweh: for the full price you will give it to me, that the plague may be stopped from the people.23 And Ornan said to David, Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: look, I give [you] 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, No; but I will truly buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is yours for Yahweh, 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 to Yahweh, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt-offering.27 And Yahweh commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath.28 At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.29 For the tabernacle of Yahweh, 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 Yahweh.