1 Levantou-se Satã contra Israel, e excitou Davi a fazer o recenseamento de Israel.2 Disse Davi a Joab e aos chefes do povo: Ide, fazei o recenseamento dos israelitas desde Bersabéia até Dã e fazei-me um relatório, para que eu saiba o número deles.3 Respondeu Joab: O Senhor multiplique seu povo cem vezes mais! Não são todos eles, ó rei, meu senhor, os servos de meu senhor? Por que, no entanto, exige meu senhor isso? Por que sobrecarregar Israel de um pecado?4 Mas o rei persistiu na ordem que dera a Joab. Joab partiu e percorreu todo o Israel, depois retornou a Jerusalém.5 E entregou a Davi a lista do recenseamento do povo: havia em todo o Israel um milhão e cem mil homens aptos para o manejo da espada, e, em Judá, quatrocentos e setenta mil.6 Não fez o recenseamento da tribo de Levi nem de Benjamim, porque a ordem do rei lhe repugnava.7 Deus não viu isso com bons olhos e feriu Israel.8 Davi disse a Deus: Pequei gravemente agindo de tal maneira. Agora dignai-vos perdoar a iniqüidade de vosso servo, porque agi em completa insensatez.9 Então o Senhor dirigiu-se a Gad, vidente de Davi, nesses termos:10 Vai dizer a Davi: Eis o que diz o Senhor: Eu te proponho três coisas; escolhe uma delas e eu ta farei.11 Gad foi ao encontro de Davi e lhe disse: Eis o que disse o Senhor:12 Escolhe: ou três anos de fome, ou três meses durante os quais fugirás de teus inimigos e serás atingido por sua espada, ou ainda três dias em que a espada do Senhor ou a peste maltratarão a terra, e o anjo do Senhor devastará todo o território de Israel. A ti compete ver agora que resposta devo dar àquele que me enviou.13 Estou, respondeu Davi, numa cruel angústia. Ah! Caia eu nas mãos do Senhor, porque imensa é sua misericórdia; mas que eu não caia nas mãos dos homens!14 E o Senhor mandou a peste a Israel. Em Israel tombaram setenta mil homens.15 Deus enviou a Jerusalém um anjo para destruí-la. Enquanto ele a assolava, o Senhor, que olhava, compadeceu-se desse mal, e disse ao anjo destruidor: Basta! Retira agora tua mão! Ora, o anjo do Senhor achava-se perto da eira de Ornã, o jebuseu.16 Davi, tendo levantado os olhos, viu o anjo do Senhor que estava entre o céu e a terra, com uma espada desembainhada em sua mão, dirigida contra Jerusalém. Então Davi e os anciãos, cobertos de sacos, prostraram-se com o rosto por terra.17 E Davi disse a Deus: Não fui eu que mandei fazer o recenseamento do povo? Fui eu que pequei, fui eu que fiz esse mal. Mas essas ovelhas, que fizeram elas? Senhor, meu Deus, que vossa mão caia, portanto, sobre mim e sobre a casa de meu pai para castigar, mas não sobre vosso povo.18 O anjo do Senhor mandou Gad dizer a Davi que subisse à eira de Ornã, o jebuseu, para lá levantar um altar ao Senhor.19 Davi lá subiu, de acordo com a ordem dada por Gad da parte do Senhor.20 Ornã, voltando-se, viu o anjo, e ele com seus quatro filhos esconderam-se: estava, naquela ocasião, debulhando trigo.21 Quando Davi chegou perto de Ornã, este o viu; saiu da eira e se prosternou diante de Davi, com o rosto contra a terra.22 Davi disse-lhe: Cede-me o terreno de tua eira, para nela construir um altar ao Senhor; cede-o a mim pelo seu valor em dinheiro, para que o flagelo se retire de cima do povo.23 Ornã respondeu: Toma-o; que meu senhor, o rei, faça o que lhe parecer bom. Vê: dou os bois para o holocausto, os carros para lenha, e o trigo para a oblação; tudo te dou.24 Não, respondeu Davi, quero comprá-lo pelo seu inteiro valor em dinheiro; não tomarei o que te pertence para dar ao Senhor, e não oferecerei um holocausto que não me custe nada.25 Davi deu a Ornã um peso de seiscentos siclos de ouro pelo terreno.26 E Davi construiu lá um altar ao Senhor; ofereceu holocausto e sacrifícios pacíficos. Invocou o Senhor que lhe respondeu enviando o fogo do céu sobre o altar de holocusto.27 Então o Senhor falou ao anjo, e este meteu a espada na bainha.28 Nesse momento, vendo Davi que o Senhor o tinha ouvido na eira de Ornã, o jebuseu, ofereceu ali sacrifícios.29 O tabernáculo do Senhor que Moisés construíra no deserto e o altar dos holocaustos se encontravam, nesse tempo, no lugar alto de Gabaon.30 Mas Davi não pôde dirigir-se a esse altar, para rogar a Deus, tão aterrado ficara ao ver a espada do anjo do Senhor.

1 And the Accuser stood up against Israel, and incited David to count 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 their number to me, that I may know it.3 Then said Joab, May the Lord add unto his people, how many soever they be, a hundred–fold more: are they not all, my lord the king, my lord’s servants? why then will my lord require this thing? why shall it be a cause of guiltiness for Israel?4 Nevertheless the king’s word remained firm against Joab; and Joab went out, and moved about throughout all Israel, and came back to Jerusalem.5 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto David: and there were in all Israel a thousand times thousand and one hundred thousand men that drew the sword: and of Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew the sword.6 But Levi and Benjamin did he not count among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.7 And this thing was displeasing in the eyes of God, and he smote Israel.8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I beseech thee, cause the iniquity of thy servant to pass away; for I have acted very foolishly.9 And the Lord spoke unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,10 Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus hath said the Lord, Three things do I offer thee: choose for thyself one of them, and I will do it unto thee.11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus hath said the Lord, Select for thyself,12 Whether there shall be three years famine; or three months, to be destroyed before thy adversaries, so that the sword of thy enemies overtake thee; or that during three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, shall be in the land, and an angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the boundaries of Israel? And now reflect what word I shall bring back to him that hath sent me.13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall then into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.14 So the Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was destroying, the Lord looked on, and he bethought himself of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough: now stay thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing–floor of Ornan the Jebusite.16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the heavens, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then fell David, with the elders wrapt in sackcloth, upon their faces.17 And David said unto God, Was it not I that ordered to count the people? and I am the one that have sinned and have done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house, but not against thy people, that there should be a plague.18 And the angel of the Lord spoke to Gad to say to David, that David should go up, to erect an altar unto the Lord on the threshing–floor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 And David went up by the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord.20 And when Ornan turned back, and saw the angel, then did he and his four sons with him hide themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.21 And as David came up to Ornan, Ornan looked up and saw David; and he went out of the threshing–floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.22 Then said David to Ornan, "Grant me the site of this threshing–floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto the Lord: for the full price shalt thou give it unto me, so that the plague may be stayed from the people."23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it for thyself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes: lo, I give the oxen for burnt–offerings, and the threshing–rollers for wood, and the wheat for the meat–offering; the whole do I give thee.24 And king David said to Ornan, No: but I will surely buy it at the full value; for I will not take what is thine for the Lord, so as to offer burnt–offerings without paying therefore.25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.26 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt–offerings and peace–offerings, and he called on the Lord: and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt–offering.27 And the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put back his sword into its sheath.28 At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing–floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then did he sacrifice there.29 But the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt–offering, were at that time in the high–place at Gib’on.30 But David was not able to go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.