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.
Dawidi Ti Lidri Yisaraele ro te ndi Yuda ro be
(1 Ambâ 21:1-27)1 Kyila OPI ro lerute kpa to'di Yisaraele be, ago eŋga ya Dawidi rote ànya lomvo, ago OPI atate ndäri ekye: “Nyoyi, miti lidri Yisaraele ro ndi Yuda ro be.” 2 Ago 'Bädri'ba Dawidi atate Yoaba otaozo'bai ndaro ri ekye: “Nyòyi otaozo'ba kyila'bai robe 'bakala cini Yisaraele ro yasi, etoni Dana ya le Beraseba ya, ago mìti lidri, tana mäni oti lidri ro robe.”
3 Oko Yoaba atate 'bädri'ba ri ekye: “Ka'do inye OPI Lu miro kiliti lidri Perena kama ndrani oso a'do ànya ro yauono ri, ago 'dooko OPI 'bädri'ba maro kori dri gi 'du tana kondre robe; oko tana e'di opi 'bädri'ba maro a'dogwo yai'dwesi tase ono oyene niya?” 4 Oko ata 'bädri'ba ro pe Yoaba ndi otaozo'bai kyila'bai robe te ṛe. Ta'dota Yoaba ndi otaozo'bai kyila'bai robe foyite tesi ni 'bädri'ba kandra si ago oyiyite lidri Yisaraele ro otine.
5 Ànya zayidri Golo Yaradene rote, ago otoyi gawa te Aroeri ya, 'bakici se kitori ya vodelero roya ya, wari Gada roya. Ago ni nasi ànya oyite mä'dudri ro Jazera ya. 6 'Dooko ànya ikyiyite Gilada ya, ago Kadesa ya 'bädri Ete'bai roya. Ago ànya ikyiyite Dana ya, ago ni Dana yasi ànya oyiyite aŋgoya ro Sidona ya. 7 Ago ànya ikyiyite tiṛi obeobero 'bakici Tura roya ndi 'bakicii cini Iva'bai ndi Kanana'bai robe yasi; ago ànya oyiyite driya le Negebe Yuda roya Beraseba ya. 8 Ondro ànya kälävuyite wari cini yasi oko, ànya esayite Yerusalema ya ädu imba njidriesu roya, u'du 'buteritu na ya. 9 Ago Yoaba ozo oti lidri se atibe rote 'bädri'ba ri: Yisaraele ya lidri mbaraekye se nja a'done kyila'bai ro orivoya kutu kama njidriena (800,000), ago lidri Yuda ro kama kutu nji (500,000).
10 Oti lidri ro vosi oko, ya Dawidi ro rite loŋgane. Ago Dawidi atate OPI ri ekye: “Maye takozi 'desi te tase mayebe ono si. Oko yauono, Äye OPI, molo'baru miri, nye'be ma ruindu'ba miro ta takozi maro rota; tana maye tate amama si.” 11 Ago ondro Dawidi koŋgate kyenoŋbosi oko, ata OPI ro ikyite nebi Gada taäŋgu'ba Dawidi ro ri ekye: 12 “Nyoyi ago nyata Dawidi ri mikye: ‘Ono ni tase OPI kabe atana owo ekye, mozo ŋga nätu miri, minji alodi ànyaro, maye robe miri.’ ” 13 Ndi Gada ikyite Dawidi re ago atate ndäri ekye: “Inye'do ndroa nätu mä'bu ro kikyi 'bädri miro ya ya? Kode mile lämune ni kyila'baazii miro ri imba na nätu ya? Kode adravo odra koziro ri a'done u'duna nätu 'bädri miro ya ya? Ka'do inye nyusu tavona, ago nyiti tase märi logone nda se kezo mabe ono ri.”
14 'Dooko Dawidi logo tate Gada ri ekye: “Ma te rriti 'desi ya, oko male ko ni lidri ri ama ezane. OPI andivo keza ama ni, tana nda orivoya yauni para ndra be.” 15 Ta'dota OPI ezi adravo odra koziro te Yisaraele dri etoro ni kyenoŋbo ana si madale tuse atibe si. Etoro ni Dana ya le Beraseba ya lidri drate kutu 'bute njidrieri (70,000). 16 Ago ondro malaika kozo drì iro te Yerusalema driro anya perene oko, OPI läpi tausu ndaro teni tase rritiro nonye ono oyevoya, ago atate malaika se kabe losi 'ditufu ro oye lidri lako ana ri ekye: “Nyedre! 'Do ojote.” Ago malaika OPI ro orivoya telesi kaladri Arauna Jebusa'ba roya.
17 'Dooko Dawidi kondre malaika se kabe lidri tufu ana te oko, nda atate OPI ri ekye: “Mindre, maye takozi ni, ma ni se ye tate koziro owo; oko lidri se mäyuro kwoi, yeyi iro e'diyi ya? Molo'baru miri, nyeza ma ayani ndi katidri maro be.”
18 Ago tu gi ana si Gada ikyite Dawidi re, ago atate ndäri ekye: “Nyoyi mibe vo tori oloro OPI ri kaladri Arauna Jebusa'ba roya.” 19 'Dooko Dawidi ro ota OPI rote ago oyite oso Gada katabe ndäri ronye. 20 Ago ondro Arauna kondrevote vuru oko, nda ndre 'bädri'ba te ndi dri'bai losi ro ndaro be ikyivoya nda re ro, ago Arauna fote tesi, ago nda 'dete vuru 'bädri'ba kandra militi si taoro si. 21 Ago Arauna atate ekye: “Tana e'di opi 'bädri'ba maro ikyigwo ruindu'ba ndaro re niya?”
Dawidi atate ekye: “Mikyi kaladri miro ogyene, vo tori oloro obeza driigye OPI ri, tana adravo odra koziro kedre robe ni lidri lako.”
22 'Dooko Arauna atate Dawidi ri ekye: “Mi'ba opi 'bädri'ba maro kuru ri ago kolo ŋgase landrebe kado ndäri 'do. Daŋgoi ŋgapäṛi ozaro ro begi ono, ndi dhudhu kaladri robe ndi juṛu 'daŋgo robe tiza ro.” 23 Arauna ozo se cini ono te 'bädri'ba ri. Ago Arauna atate 'bädri'ba ri ekye: “OPI Lu miro koza tadri miro yai'dwesi.”
24 Oko 'bädri'ba atate Arauna ri ekye: “Hwa, magyena ogye ni mirigye si. Mänina ko tori oloro se mozo ŋga aza ko driigye 'do olene OPI Lu maro ri.” Ago Dawidi gye kaladri te ndi 'daŋgo be tonyo mo'di ro 'butenji (50) si. 25 Ago Dawidi be vo tori oloro te lau OPI ri, ago ozo ŋgapäri ozaro te ndi ŋgapäṛi rumora ro be. Ago OPI eri mätu ndaro te ta 'bädri rota, ago adravo odra koziro edrete ni Yisaraele ya.