David Takes a Census
(1 Chronicles 21.1-27)
1 On another occasion the Lord was angry with Israel, and he made David bring trouble on them. The Lord said to him, “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah.” 2 So David gave orders to Joab, the commander of his army: “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are.”
3 But Joab answered the king, “Your Majesty, may the Lord your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now, and may you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?” 4 But the king made Joab and his officers obey his order; they left his presence and went out to count the people of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped south of Aroer, the city in the middle of the valley, in the territory of Gad. From there they went north to Jazer, 6 and on to Gilead and to Kadesh, in Hittite territory. Then they went to Dan, and from Dan they went west to Sidon. 7 Then they went south to the fortified city of Tyre, on to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and finally to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah. 8 So after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem, having traveled through the whole country. 9 They reported to the king the total number of men capable of military service: 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.
10 But after David had taken the census, his conscience began to hurt, and he said to the Lord, “I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly.”
11-12 The Lord said to Gad, David's prophet, “Go and tell David that I am giving him three choices. I will do whichever he chooses.” The next morning, after David had gotten up, 13 Gad went to him, told him what the Lord had said, and asked, “Which is it to be? Three years of famine in your land or three months of running away from your enemies or three days of an epidemic in your land? Now think it over, and tell me what answer to take back to the Lord.”
14 David answered, “I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the Lord himself be the one to punish us, for he is merciful.” 15 So the Lord sent an epidemic on Israel, which lasted from that morning until the time that he had chosen. From one end of the country to the other seventy thousand Israelites died. 16 When the Lord's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, “Stop! That's enough!” The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the Lord, “I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family.”
18 That same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the Lord.” 19 David obeyed the Lord's command and went as Gad had told him to. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David 21 and asked, “Your Majesty, why are you here?”
David answered, “To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the Lord, in order to stop the epidemic.”
22 “Take it, Your Majesty,” Araunah said, “and offer to the Lord whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel.” 23 Araunah gave it all to the king and said to him, “May the Lord your God accept your offering.”
24 But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver. 25 Then he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The Lord answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.
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.