2 Samuel 24:14-24
International Standard Version
14 So David replied to Gad, “This is a very difficult choice for me to make! Let me now please fall into the hand of the Lord, since his mercy is very great, but may I never fall into human hands!”
15 That very morning, the Lord sent a pestilence to Israel until the conclusion of the time designated, and 70,000 men[a] died from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 As the angel was stretching out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity, so he told the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Stay your hand!” So the angel of the Lord remained near the threshing floor that belonged to Araunah[b] the Jebusite.[c]
17 When David saw the angel who had been attacking the people, he told the Lord, “Look, I’m the one who has sinned! I did the evil. These are only sheep! What did they do? Please, let your hand fall on me and on my household!”
David Buys Araunah’s Threshing Floor(A)
18 That very day, Gad approached David and told him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor that belongs to Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, just as Gad had ordered, consistent with the Lord’s command.
20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his staff approaching him. Araunah went out, bowed down before the king with his face on the ground, 21 and asked[d] him, “Why has your majesty the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To purchase your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord, so the pestilence can be averted from the people.”
22 Araunah responded to David, “May your majesty the king take it and offer whatever pleases him. Here are oxen for a burnt offering, along with the threshing sledges and yokes from the oxen for wood! 23 Your majesty, Araunah gives all of this[e] to the king.” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God be pleased with you!”
24 “No!” the king replied to Araunah. “I will buy them from you at full[f] price. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 silver shekels,[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:15 Or soldiers
- 2 Samuel 24:16 Araunah was also known as Ornan; cf. 1Chr 21:15
- 2 Samuel 24:16 I.e. a descendant of Canaan’s third son (cf. Gen 10:15-16), Jebusites were native to Jebus, the ancient name of the city of Jerusalem
- 2 Samuel 24:21 Lit. and Araunah said
- 2 Samuel 24:23 The Heb. lacks of this
- 2 Samuel 24:24 The Heb. lacks full
- 2 Samuel 24:24 I.e. about one and one quarter pounds at 0.4 shekels per ounce
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