¹³ The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹³ So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, ‘Do you want three^[a] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes for three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land for three days? Now, consider carefully^[b] what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.’

²¹ Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant? ’

David replied, ‘To buy the threshing-floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.’^(A)

²⁵ He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land,^(A) and the plague on Israel ended.