1 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. 2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? 4 Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5 ¶ And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer: 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and about to Zidon, 7 And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 ¶ And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
15 ¶ So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
18 ¶ And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
Dafite unobala bathu
(1 Zwiyitikalo 21:1-27)1 Yahwe bakazhala bushongola kakale ngekwe Iziraela bakakulumbidza Dafite ngekwabo beti, “Yenda unobala bathu be Iziraela ne be Juda.” 2 Ndizo mambo kadwa Joabu ne balauli be babhayani kati, “Yendani mungine mu njudzi dzose dze Iziraela, kudwa ku Dani kunoti ku Bheerisheba ubale bathu bose, kuti ndizibe kuti bangana.”
3 Koga Joabu kadwa mambo kati, “Dzene Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bangapaphidza bathu kwakatathikana kungabe ka zana (100) kupinda kwe tjilizanyu tjabali itjo, ngono dzene kungashingikala tetshi wangu mambo batjatjila. Apa ini tetshi wangu mambo mushaka kuti bathu babagwe?” 4 Koga dama la mambo likadodomela muna Joabu ne balauli be babhayani. Ndizo Joabu ne balauli be babhayani bakayenda bedwa pana mambo kunobala bathu bose be Iziraela.
5 Bakatjulukila seli kwe Jorodani bakanotangisa kudwa mu Aroeri ne mu nzi nkulu upakati kwe nkuku, kuyendila ku Gadi kunoti ku Jazeri. 6 Bakanoswika ku ntuthu we Giliyadi ne ku Kadeshi mu ntuthu we Bahiti, ku ntuthu we Kadeshi, bakazha ku Dani, kudwa mu Dani bakanoswika ku Danijaani bakapoteleka bakanoti ne ku Sidoni. 7 Ngono bakaswika ku dizhilo le Tire ne mizi yose mikulu ye Bahivi ne Bakanana, bebuya bebhudila ku burwa gwe Juda ku Bheerisheba. 8 Ndizo shule kwe mwedzi ili zhanalume ina mazhuba ali makumi mabili (20), bakashanduklila ku Jerusalema basinopoteleka shango yose. 9 Bakabikila mambo mbalo ye balume bose bakazwilizanila kugwa: Bakabe bali zwiwulu zwili mazana ali zhanakadzi (800 000) mu Iziraela ne bali zwiwulu zwili mazana ali mashanu (500 000) mu Juda.
10 Dafite kalobgwa nge hana asinobe abala bathu. Ngono Dafite kati kuna Yahwe, “Ndatjinya kwazo muna tjandathama. Koga Yahwe, ndomukumbila nditi, dusani jinyo le nlanda wenyu, ngobe ndakathama bulengwe.” 11 Kukati Dafite emuka tjimuka, dama la Yahwe likazha ku nlebesambeli Gadi, mboni wa Dafite liti, 12 “Yenda unodwa Dafite uti, ‘Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, “Ndokupa zwithu zwili zwitatu, uzwishalulile tjing'ompela tjandingakuthamila itjo.” ’ ” 13 Ndizo Gadi kayenda kuna Dafite kambudza tjalebgwa ndi Yahwe, ebuya embhuzwa eti, “Ndikupi kwaunozwishalulila mu butatu gwazo? Wuti kuzhe makole ali kutendeka etobedzana kuli bhamba mu shango iyo, kene mimwedzi mitatu utizha zwita zwizo zwakakutatamila, kene mazhuba matatu e bugwele mu shango?” 14 Ndizo Dafite kashandula Gadi eti, “Ndomanikana kwazo, ngatiwile mu luboko gwa Yahwe ngoti ibo bana ngoni hwulu, koga tisiwile mu maboko e nthu.” 15 Ndizo Yahwe bakazhisa bugwele mu Iziraela kudwa mu mangwanana kunoti mu tjibaka tjakabe tjabigwa. Kukafa bathu bali zwiwulu zwili makumi ali tendeka (70 000) kudwa mu Dani kunoti ku Bheerisheba. 16 Kukati ntumwa we kudzimu atjimilidzila luboko gugwe ku Jerusalema ku ulobesa, Yahwe bakabuza moyo, bakadwa ntumwa we kudzimu wakabe elobesa bathu bakati, “Kwagala, tjishandusa luboko gugo!” Ntumwa wa Yahwe wakabe abe pa lutombo gwa Arauna we Njebusi. 17 Kukati Dafite ebona ntumwa we kudzimu wakabe ebulaya bathu kadwa Yahwe kati, “Bonani, ndimi ndakatjinya, ndakathama kwakabipa pkhwizi idzedzi idzo dzakathamani kene? Ndomukumbila ngakulobgwe imi ne nsha wangu.”
18 Mu zhuba ilelo Gadi kayenda kuna Dafite kandwa kati, “Tathila pezhugwi unobakila Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo mu lutombo gwa Arauna we Njebusi.” 19 Ndizo Dafite wakahwilila Yahwe kanothama sekwa adwiwa ndi Gadi. 20 Kukati Arauna elinga pasi, kabona mambo ne balanda babe bezha kunli, ngono Arauna kabashanganidza kawa nge zwidwi kakotamisa nsholo mbeli kwa Dafite. 21 Arauna kabhuzwa eti, “Ini tetshi wangu mambo mazha ku nlanda wenyu?” Dafite kadabila eti, “Ndawotenga lutombo gugo kuti ndibakile Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo mu guli, kuti magwadzi apele mu bathu.”
22 Arauna kashandula Dafite eti, “Tetshi wangu mambo bangatola tjipo tjabanowobe bebona tjakabalulwamila, mangabe ahwa, ne zwileyi ne majokwe e mangabe zwingabesiwa kuthama moto.” 23 Arauna kabe eti kuna mambo, “Zwithu zose izwezwi ndomupa izo, dzene Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, banga amutjila tjibhayilo tjenyu.”
24 Koga mambo kadabila Arauna eti, “Aa, ndowotjilipa, andingaduse tjipo tjinopisiwa ndipa Yahwe Ndzimu wangu ndisalipa tjimwe.” Ndizo Dafite katenga lutombo ne mangabe nge shekele dze siliva dzili makumi mashanu (50). 25 Dafite kabakila Yahwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo. Kadusa tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa ne tjibhayilo tje mbakisano. Yahwe bakadabila kutembezela kukwe ne magwadzi kama mu Iziraela.