14. David answered, “I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by human beings. 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 70,000 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.
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