3. And Yo’aḇ answered, “יהוה does add to His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my master the sovereign, are they not all my master’s servants? Why does my master seek to do this? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Yisra’ĕl?”
4. But the sovereign’s word prevailed against Yo’aḇ. And Yo’aḇ left and went throughout all Yisra’ĕl and came to Yerushalayim.
5. And Yo’aḇ gave the sum of the number of the people to Dawiḏ. And all Yisra’ĕl had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Yehuḏah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.
6. But he did not number Lĕwi and Binyamin among them, for the sovereign’s word was loathsome to Yo’aḇ.
7. And it was evil in the eyes of Elohim, concerning this matter, and He smote Yisra’ĕl.
8. Then Dawiḏ said to Elohim, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this matter. But now, I pray, take away the crookedness of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
9. And יהוה spoke to Gaḏ, Dawiḏ’s seer, saying,
10. “Go, and you shall speak to Dawiḏ, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I hold three options before you – choose one of them for yourself, and I do it to you.” ’ ”
11. So Gaḏ came to Dawiḏ and said to him, “Thus said יהוה, ‘Choose for yourself
12. either three years of scarcity of food, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of יהוה, even the plague in the land, with the messenger of יהוה destroying throughout all the borders of Yisra’ĕl.’ And now consider what answer I am to return to Him who sent me.”
13. And Dawiḏ said to Gaḏ, “I am in great trouble. Please let me fall into the hand of יהוה, for His compassion is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14. And יהוה sent a plague upon Yisra’ĕl, and seventy thousand men of Yisra’ĕl fell.
15. And Elohim sent a messenger to Yerushalayim to destroy it. And as he was destroying, יהוה saw, and relented about the evil, and said to the messenger who was destroying, “Enough! Now stop your hand.” And the messenger of יהוה was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Yeḇusite.
16. And Dawiḏ lifted his eyes and saw the messenger of יהוה standing between earth and the heavens, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Yerushalayim. And Dawiḏ and the elders, wrapped in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
17. And Dawiḏ said to Elohim, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed. But these, the sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O יהוה my Elohim, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people, to be plagued.”
18. And the messenger of יהוה commanded Gaḏ to say to Dawiḏ that Dawiḏ should go up to raise an altar to יהוה on the threshing-floor of Ornan the Yeḇusite.
19. So Dawiḏ went up at the word of Gaḏ, which he had spoken in the Name of יהוה.
20. And Ornan turned and saw the messenger. And his four sons with him hid themselves, and Ornan was threshing wheat.
21. And Dawiḏ came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw Dawiḏ, and he went out from the threshing-floor, and bowed down to Dawiḏ with his face to the ground.