God

and he putteth in Edom garrisons, and all the Edomites are servants to David; and Jehovah saveth David whithersoever he hath gone.

be strong, and we strengthen ourselves, for our people, and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah doth that which is good in His eyes.'

And Joab saith, `Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'

And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He smiteth Israel,

and David saith unto God, `I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing; and now, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'

And Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:

`Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three--I am stretching out unto thee; choose for thee one of these, and I do it to thee.'

And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, `Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee--

either for three years--famine, or three months to be consumed from the face of thine adversaries, even the sword of thine enemies to overtake, or three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the border of Israel; and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?'

And David saith unto Gad, `I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many are His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'

And Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,

and God sendeth a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying Jehovah hath seen, and is comforted concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who is destroying, `Enough, now, cease thy hand.' And the messenger of Jehovah is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,

and David lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falleth, and the elders, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.

And David saith unto God, `Did not I--I say to number the people? Yea, I it is who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they? O Jehovah, my God, let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Thy people--to be plagued.'

And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, `Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'

And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.

And David saith unto Ornan, `Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'

And king David saith to Ornan, `Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'

and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.

And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.

At that time when David seeth that Jehovah hath answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificeth there;

and the tabernacle of Jehovah that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, are at that time in a high place, in Gibeon;

and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he hath been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah.

And David saith, `This is the house of Jehovah God, and this the altar for burnt-offering for Israel.'

And David saith to gather the sojourners who are in the land of Israel, and appointeth hewers to hew hewn-stones to build a house of God.