New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
2 Samuel 24
1
The Lord's anger burned against Israel. He stirred up David against them. He said, "Go! Count the men of Israel and Judah."
Reference
References David
1 Chronicles 21:1
2
So the king spoke to Joab and the army commanders who were with him. He said, "Go all through the territories of the tribes of Israel. Go from Dan all the way to Beersheba. Count the fighting men. Then I'll know how many there are."
Reference
3
Joab replied to the king. He said, "King David, you are my master. May the Lord your God multiply the troops 100 times. And may you live to see it. But why would you want me to count the fighting men?"
Reference
4
In spite of what Joab said, the king's word had more authority than the word of Joab and the army commanders did. So they left the king and went out to count the fighting men of Israel.
Reference
5
They went across the Jordan River. They camped south of the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley near Aroer. Then they went through Gad and continued on to Jazer.
Reference
6
They went to Gilead and the area of Tahtim Hodshi. They continued to Dan Jaan and on around toward Sidon.
Reference
📍 Kadesh 2
Parallel theme
Joshua 19:28
7
Then they went toward the fort of Tyre. They went to all of the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba. It was in the Negev Desert of Judah.
Reference
8
They finished going through the entire land. Then they came back to Jerusalem. They had been gone for nine months and 20 days.
9
Joab reported to the king how many fighting men he had counted. In Israel there were 800,000 men who were able to handle a sword. In Judah there were 500,000.
10
David felt sorry that he had counted the fighting men. So he said to the Lord, "I committed a great sin when I counted Judah and Israel's men. Lord, I beg you to take away my guilt. I've done a very foolish thing."
Reference
References David
1 Samuel 24:5
References Lord
1 Samuel 13:13
2 Chronicles 16:9
Sin
2 Samuel 12:13
Proverbs 28:13
1 John 1:9
11
Before David got up the next morning, a message from the Lord came to the prophet Gad. He was David's seer. The message said,
Reference
12
"Go and tell David, 'The Lord says, "I could punish you in three different ways. Choose one of them for me to use against you." ' "
Reference
13
So Gad went to David. He said to him, "Take your choice. Do you want three years when there won't be enough food in your land? Or do you want three months when you will run away from your enemies while they chase you? Or do you want three days when there will be a plague in your land? Think it over. Then take your pick. Tell me how to answer the One who sent me."
Reference
14
David said to Gad, "I'm suffering terribly. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord. His mercy is great. But don't let me fall into the hands of men."
Reference
15
So the Lord sent a plague on Israel. It lasted from that morning until he decided to end it. From Dan all the way to Beersheba 70,000 people died.
Reference
16
The angel reached his hand out to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord was very sad because of the plague. So he spoke to the angel who was making the people suffer. He said, "That is enough! Do not kill any more people." The angel of the Lord was at Araunah's threshing floor. Araunah was from the city of Jebus.
Reference
People
References Lord
Exodus 12:23
Acts 12:23
2 Kings 19:35
2 Chronicles 3:1
2 Chronicles 32:21
Repentance
Genesis 6:6
1 Samuel 15:11
17
David saw the angel who was striking the people down. David said to the Lord, "I'm the one who has sinned. I'm the one who has done what is wrong. These people are like sheep. What have they done? Let your powerful hand punish me and my family."
Reference
18
On that day Gad went to David. Gad said to him, "Go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. Build an altar there to honor the Lord."
19
So David went up and did it. He did what the Lord had commanded through Gad.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 11:8
20
Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him. So he went out to welcome them. He bowed down to the king with his face toward the ground.
21
Araunah said, "King David, you are my master. Why have you come to see me?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered. "I want to build an altar there to honor the Lord. When I do, the plague on the people will be stopped."
22
Araunah said to David, "Take anything that pleases you. Offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering. Here are threshing sleds. And here are wooden collars from the necks of the oxen. Use all of the wood to burn the offering.
Reference
23
King David, I'll give all of it to you." Araunah continued, "And may the Lord your God accept you."
24
But the king replied to Araunah, "No. I want to pay you for it. I won't sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that haven't cost me anything." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen. He paid 20 ounces of silver for them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 23:13
25
David built an altar there to honor the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer and blessed the land. The plague on Israel was stopped.
Reference
Parallel theme
2 Samuel 21:14
References Lord
2 Samuel 24:14
Sacrifice
Genesis 8:20
1 Samuel 7:17
Genesis 22:9
1 Samuel 7:9
Summary of 2 Samuel 24
2 Samuel Chapter 24 closes the book of Samuel with a powerful lesson about pride, repentance, mercy, and worship.
The chapter begins with David ordering a census of Israel's fighting men. Although counting the population was not always wrong, David's motivation appears to have been a desire to measure his military strength rather than trust God's protection. Joab recognized the danger and questioned the decision, but David insisted.
After the census was completed, David's conscience troubled him. He realized that his action was wrong and confessed his sin before God. Through the prophet Gad, God gave David three possible judgments: seven years of famine, three months of fleeing enemies, or three days of plague.
David chose to place himself in God's hands because he trusted God's mercy. The plague came upon Israel, and seventy thousand people died. However, when the angel approached Jerusalem, God stopped the judgment.
David took responsibility for the suffering and pleaded with God to spare the people. He was directed to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offered to provide everything needed for the sacrifice, but David refused to offer something that cost him nothing.
David purchased the land, built an altar, and offered sacrifices to the Lord. God accepted the offering, and the plague ended.
The chapter provides a fitting conclusion to David's story. David was a man who experienced great victories and serious failures. He defeated enemies, established a kingdom, and received God's covenant promises, but he also struggled with pride and made painful mistakes.
However, David's greatest characteristic was not perfection—it was repentance. When confronted with his failures, he returned to God.
The final image of 2 Samuel is not a king counting soldiers but a king worshiping God. The place of David's failure became the future location of the temple, showing how God can transform moments of weakness into places of blessing.
The chapter begins with David ordering a census of Israel's fighting men. Although counting the population was not always wrong, David's motivation appears to have been a desire to measure his military strength rather than trust God's protection. Joab recognized the danger and questioned the decision, but David insisted.
After the census was completed, David's conscience troubled him. He realized that his action was wrong and confessed his sin before God. Through the prophet Gad, God gave David three possible judgments: seven years of famine, three months of fleeing enemies, or three days of plague.
David chose to place himself in God's hands because he trusted God's mercy. The plague came upon Israel, and seventy thousand people died. However, when the angel approached Jerusalem, God stopped the judgment.
David took responsibility for the suffering and pleaded with God to spare the people. He was directed to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offered to provide everything needed for the sacrifice, but David refused to offer something that cost him nothing.
David purchased the land, built an altar, and offered sacrifices to the Lord. God accepted the offering, and the plague ended.
The chapter provides a fitting conclusion to David's story. David was a man who experienced great victories and serious failures. He defeated enemies, established a kingdom, and received God's covenant promises, but he also struggled with pride and made painful mistakes.
However, David's greatest characteristic was not perfection—it was repentance. When confronted with his failures, he returned to God.
The final image of 2 Samuel is not a king counting soldiers but a king worshiping God. The place of David's failure became the future location of the temple, showing how God can transform moments of weakness into places of blessing.