1   And ^note the furie of our Lord added to be angrie agaynst Israel, and stirred vp Dauid among them saying: Goe, number Israel and Iuda. ^note

2   And the king sayd to Ioab the General of his armie: Walke through al the tribes of Israel from Dan to Bersabee, and number ye the people, that I may know the number therof.

3   And Ioab sayd to the king: Our Lord thy God increase thy people, as much more as now it is, and agayne multiplie it an hundred fold in the sight of my lord the king: but what meaneth my lord the king by this kind of thing?

4   Howbeit the kinges word more preuailed then the wordes of Ioab, and of the chiefe of the armie: and Ioab went forth, and the captaynes of the souldiars from the face of the king, to number the people of Israel.

5   And when they had passed Iordan, they came into Aroer to the right hand of the citie, which is in the Vale of Gad.

6   And by Iazer they passed into Galaad, and into the lower countrie of Hodsi, and they came into the wooddie countrie of Dan. And going about neere Sidon,

7   they passed nigh to the walles of Tyre, and al the land of the Heueite, and the Chananeite, and they came to the south of Iuda into Bersabee:

8   and hauing viewed the whole land, after nine monethes and twentie dayes, they were come to Ierusalem.

9   Ioab therfore gaue the number of the description of the people to the king, and

Dauid. there were found of Israel eight hundred thousand strong men, that could drawe sword: and of Iuda fiue hundred thousand fighting men.

10   But Dauids ^note hart strooke him, after the people was numbred: and Dauid sayd to our Lord: ^note I haue sinned very much in this fact: but I pray thee Lord to transferre the iniquitie of thy seruant, because I haue done exceding folishly.

11   Dauid therfore arose in the morning, and the word of our Lord was made to Gad the prophete and Seer of Dauid, saying:

12   Goe, and speake to Dauid: Thus sayth our Lord: ^note Choyse is geuen thee of three thinges, choose one of them which thou wilt, that I may do it to thee.

13   And when Gad was come to Dauid, he told him, saying: Either famine shal come to thee seuen yeares in thy land: or three monethes thou shalt flee thy aduersaries, and they shal pursew thee: or certes three dayes the pestilence shal be in thy land. Now therfore deliberate, and see what word I shal answer to him that sent me.

14   And Dauid sayd to Gad: I am distressed excedingly: but it is better that I fal into the handes of our Lord (for his mercies be manie) then into the handes of men.

15   And our Lord sent the pestilence in Israel, from morning vnto the time appoynted, and there died of the people from Dan to Bersabee seuentie thousand men. ^note

16   And when the Angel of Our Lord had stretched forth his hand ouer Ierusalem to destroy it, our Lord had pitie vpon the affliction, and sayd to the Angel that stroke the people: ^note It is sufficient: now hold thy hand: and the Angel of our Lord was beside the floore of Areuna the Iebuseite.

17   And Dauid sayd to our Lord when he saw the Angel striking the people: I am he that haue sinned, I haue done wickedly: these that are the sheepe, what haue they done? let thy hand, I beseche thee be turned agaynst me, and agaynst my fathers house.

18   And Gad came to Dauid in that day, and sayd to him: Goe vp, and build an altar to our Lord in the floore of Areuna the Iebuseite.

19   And Dauid went vp according to the word of Gad, which our Lord had c&obar;manded him.

20   And Areuna looking, perceiued the king and his seruantes to come towards him

21   And going forth he adored the king with his face bowing to the earth, and sayd: What is the cause that my lord the king cometh to his seruant? To whom Dauid sayd: That I may bye of thee the floore, and build an altar to our Lord, and the slaughter may cease which rageth among the people.

Dauid.

22   And Areuna sayd to Dauid: Let my lord the king take, and offer, as it pleaseth him: thou hast the oxen for holocauste, and the wayne, and the yokes of the oxen for prouision of wood.

23   Areuna gaue al thinges to the king: and Areuna sayd to the king: The Lord thy God receiue thy vowe.

24   To whom the king answering, sayd: Not so as thou wilt, but I wil bye it of thee at a price, and I wil not offer to our Lord my God holocaustes ^note geuen gratis. Dauid therfore bought the floore, and the oxen, for fiftie sicles of siluer:

25   and Dauid built there an altar to our Lord, & offered holocaustes and pacifiques: and our Lord became merciful to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

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