24:1 耶和華又向以色列人發怒，就激動大衛，使他吩咐人去數點以色列人和猶大人。
24:2 大衛就吩咐跟隨他的元帥約押說：「你去走遍以色列眾支派，從但直到別是巴，數點百姓，我好知道他們的數目。」
24:3 約押對王說：「無論百姓多少，願耶和華─你的上帝再加增百倍，使我主我王親眼得見。我主我王何必喜悅行這事呢？」
24:4 但王的命令勝過約押和眾軍長。約押和眾軍長就從王面前出去，數點以色列的百姓。
24:5 他們過了約旦河，在迦得谷中、城的右邊亞羅珥安營，與雅謝相對，
24:6 又到了基列和他停‧合示地，又到了但‧雅安，繞到西頓，
24:7 來到泰爾的保障，並希未人和迦南人的各城，又到猶大南方的別是巴。
24:8 他們走遍全地，過了九個月零二十天，就回到耶路撒冷。
24:9 約押將百姓的總數奏告於王：以色列拿刀的勇士有八十萬；猶大有五十萬。
24:10 大衛數點百姓以後，就心中自責，禱告耶和華說：「我行這事大有罪了。耶和華啊，求你除掉僕人的罪孽，因我所行的甚是愚昧。」
24:11 大衛早晨起來，耶和華的話臨到先知迦得，就是大衛的先見，說：
24:12 「你去告訴大衛，說耶和華如此說：『我有三樣災，隨你選擇一樣，我好降與你。』」
24:13 於是迦得來見大衛，對他說：「你願意國中有七年的饑荒呢？是在你敵人面前逃跑，被追趕三個月呢？是在你國中有三日的瘟疫呢？現在你要揣摩思想，我好回覆那差我來的。」
24:14 大衛對迦得說：「我甚為難！我願落在耶和華的手裡，因為他有豐盛的憐憫。我不願落在人的手裡。」
24:15 於是，耶和華降瘟疫與以色列人，自早晨到所定的時候；從但直到別是巴，民間死了七萬人。
24:16 天使向耶路撒冷伸手要滅城的時候，耶和華後悔，就不降這災了，吩咐滅民的天使說：「夠了！住手吧！」那時耶和華的使者在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場那裡。
24:17 大衛看見滅民的天使，就禱告耶和華說：「我犯了罪，行了惡；但這群羊做了甚麼呢？願你的手攻擊我和我的父家。」
24:18 當日，迦得來見大衛，對他說：「你上去，在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場上為耶和華築一座壇。」
24:19 大衛就照著迦得奉耶和華名所說的話上去了。
24:20 亞勞拿觀看，見王和他臣僕前來，就迎接出去，臉伏於地，向王下拜，
24:21 說：「我主我王為何來到僕人這裡呢？」大衛說：「我要買你這禾場，為耶和華築一座壇，使民間的瘟疫止住。」
24:22 亞勞拿對大衛說：「我主我王，你喜悅用甚麼，就拿去獻祭。看哪，這裡有牛可以作燔祭，有打糧的器具和套牛的軛可以當柴燒。
24:23 王啊，這一切，我亞勞拿都奉給你」；又對王說：「願耶和華─你的上帝悅納你。」
24:24 王對亞勞拿說：「不然。我必要按著價值向你買；我不肯用白得之物作燔祭獻給耶和華─我的上帝。」大衛就用五十舍客勒銀子買了那禾場與牛。
24:25 大衛在那裡為耶和華築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。如此，耶和華垂聽國民所求的，瘟疫在以色列人中就止住了。
Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he
incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 So
the king said to Joab and the army commanders[a] with him,
“Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the
fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”
3 But
Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord
your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord
the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4 The
king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the
presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
5 After
crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge,
and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 They went to
Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward
Sidon. 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the
towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the
Negev of Judah.
8 After
they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end
of nine months and twenty days.
9 Joab
reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight
hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five
hundred thousand.
10 David
was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to
the Lord, “I have sinned greatly
in what I have done. Now, Lord, I
beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish
thing.”
11 Before
David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord
had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell
David, ‘This is what the Lord says:
I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against
you.’”
13 So
Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three[b] years of
famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they
pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and
decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
14 David
said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not
let me fall into human hands.”
15 So
the Lord sent a plague on Israel
from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of
the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel
stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel
who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of
Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When
David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[c] have done
wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and
my family.”
David Builds an Altar
18 On
that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah
the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When
Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went
out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21 Araunah
said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
“To
buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may
be stopped.”
22 Araunah
said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up.
Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox
yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[d] gives all
this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 But
the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not
sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt
offerings that cost me nothing.”
So
David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[e] of silver
for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt
offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord
answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was
stopped.
*************
大衛點數人數是出於心中的驕傲，想知道自己擁有多少百姓，好展現國力有多麼強大！這樣的做法是上帝所不喜悅，一開始約押亞警告他：「無論百姓多少，願耶和華─你的上帝再加增百倍，使我主我王親眼得見。我主我王何必喜悅行這事呢？」
數點百姓以後，就心中自責，禱告耶和華說：「我行這事大有罪了。耶和華啊，求你除掉僕人的罪孽，因我所行的甚是愚昧。」
但是事情做了收不回來，上帝的災難仍然臨到，使大衛知道，上帝是輕慢不得的！
我們平時服事也要注意這些事，不是照自己的喜好，而是要照上帝的喜好行事，所以教會要有懲治的作為！如《韋斯敏斯德信條第卅章論教會的懲戒》第三節所說：「教會為了矯正或獲得犯罪的弟兄，阻止其他弟兄犯同樣的罪，除去那足以感染全團的酵；擁護基督的尊榮和福音神聖的承認；避免上帝的震怒（如他們容忍惡譽昭彰和剛愎的犯罪者來褻瀆上帝的聖約，和此約的印證，此忿怒正可臨到教會），必須實行懲戒。」
因此，弟兄姊妹要互相勸勉，好使教會保持聖潔，蒙上帝喜悅與賜福！
