Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚαὶ ἐπάταξε καρδία Δαυὶδ αὐτὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀριθμῆσαι τὸν λαόν· καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ πρὸς Κύριον, ἥμαρτον σφόδρα ὃ ἐποίησα νῦν Κύριε· παραβίβασον δὴ τὴν ἀνομίαν τοῦ δούλου σου, ὅτι ἐμωράνθην σφόδρα. (Kai epataxe kardia Dawid auton meta to arithmaʸsai ton laon; kai eipe Dawid pros Kurion, haʸmarton sfodra ho epoiaʸsa nun Kurie; parabibason daʸ taʸn anomian tou doulou sou, hoti emōranthaʸn sfodra. )
BrTrAnd the heart of David smote him after he had numbered the people; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned grievously, O Lord, in what I have now done: remove, I pray thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have been exceedingly foolish.
ULTAnd the heart of David struck him after thus he counted the people. And David said to Yahweh, “I have sinned greatly that I have done. But now, Yahweh, please cause the iniquity of your servant to pass, for I have been very foolish.”
USTBut after David’s men had counted the people, David regretted that he had told them to do that. One night he said to Yahweh, “I have committed a very great sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish.”
BSB § After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
OEBThen David’s conscience smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Jehovah, pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.’
WEBBEDavid’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, the LORD, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.”
NETDavid felt guilty after he had numbered the army. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O Lord, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
LSVAnd the heart of David strikes him, after that he has numbered the people, and David says to YHWH, “I have greatly sinned in that which I have done, and now, O YHWH, please cause the iniquity of Your servant to pass away, for I have acted very foolishly.”
FBVAfterwards, David felt really bad for ordering the census. He said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”
T4TBut after David’s men had counted the people, David regretted [IDM] that he had told them to do that. One night he said to Yahweh, “I have committed a very big sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish.”
LEBThe heart of David struck him after he had counted the people, and David said to Yahweh, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done! So then, O Yahweh, please forgive the guilt of your servant because I have acted very foolishly.”
BBEAnd after the people had been numbered, David's heart was troubled. And David said to the Lord, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, O Lord, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly
JPSAnd David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD: 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O LORD, put away, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.'
ASVAnd David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
DRABut David’s heart struck him, after the people were numbered: and David said to the Lord: I have sinned very much in what I have done: but I pray thee, O Lord, to take away the iniquity of thy servant, because I have done exceeding foolishly.
YLTAnd the heart of David smiteth him, after that he hath numbered the people, and David saith unto Jehovah, 'I have sinned greatly in that which I have done, and now, O Jehovah, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'
DrbyAnd David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; and now, I beseech thee, Jehovah, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
RVAnd David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: but now, O LORD, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
WbstrAnd David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, I have sinned greatly in what I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
KJB-1769¶ And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. (¶ And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech/implore thee/you, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy/your servant; for I have done very foolishly. )
KJB-1611¶ And Dauids heart smote him, after that hee had numbred the people: and Dauid sayde vnto the LORD, I haue sinned greatly in that I haue done: and nowe I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquitie of thy seruant, for I haue done very foolishly. (Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)
BshpsAnd Dauids heart smote him, after that he had numbred the people: And Dauid saide vnto the Lord, I haue sinned exceedingly in that I haue done: And nowe I beseche thee Lord take away the trespasse of thy seruaunt, for I haue done very foolishly. (And Davids heart smote him, after that he had numbered the people: And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned exceedingly in that I have done: And now I beseche thee/you Lord take away the trespass of thy/your servant, for I have done very foolishly.)
GnvaThen Dauids heart smote him, after that he had numbred the people: and Dauid said vnto the Lord, I haue sinned exceedingly in that I haue done: therefore nowe, Lord, I beseech thee, take away the trespasse of thy seruant: for I haue done very foolishly. (Then Davids heart smote him, after that he had numbered the people: and David said unto the Lord, I have sinned exceedingly in that I have done: therefore nowe, Lord, I beseech/implore thee/you, take away the trespass of thy/your servant: for I have done very foolishly. )
CvdlAnd after that the people was nombred, Dauids hert smote him selfe. And Dauid sayde vnto ye LORDE: I haue synned sore, that I haue done this. And now LORDE take awaie the trespace of thy seruaunt. For I haue done very vnwysely. (And after that the people was numbered, Davids heart smote himself. And David said unto ye/you_all LORD: I have sinned sore, that I have done this. And now LORD take awaie the trespass of thy/your servant. For I have done very unwysely.)
WyclForsothe the herte of Dauid smoot hym, `that is, his concience repreuyde hym, aftir that the puple was noumbrid; and Dauid seide to the Lord, Y synnede greetli [Note: in pride, and in breking of Goddis heest, for in xxxi. co. of Exody, whanne the sones of Israel weren noumbrid, ech man schulde [offre] to the Lord half a sicle, and this was not doon here. ] in this dede; but, Lord, Y preye that thou turne awei the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide ful folili. (Forsothe the heart of David smote him, `that is, his concience repreuyde him, after that the people was noumbrid; and David said to the Lord, I sinned greatly [Note: in pride, and in breking of Goddis heest, for in xxxi. co. of Exody, when the sons of Israel were noumbrid, each man should [offre] to the Lord half a sicle, and this was not done here. ] in this dede; but, Lord, I pray that thou/you turn away the wickednesse of thy/your servant, for I did full folili.)
LuthUnd das Herz schlug David, nachdem das Volk gezählet war. Und David sprach zum HErr’s: Ich habe schwerlich gesündiget, daß ich das getan habe; und nun, HErr, nimm weg die Missetat deines Knechts; denn ich habe sehr töricht getan. (And the heart hit/beat David, after the people gezählet was. And David spoke for_the LORD’s: I have schwerlich gesündiget, that I the did have; and now, LORD, nimm weg the misdeed/iniquity yours Knechts; because I have very töricht getan.)
ClVgPercussit autem cor David eum, postquam numeratus est populus: et dixit David ad Dominum: Peccavi valde in hoc facto: sed precor, Domine, ut transferas iniquitatem servi tui, quia stulte egi nimis.[fn] (Percussit however heart David him, postquam numeratus it_is populus: and he_said David to Dominum: Peccavi valde in this facto: but precor, Domine, as transferas iniquitatem servi tui, because stulte egi nimis. )
24.10Percussit autem, etc. AMBR., lib. de Pœn., cap. 9. Contulit se ad majorem pœnam ut posset provocare clementiam. Lenitur enim rigor justitiæ, etc., usque ad et erga populum quassatio cœlitus effusa quiesceret.
24.10Percussit however, etc. AMBR., lib. about Pœn., cap. 9. Contook se to mayorem pœnam as posset provocare clementiam. Lenitur because rigor justitiæ, etc., until to and erga the_people quassatio cœlitus effusa quiesceret.
24:10I have sinned: See study note on 24:1. David believed his sin was the cause of the plague and that the removal of his sin would make things right (see also 24:17). It is clear, however, that Israel rather than David was the true object of God’s wrath (24:1).
Who is responsible for trials and difficulties? Strangely, Scripture attributes some instances to God, some to Satan, and some to both. How can this be? The difference is one of perspective.
There is a notable difference between the accounts of David’s census in Samuel and in Chronicles. Second Samuel 24:1 attributes the census taking to God (“the Lord . . . caused David to harm them by taking a census”), while 1 Chronicles 21:1 attributes the action to Satan (“Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel”).
Second Samuel 24:1-25 tells the census story from God’s perspective as the primary agent; God permitted Satan’s action in order to fulfill his own purpose.
This phenomenon is not uncommon in Scripture. Matthew 4:1 contains a similar instance of dual agency, where Jesus is led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Perhaps the most notable similar experience is Job’s trial: It was brought on by Satan and permitted by God—after the Lord had spoken glowingly about Job (Job 1:6–2:7). Through all the trials that followed, Job’s heart was righteous despite Satan’s attempts to elicit a curse against God. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 12:7 teaches that a God-sent affliction can be delivered by a messenger from Satan. When Paul wrote that he was given a “thorn,” he used a passive verb, indicating that this affliction was given by God.
Satan works in many ways in an attempt to discourage or destroy God’s people. Yet God is sovereign. God does not author evil, but sometimes God makes use of others’ evil deeds to accomplish his good purposes (Gen 50:20).
(Some words not found in UHB: and,struck heart Dāvid DOM=him/it after so numbered DOM the,people and=he/it_said Dāvid to/towards YHWH sinned very which/who done and=now YHWH take_away now DOM guilt servant,your that/for/because/then/when acted_~_foolishly very )
The “heart” here is a metonym for David’s emotions and conscience. Alternate translation: “David felt guilty”
(Occurrence 0) Now, Yahweh, take away your servant’s guilt
(Some words not found in UHB: and,struck heart Dāvid DOM=him/it after so numbered DOM the,people and=he/it_said Dāvid to/towards YHWH sinned very which/who done and=now YHWH take_away now DOM guilt servant,your that/for/because/then/when acted_~_foolishly very )
David refers to himself as “your servant.” This is a polite way to speak to someone with greater authority.
The Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, where all Israelite males were commanded to offer sacrifices to the Lord (Exodus 23:14-19; Deuteronomy 16:16-17), underwent several stages of reconstruction and development over hundreds of years. The first Temple was built by King Solomon to replace the aging Tabernacle, and it was constructed on a threshing floor on high ground on the north side of the city (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). Hundreds of years later King Hezekiah expanded the platform surrounding the Temple. When Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the Temple was completely destroyed (2 Kings 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21; Jeremiah 39:1-10; 52:1-30). It was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after a group of Jews returned to Judea from exile in Babylon (Ezra 1:5-6:15; Nehemiah 7:5-65). Herod the Great completely rebuilt and expanded the Temple once again around 20 B.C., making it one of the largest temples in the Roman world. Jesus’ first believers often met together in Solomon’s Colonnade, a columned porch that encircled the Temple Mount, perhaps carrying on a tradition started by Jesus himself (John 10:23; Acts 3:11; 5:12). But Herod’s Temple did not last long: After many Jews revolted against Rome, the Romans eventually recaptured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70.
After David had secured his reign over all Israel and greatly expanded his rule over neighboring nations, he commissioned Joab, the commander of his army, to “count the people of Israel and Judah.” Though Scripture does not explicitly state the reason for this order, the report that Joab provided to David nearly ten months later at the conclusion of the census makes his intentions clear: David was seeking a tally of all troops he had at his disposal throughout his kingdom. Joab initially resisted David’s order, and after the census was completed David was stricken with guilt over his actions, and ultimately the Lord punished Israel for David’s census. Yet nowhere in Scripture is the counting of troops clearly condemned. In fact, during the Israelites’ wanderings in the wilderness the Lord commanded two different censuses to be taken of Israel’s troops (Numbers 1; 26), and many of the accounts of Israel’s battles throughout the Old Testament include a careful tally of the troops involved, so it must have been normal practice to take a census such as David commissioned. Most scholars explain this discrepancy by inferring that Joab and others must have discerned that David was wrongly looking to military might instead of the Lord’s promise to fight for his people (Deuteronomy 20:1-4) or that he was disobeying the law by including those under twenty years of age (see Exodus 30:11-16; 1 Chronicles 27:23-24). While this may be true, it does not fully explain what this author has found to be a curious peculiarity about David’s census: The census takers do not appear to have traveled hardly anywhere within the core settlement areas of Israel or Judah. Instead, the census takers followed a route almost entirely along the perimeter of Israel’s core area of initial settlement, as shown on this map. They started out at Aroer and “the town in the middle of the gorge,” probably referring to modern Mudaynet as-Saliya in the Arnon Gorge (see also Deuteronomy 2:36; Joshua 13:9, 16), which were located at the far corner of Israel’s allotted land. Then they headed north to Jazer and Gilead, likely following the King’s Highway, which ran along the outer edge of Israel’s lands. Then they came to Tahtim-hodshi, which this author suspects is referring to the “lowlands of Kedesh.” The Israelite city of Kedesh was situated among the hills of upper Galilee, but just to the east of it lay a valley occupied primarily by the people of Maacah, who fought against and were defeated by David earlier in his reign. Then the census takers traveled to Dan, which is often cited along with Beersheba as marking the distant boundary of Israel (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20; 2 Samuel 3:10; 17:11; 1 Chronicles 21:2), and on to Sidon and Tyre. The Bible never indicates that Sidon and Tyre were subdued by David, but he appears to have wielded considerable influence over Tyre (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 14:1; see also 1 Kings 5:2-11) and perhaps over Sidon as well. After this the census takers went to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, likely indicating that they traveled through the coastal lands along the Mediterranean Sea. Lastly, they completed their route at the city of Beersheba in the Negev. This route along the perimeter of Israel’s core settlement areas suggests that, while David’s census takers were no doubt collecting troop information from the tribes of Israel (see 1 Chronicles 21:5-6), their primary focus appears to have been on David’s newly acquired lands, which would have been largely comprised of non-Israelites. This theory may also be supported by 2 Chronicles 2:17, which notes that “Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken.” Thus, this author suspects that Joab may have been urging David not to rely on troops from these non-Israelites to protect Israel and instead called upon the Lord to increase the number of “the people” (perhaps meaning the Israelite people) a hundredfold. At the same time, however, the biblical account of the census takers’ route never uses any of the names for the subdued nations (e.g., Moab, Ammon, Aram, Maacah, Philistia, etc.), though it does use vague references to “Canaanites” and “Hivites.” This may reflect a tension that existed at the time between David’s efforts to integrate these new lands into one great empire (thus explaining the aversion to identifying people by their former national affiliation) and the convictions of those like Joab, who may have been opposed to such integration.
