2 Samuel 24:1-9

Contemporary English Version

David Counts the People

(1 Chronicles 21.1-6)

24 The Lord was angry with Israel again, and he made David think it would be a good idea to count the people in Israel and Judah. ² So David told Joab and the army officers,^[a] “Go to every tribe in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north all the way south to Beersheba, and count everyone who can serve in the army. I want to know how many there are.”

³ Joab answered, “I hope the Lord your God will give you 100 times more soldiers than you already have. I hope you will live to see that day! But why do you want to do a thing like this?”

⁴ But when David refused to change his mind, Joab and the army officers went out and started counting the people. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan River and began with^[b] Aroer and the town in the middle of the river valley. From there they went toward Gad and on as far as Jazer. ⁶ They went to Gilead and to Kadesh in Syria.^[c] Then they went to Dan, Ijon,^[d] and on toward Sidon. ⁷ They came to the fortress of Tyre, then went through every town of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Finally, they went to Beersheba in the Southern Desert of Judah. ⁸ After they had gone through the whole land, they went back to Jerusalem. It had taken them 9 months and 20 days.

⁹ Joab came and told David, “In Israel there are 800,000 who can serve in the army, and in Judah there are 500,000.”