8. After they had gone through the whole land, they went back to Jerusalem. It had taken them nine months and twenty days.
9. Joab came and told David, “In Israel there are eight hundred thousand who can serve in the army, and in Judah there are five hundred thousand.”
10. After David had everyone counted, he felt guilty and told the Lord, “What I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Lord, please forgive me.”
11. Before David even got up the next morning, the Lord had told David's prophet Gad
14. David was really frightened and said, “It's a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind, and I'd rather be punished by him than by anyone else.”
17. David saw the angel killing everyone and told the Lord, “These people are like sheep with me as their shepherd. I have sinned terribly, but they have done nothing wrong. Please, punish me and my family instead of them!”
20. Araunah looked and saw David and his soldiers coming up towards him. He went over to David, bowed down low,
21. and said, “Your Majesty! Why have you come to see me?”David answered, “I've come to buy your threshing place. I have to build the Lord an altar here, so this disease will stop killing the people.”
22. Araunah said, “Take whatever you want and offer your sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the sacrifice. You can use the threshing boards and the wooden yokes for the fire.
23. Take them—they're yours! I hope the Lord your God will be pleased with you.”
24. But David answered, “No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that I got for nothing.” So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.
25. Then he built an altar for the Lord. He sacrificed animals and burnt them on the altar.The Lord answered the prayers of the people, and no one else died from the terrible disease.