1 Chronicles 21:1-13

1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel.

2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”

3Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of his people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

4Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.

5Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand armed men and in Judah itself four hundred seventy thousand armed men.

6But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him.

7This command was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Israel.

8David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”

9Then the Lord instructed Gad, David’s seer,

10“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.’”

11So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice:

12three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord  — a plague on the land, the angel of the Lord bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”

13David answered Gad, “I’m in anguish. Please, let me fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are very great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”