1 Chronicles 21:11

THE MESSAGE

Gad delivered the message to David: "Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God —an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God ? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?"

Parallel Translations

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

Hebrew Names Version
So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus says the LORD, Take which you will:

King James Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord , Choose thee

English Standard Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord , ‘Choose what you will:

New Century Version
So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Choose for yourself

New English Translation
Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Pick one of these:

Amplified Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose for yourself

New American Standard Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take for yourself

World English Bible
So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Take which you will:

Geneva Bible (1587)
So Gad came to Dauid, and sayde vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Take to thee

Legacy Standard Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself

Berean Standard Bible
So Gad went and said to David, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take your choice

Contemporary English Version
Gad went to David and told him: You must choose how the Lord will punish you:

Complete Jewish Bible
Gad came to David and said to him, "Take your choice:

Darby Translation
And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah:

Easy-to-Read Version
Then Gad went to David. He said to David, "The Lord says, ‘David, choose which punishment you want: three years without enough food, or three months of running away from your enemies while they use their swords to chase you, or three days of punishment from the Lord . Terrible sicknesses will spread through the country, and the Lord 's angel will go through Israel destroying the people.' David, God sent me. Now, you must decide which answer I will give to him."

George Lamsa Translation
So Gad the prophet came to David and said to him, Thus says the LORD: Choose for yourself

Good News Translation
Gad went to David, told him what the Lord had said, and asked, "Which is it to be?

Lexham English Bible
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: ‘Choose for yourself:

Literal Translation
And Gad came to David and said to him, So says Jehovah, Choose for yourself:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And wha Gad came to Dauid, he spake vnto him: Thus sayeth the LORDE: Chose ye

American Standard Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt:

Bible in Basic English
So Gad came to David and said to him, The Lord says, Take whichever you will:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Gad came to Dauid, and sayd vnto him, thus sayth the Lorde: Choose thee

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So Gad came to David, and said unto him: 'Thus saith the LORD: Take which thou wilt:

King James Version (1611)
So Gad came to Dauid, and said vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose for thyself,

English Revised Version
So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Take which thou wilt;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne Gad was comen to Dauid, he seide to Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, Chese thou that that thou wolt, ether pestilence thre yeer,

Update Bible Version
So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Take which you will:

Webster's Bible Translation
So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee

New King James Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: "Choose for yourself,

New Living Translation
So Gad came to David and said, "These are the choices the Lord has given you.

New Life Bible
So Gad came to David and said, "This is what the Lord says. ‘Choose one of these.

New Revised Standard
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord , ‘Take your choice:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Gad came unto David, - and said to him, Thus, saith Yahweh,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Gad was come to David, he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: choose which thou wilt:

Revised Standard Version
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Take which you will:

Young's Literal Translation
And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, `Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee --

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Take for yourself

Contextual Overview

⁸ Then David prayed, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust; forgive my sin—I've been really stupid." ⁹ God answered by speaking to Gad, David's pastor: "Go and give David this message: ‘ God 's word: You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I'll do the rest.'" ¹¹Gad delivered the message to David: "Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God —an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God ? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?" ¹³ David told Gad, "They're all terrible! But I'd rather be punished by God whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands." ¹⁴So God unleashed an epidemic in Israel—seventy thousand Israelites died. God then sent the angel to Jerusalem but when he saw the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind and ordered the death angel, "Enough's enough! Pull back!" The angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel hovering between earth and sky, sword drawn and about to strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and covered themselves with rough burlap. David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them." The angel of God ordered Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to God on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David did what Gad told him in obedience to God 's command. Meanwhile Araunah had quit threshing the wheat and was watching the angel; his four sons took cover and hid. David came up to Araunah. When Araunah saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed deeply before David, honoring the king. David said to Araunah, "Give me the site of the threshing floor so I can build an altar to God . Charge me the market price; we're going to put an end to this disaster." "O Master, my king," said Araunah, "just take it; do whatever you want with it! Look, here's an ox for the burnt offering and threshing paddles for the fuel and wheat for the meal offering—it's all yours!" David replied to Araunah, "No. I'm buying it from you, and at the full market price. I'm not going to offer God sacrifices that are no sacrifice." So David bought the place from Araunah for six hundred shekels of gold. He built an altar to God there and sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings. He called out to God and God answered by striking the altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with lightning. Then God told the angel to put his sword back into its scabbard. And that's the story of what happened when David saw that God answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time he offered the sacrifice. At this time the Tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the desert, and with it the Altar of Burnt Offering, were set up at the worship center at Gibeon. But David, terrified by the angel's sword, wouldn't go there to ¹⁶David, Satan, and Araunah Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel. David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, "Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number." Joab resisted: "May God multiply his people by hundreds! Don't they all belong to my master the king? But why on earth would you do a thing like this—why risk getting Israel into trouble with God?" But David wouldn't take no for an answer, so Joab went off and did it—canvassed the country and then came back to Jerusalem and reported the results of the census: There were 1,100,000 fighting men; of that total, Judah accounted for 470,000. Joab, disgusted by the command—it, in fact, turned his stomach!—protested by leaving Levi and Benjamin out of the census-taking. And God, offended by the whole thing, punished Israel. Then David prayed, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust; forgive my sin—I've been really stupid." God answered by speaking to Gad, David's pastor: "Go and give David this message: ‘ God 's word: You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I'll do the rest.'" Gad delivered the message to David: "Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God —an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God ? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?" David told Gad, "They're all terrible! But I'd rather be punished by God whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands." So God unleashed an epidemic in Israel—seventy thousand Israelites died. God then sent the angel to Jerusalem but when he saw the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind and ordered the death angel, "Enough's enough! Pull back!" The angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel hovering between earth and sky, sword drawn and about to strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and covered themselves with rough burlap. ¹⁷ David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Choose thee: Heb. Take to thee, Proverbs 19:20

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 24:12 - I offer 1 Chronicles 21:18 - the angel

Cross-References

Genesis 17:18
Recovering, Abraham said to God, "Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!"

Genesis 21:1
God visited Sarah exactly as he said he would; God did to Sarah what he promised: Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age, and at the very time God had set. Abraham named him Isaac. When his son was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded.

2 Samuel 18:33
The king was stunned. Heartbroken, he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he wept he cried out, O my son Absalom, my dear, dear son Absalom! Why not me rather than you, my death and not yours, O Absalom, my dear, dear son!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

See Gill "1Ch 21:1".