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Then the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David. So Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.

So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle.

And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle at the entrance of the city. But the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

And he said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you.

Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may Yahweh do what is good in His sight."

So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Arameans for the battle, and they fled before him.

And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and arranged for battle against them. So David arranged them in battle to meet the Arameans. And they fought against him.

But he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's command was abominable to Joab.

Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Your slave, for I have acted very foolishly."

"Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you."'"

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

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of Yahweh, for His compassions are exceedingly abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man."

Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to Yahweh; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be checked from being upon the people."

And Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give everything."

However, King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not lift up what is yours to Yahweh, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing."

So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.

But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

Then David said, "This is the house of Yahweh God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel."

And David prepared large quantities of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than could be weighed;

and timbers of cedar logs beyond number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David.