1 Chronicles 21

¹Now Satan, designing evil against Israel, put into David's mind the impulse to take the number of Israel.

²And David said to Joab and the captains of the people, Now let all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, be numbered; and give me word so that I may be certain of their number.

³And Joab said, May the Lord make his people a hundred times more in number than they are; but, my lord king, are they not all my lord's servants? why would my lord have this done? why will he become a cause of sin to Israel?

⁴But the king's word was stronger than Joab's. So Joab went out and went through all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

⁵And Joab gave David the number of all the people; all the men of Israel, able to take up arms, were one million, one hundred thousand men; and those of Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men, able to take up arms.

⁶But Levi and Benjamin were not numbered among them, for Joab was disgusted with the king's order.

⁷And God was not pleased with this thing; so he sent punishment on Israel.

⁸Then David said to God, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.

⁹Then the word of the Lord came to Gad, David's seer, saying,

¹⁰Go and say to David, The Lord says, Three things are offered to you: say which of them you will have, so that I may do it to you.

¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, The Lord says, Take whichever you will: