1. Again Yahweh was angry with Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”
2. The king said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him: “Please go about through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people that I may know the number of the people.”
3. Then Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God increase the people a hundred times what they are as the eyes of my lord the king are seeing. But my lord the king, why does he desire this thing?”
4. But the word of the king prevailed over Joab and over the commanders of the army, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out from before the king to count the people of Israel.
5. They crossed over the Jordan and camped at Aroer to the south of the city, which was in the middle of the wadi of Gad, and up to Jazer.