1. The Lord’s anger against Israel flared again, and he incited David against them: “Go, take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2. The king therefore said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.”
3. But Joab replied to the king: “May the Lord your God increase the number of people a hundredfold for my lord the king to see it with his own eyes. But why does it please my lord to do a thing of this kind?”
4. However, the king’s command prevailed over Joab and the leaders of the army, so they left the king’s presence in order to register the people of Israel.
5. Crossing the Jordan, they began near Aroer, south of the city in the wadi, and turned in the direction of Gad toward Jazer.
6. They continued on to Gilead and to the district below Mount Hermon. Then they proceeded to Dan; from there they turned toward Sidon,
7. going to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and ending up in the Negeb of Judah, at Beer-sheba.
8. Thus they toured the whole land, reaching Jerusalem again after nine months and twenty days.
9. Joab then reported the census figures to the king: of men capable of wielding a sword, there were in Israel eight hundred thousand, and in Judah five hundred thousand.