18. On that day Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’
19. So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad.
20. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming towards him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21. Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’‘To buy your threshing-floor,’ David answered, ‘so that I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.’
22. Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing-sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.’ Araunah also said to him, ‘May the Lord your God accept you.’
24. But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
25. David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.Footnotes for the Book of 2 Samuela 16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.b 29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.a 8 Or are hated by Davidb 9 Or the Milloc 20 Baal Perazim means the lord who breaks out.d 25 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 14:16); Hebrew Gebaa 11 Traditionally judgesb 16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts youc 19 Or for the human raced 23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 17:21; Hebrew wonders for your land and before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt, from the nations and their gods.a 11 Septuagint; Hebrew mya 11 Or staying at Sukkothb 21 Also known as Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon)a 18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verse 19.b 34 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have this sentence.a 7 Some Septuagint manuscripts, Syriac and Josephus; Hebrew fortyb 8 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew does not have in Hebron.c 20 Septuagint; Hebrew May kindness and faithfulness be with youa 3 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like usb 11 That is, about 115 gramsc 12 That is, about 12 kilogramsd 12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.e 13 Or Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously towards himf 23 That is, the plain of the Jordang 33 In Hebrew texts this verse (18:33) is numbered 19:1.a 6 Or and do us serious injuryb 14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.c 24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoramd 26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithritea 3 Or sovereignb 3 Horn here symbolises strength.c 8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountainsd 11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appearede 12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massedf 25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my handsg 30 Or can run through a barricadeh 33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refugei 36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to makej 46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselvesa 2 Septuagint (see also verse 4 and 1 Chron. 21:2); Hebrew Joab the army commanderb 13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew sevenc 17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd.d 23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunahe 24 That is, about 575 grams