1 Chronicles · Chapter 21

[ edit] Saþan forſoþe roſe aȝein Yrael, and ſtired Dauiþ for to noumbre Yrael. And Dauid ſeid to Joab, and to þe princes of þe puple, Goþ, and noumbriþ Yrael fro Berſabe vnto Dan, and bryngiþ to me þe noumbre, þat I knowe. And Joab anſwerd, Þe Lord encreſe his puple an hundriþ fold þann þei ben; wheþer not, my lord kyng, þi ſeruauntis þei ben alle? Why þis þing ſechiþ my lord, þat in to ſynne it be rettid to Yrael? Bot þe word of þe kyng more hadde þe maiſtrie; and Joab wente out, and enuyrouned al Yrael, and is turned aȝein in to Jeruſalem.

And he ȝaue to Dauid þe noumbre of hem, þe whiche he hadde enuyrownede; and al þe noumbre of Yrael is founden a þouſand þouſandes, and an hundriþ þouſand of men, drawynge oute ſwerd; of Juda forſoþe þre hundriþ and ſeuenty þouſand of fiȝtynge men. Forſoþe Leuy and Beniamyn he noumbride not, for þi þat conſtreyned he folowede out þe kyngis heſt. Forſoþe þat was comaundid diſpleſide to þe Lord, and he ſmote Yrael. And Dauid ſeid to God, I haue ſynned ful myche for to do þis; I biſeche, do awey þe wickidneſſe of þi ſeruaunt, for vnwijſly I dide.

And þe Lord ſpac to Gad, ſeere of Dauid, ſeyinge, Go, and ſpeke to Dauid, and ſey to hym, Þes þingis ſeiþ þe Lord, Of þre þingis to þee I ȝeue chois; oon þat þou wylt, chees, þat I doo to þee. And whann Gad was commen to Dauid, he ſeide to hym, Þes þingis ſeiþ þe Lord, Chees þat þou wilt, or þree ȝeer peſtilence, or þee þre moneþis to flee þi enmyes and þe ſwerd of hem not to mowen aſcapyn, or þre days þe ſwerd of þe Lord and deþ to be turned aboute in þe lond, and þe aungel of þe Lord to ſlen in alle þe cytees of Yrael. Nowe þanne ſee, what I ſchal anſwere to hym þat ſente me.

And Dauiþ ſeid to Gad, On alle ſijdes angwyſchis þreſten me doun, bot beter it is to me, þat I falle in to þe hondis of þe Lord, for many ben þe mercyes of hym, þanne in to þe hondis of men. Þanne þe Lord ſente peſtilence in to Yrael, and þer fellen of Yrael ſeuenty þouſand of men. And he ſente þe aungel in to Jeruſalem, þat he ſmyte it; and whanne it ſchulde ben ſmyten, þe Lord ſawȝ, and hadde rewþe vpon þe mykilneſſe of euyl; and he comaundide to þe aungel þat ſmote, It ſufficiþ, nowe ceſe þi hond. Forſoþe þe aungel of þe Lord ſtode beſides þe corn flore of Ornam Jebuſei.

And Dauid, rerynge his eeȝen up, ſawe þe aungel of þe Lord ſtondynge bitwene heuene and erþe, and a drawn ſwerd in his hond, and turned aȝeinus Jeruſalem. And þere fellen downe as wele he as þe more þoruȝ birþe, cloþid wiþ heyris, bowed doun in to þe erþ. And Dauid ſeide to þe Lord, Wheþer not I am þe whiche haue comaundide þat þe puple be noumbrid? I þat haue ſynned, I þe whiche dyde euyl; þis floc what haþ deſerued? Lord my God, be turned, I biſeche, þi hond in to me, and in to þe hous of my fadir; þi puple forſoþe be not ſmyten.

Þe aungel forſoþe of þe Lord comaundide to Gad, þat he ſchuld ſeyn to Dauiþ, þat he ſchuld ſteyȝe up, and maken out an auter to þe Lord God in þe corne flore of Ornam Jebuſe. Þan Dauid ſteyȝide up aftir þe word of Gad, þat to hym he hadde ſpoken of þe word of þe Lord. Bot Ornam whanne he hadde beholden and ſeen þe aungel, and his foure ſonys wiþ hym, hidden hem ſilf, for why þat tyme he tradde corn in þe flore. Þanne whanne Dauid came to Ornam, Ornam byheld hym, and wente forþ to meeten hym fro þe flore, and honouride hym, bowed in to þe erþe.

And Dauid ſeide to hym, Ȝeue to me a place of þy flore, þat I bild in it an auter to þe Lord; ſo þat howe myche it is worþ of ſyluer þou take, and þe veniaunce ceſe fro þe puple. And Ornam ſeyde to Dauid, Take, and my lord þe kyng do what euer þing pleſe to hym; bot and oxen I ȝeue in to brent ſacrifice, and þe peſtels in to wode, and þe whete in to ſacrifice; alle þingis gladly I ȝeue. And kyng Dauiþ ſeide to hym, It ſchal not ben ſo, bot ſyluer I ſchal ȝeuen as myche as it be worþ; ne forſoþe I owe to taken awey to þee, and ſo to offren to þe Lord free brent ſacrifices. Þan Dauid ȝaue to Ornam for þe place ownces of gold of moſt juſt weiȝt ſixe hundriþ.

And he bilde þere an auter to þe Lord, and offride brent ſacrifices and peſible, and inwardly clepid God; and he herd hym in fyre fro heuen vpon þe auter of brent ſacrifice. And þe Lord comaundide to þe aungel, and he turned þe ſwerd in to þe ſcheþe. Þanne Dauid anoon ſeeynge, þat þe Lord hadde herde hym in þe corn flore of Ornam Jebuſei, he offride þere ſlayne ſacrifices. Forſoþe þe tabernacle of þe Lord, þat Moyſes hadde maad in deſert, and þe auter of brent ſacrifices, was in þat tempeſt in þe heiȝt of Gabaon; and Dauid myȝt not gon to þe auter, þat þere he beſeche God, forſoþe he was wiþ to myche gaſtneſſe aferd, ſeeinge þe ſwerd of þe aungel of þe Lord.