David Orders The Census

1Again the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”

2So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and count the people, so that I may know the number of the people.”

3But Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing?”

4But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against 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.

5They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and toward Jazer.

6They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan, and around to Sidon.

7They came to the fortified city of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and they went out to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.

8They traveled throughout all the land, and at the end of nine months and twenty days they came to Jerusalem.

9Joab gave the number of the census of the people to the king: Israel was eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.