2 Samuel 24:1-3

Lexham English Bible

David and the Census of the People

24 Again Yahweh was angry with Israel, and he^[a] 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^[b] as the eyes of my lord the king are seeing. But my lord the king, why does he desire this thing?”