2 Samuel 24:3-5

Contemporary English Version

³ Joab answered, “I hope the Lord your God will give you 100 times more soldiers than you already have. I hope you will live to see that day! But why do you want to do a thing like this?”

⁴ But when David refused to change his mind, Joab and the army officers went out and started counting the people. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan River and began with^[a] Aroer and the town in the middle of the river valley. From there they went toward Gad and on as far as Jazer.