^53 (A)but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no ^(B)wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall ^(C)keep^[a] charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

²² Then they ^(A)fell^[a] on their faces, and said, “O God, ^(B)the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the ^(C)congregation?”

⁴⁶ So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make ^[a]atonement for them; ^(A)for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.”

⁵ And you shall attend to ^(A)the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, ^(B)that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel.

Defeat at Ai

7 But the children of Israel ^[a]committed a ^(A)trespass regarding the ^(B)accursed^[b] things, for ^(C)Achan the son of Carmi, the son of ^[c]Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

¹⁸ but that you must turn away this day from following the Lord? And it shall be, if you rebel today against the Lord, that tomorrow ^(A)He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.

^20 (A)Did not Achan the son of Zerah ^[a]commit a trespass in the ^[b]accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.’ ”

David’s Census of Israel and Judah^(A)

24 Again ^(B)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ^(C)“Go, ^[a]number Israel and Judah.”