14 So the Lord sent a ^aplague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.  ‡

15 And God sent¹ an ^aangel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As² he was destroying, the Lord looked and ^brelented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain³ your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the ^cthreshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  ‡

17 And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these ^asheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”  ‡

18 Therefore, the ^aangel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  ‡