5 and told David that the total number of men who could serve in the army was one million one hundred thousand in Israel and four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
6 Joab refused to include anyone from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he still disagreed with David's orders.
7 David's order to count the people made God angry, and he punished Israel.
8 David prayed, “I am your servant. But what I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Please forgive me.”
9 The Lord said to Gad, one of David's prophets,
10 “Tell David that I will punish him in one of three ways. But he will have to choose which one it will be.”
11 Gad went to David and told him:You must choose how the Lord will punish you: