12 ^a“When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.

2 “Take a ^ccensus of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.

2 “Take a ^bcensus of all the congregation of the people of Israel, ^cfrom twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.”

2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,¹ who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, ^gfrom Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”

2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”