2 Samuel 24:2-4

EasyEnglish Bible

² So the king said to Joab, the leader of his army, ‘Go from Dan to Beersheba, through all the tribes of Israel.^[a] Count all the men who can fight. I want to know how many men there are.’

³ But Joab said to the king, ‘I pray that the Lord your God will make your army bigger and bigger. May it grow 100 times while you are alive to see it! But, my lord the king, why do you want to do this?’

⁴ But Joab and his officers had to obey the king's command. So Joab and the officers of the army went out to count the number of people in Israel.