17. David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and surely done evil. But these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I pray, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house, but do not let Your people be plagued.”
18. Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19. So David went up at the word of Gad which he delivered in the name of the Lord.
20. Now Ornan turned and saw the angel, but his four sons who were with him hid themselves as Ornan threshed the wheat.
21. As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.