2 Samooel 24

daaood kee mardumashumaaree

¹ek baar phir rabb ko israaeel par ghussa aaya, aur us nay daaood ko unhen museebat men daalnay par uksa kar us kay zahen men mardumashumaaree karnay ka khayaal daal diya.

²chunaanchay daaood nay fauj kay kamaandar yoaab ko hukm diya, “daan say lay kar bair-saba tak israaeel kay tamaam qabeelon men say guzartay huay jang karnay kay qaabil mardon ko gin len taaki maaloom ho jaaay ki un kee kul taadaad kiya hai.” ³lekin yoaab nay etiraaz kiya, “ai baadshaah meray aaqa, kaash rabb aap ka khuda aap kay dekhtay dekhtay faujiyon kee taadaad sau guna badhaaay. lekin meray aaqa aur baadshaah un kee mardumashumaaree kyoon karna chaahatay hain?” ⁴lekin baadshaah yoaab aur fauj kay baday afsaron kay etiraazaat kay baavujood apnee baat par data raha. chunaanchay vah darbaar say ravaana ho kar israaeel kay mardon kee faherist tayyaar karnay lagay.

⁵darya-ay-yardan ko uboor karkay unhon nay aroeer aur vaadee-ay-arnon kay beech kay shaher men shuroo kiya. vahaan say vah jad aur yaazer say ho kar ⁶jiliaad aur hittiyon kay mulk kay shaher qaadis tak pahunchay. phir aagay badhtay badhtay vah daan aur saida kay gird-o-navaah kay ilaaqe ⁷aur qil’aaband shaher soor aur hivviyon aur kan’aaniyon kay tamaam shaheron tak pahunch gaay. aakhirkaar unhon nay yahoodaah kay junoob kee mardumashumaaree bair-saba tak kee.

⁸yoon pooray mulk men safar kartay kartay vah 9 maheenon aur 20 dinon kay baad yarooshalam vaapas aaay. ⁹yoaab nay baadshaah ko mardumashumaaree kee pooree riport pesh kee. israaeel men talvaar chalaanay kay qaabil 8 laakh afraad thay jabki yahoodaah kay 5 laakh mard thay.

¹⁰lekin ab daaood ka zameer us ko malaamat karnay laga. us nay rabb say dua kee, “mujh say sangeen gunaah sarzad hua hai. ai rabb, ab apnay khaadim ka qusoor muaaf kar. mujh say badee hamaaqat huee hai.”

¹¹aglay din jab daaood subah kay vaqt utha to us kay ghaibbeen jaad nabee ko rabb kee taraf say paighaam mil gaya, ¹²“daaood kay paas ja kar usay bata dena, ‘rabb tujhay teen sazaaen pesh karta hai. in men say ek chun lay’.” ¹³jaad daaood kay paas gaya aur usay rabb ka paighaam suna diya. us nay savaal kiya, “aap kis saza ko tarjeeh detay hain? apnay mulk men saat saal kay dauraan kaal? ya yah ki aap kay dushman aap ko bhaga kar teen maah tak aap ka taaqqub kartay rahen? ya yah ki aap kay mulk men teen din tak vaba phail jaaay? dhyaan say is kay baaray men sochen taaki main usay aap ka javaab pahuncha sakoon jis nay mujhay bheja hai.”

¹⁴daaood nay javaab diya, “haay, main kya kahoon? main bahut pareshaan hoon. lekin aadmiyon kay haath men padnay kee nisbat behatar hai ki main rabb hee kay haath men pad jaaoon, kyoonki us ka rahem azeem hai.”

¹⁵tab rabb nay israaeel men vaba phailnay dee. vah usee subah shuroo huee aur teen din tak logon ko maut kay ghaat utaartee gaee. shimaal men daan say lay kar junoob men bair-saba tak kul 70,000 afraad halaak huay. ¹⁶lekin jab vaba ka farishta chaltay chaltay yarooshalam tak pahunch gaya aur us par haath uthaanay laga to rabb nay logon kee museebat ko dekh kar taras khaaya aur tabaah karnay vaalay farishtay ko hukm diya, “bas kar! ab baaz a.” us vaqt rabb ka farishta vahaan khada tha jahaan araunaah yaboosee apna anaaj gaahata tha.

¹⁷jab daaood nay farishtay ko logon ko maartay huay dekha to us nay rabb say iltimaas kee, “main hee nay gunaah kiya hai, yah mera hee qusoor hai. in bhedon say kya ghaltee huee hai? baraah-ay-karam in ko chhod kar mujhay aur meray khaandaan ko saza day.”

¹⁸usee din jaad daaood kay paas aaya aur us say kaha, “araunaah yaboosee kee gaahanay kee jagah kay paas ja kar us par rabb kee qurbaangaah bana lay.” ¹⁹chunaanchay daaood chadh kar gaahanay kee jagah kay paas aaya jis tarah rabb nay jaad kee maarifat farmaaya tha.

²⁰jab araunaah nay baadshaah aur us kay darbaariyon ko apnee taraf chadhta hua dekha to vah nikal kar baadshaah kay saamnay aundhay munh jhuk gaya. ²¹us nay poochha, “meray aaqa aur baadshaah meray paas kyoon a gaay?” daaood nay javaab diya, “main aap kee gaahanay kee jagah khareedna chaahata hoon taaki rabb kay liyay qurbaangaah taameer karoon. kyoonki yah karnay say vaba ruk jaaegee.”

²²araunaah nay kaha, “meray aaqa aur baadshaah, jo kuchh aap ko achchha lagay usay lay kar chadhaaen. yah bail bhasm honay vaalee qurbaanee kay liyay haazir hain. aur anaaj ko gaahanay aur bailon ko jootnay ka saamaan qurbaangaah par rakh kar jala den. ²³baadshaah salaamat, main khushee say aap ko yah sab kuchh day deta hoon. dua hai ki aap rabb apnay khuda ko pasand aaen.”

²⁴lekin baadshaah nay inkaar kiya, “naheen, main zaroor har cheez kee pooree qeemat ada karoonga. main rabb apnay khuda ko aisee koee bhasm honay vaalee qurbaanee pesh naheen karoonga jo mujhay muft men mil jaaay.”

chunaanchay daaood nay bailon samet gaahanay kee jagah chaandee kay 50 sikkon kay ivz khareed lee. ²⁵us nay vahaan rabb kee taazeem men qurbaangaah taameer karkay us par bhasm honay vaalee aur salaamatee kee qurbaaniyaan chadhaaeen. tab rabb nay mulk kay liyay dua sun kar vaba ko rok diya.