and of the tribe of Judah fifty thousand fighting men.  And after that the people was numbered, the heart of David was smitten by our Lord and was heavy, and said:  I have sinned greatly in this deed, but I pray the Lord to take away the wickedness of thy servant, for I have done follily.  David rose on the morn early, and the word of our Lord came to Gad the prophet saying:  that he should go to David and bid him choose one of three things that he should say to him.  When Gad came to David he said that he should choose whether he would have seven years hunger in his land, or three months he should flee his adversaries and enemies, or to have three days’ pestilence.  Of these three God biddeth thee choose which thou wilt; now advise thee and conclude what I shall answer to our Lord.  David said to Gad:  I am constrained to a great thing, but it is better for me to put me in the hands of our Lord, for his mercy is much more than in men, and so he chose pestilence.

Then our Lord sent pestilence the time constitute, and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men.  And when the angel extended his hand upon Jerusalem for to destroy it, our Lord was merciful upon the affliction, and said to the angel so smiting:  It sufficeth now, withdraw thy hand.  David said to our Lord when he saw the angel smiting the people:  I am he that have sinned and done wickedly, what have these sheep done?  I beseech thee that thy hand turn upon me and upon the house of my father.  Then came Gad to David and bade him make an altar in the same place where he saw the angel; and he bought the place, and made the altar, and offered sacrifices unto our Lord, and our Lord was merciful, and the plague ceased in Israel.

David was old and feeble and saw that his death approached, and ordained that his son Solomon should reign and be king after him.  Howbeit that Adonijah his son took on him to be king during David’s life.  For which cause Bathsheba and Nathan came to David, and tofore them he said that Solomon should be king, and ordained that he should be set on his mule by his prophets Nathan, Zadok the priest and Benaiah, and brought in to Sion.  And there Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king upon Israel and blew in a trump and said:  Live the King Solomon.  And from thence they brought him into Jerusalem and set him upon his father’s seat in his father’s throne, and David worshipped him in his bed, and said:  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that hath suffered me to see my son in my throne and seat And then Adonijah and all they that were with him were afeared, and dreading Solomon ran away, and so ceased Adonijah.  The days of David approached fast that he should die, and did do call Solomon before him, and there he commanded him to keep the commandments of our Lord and walk in his ways, and to observe his ceremonies, his precepts and his judgments, as it is written in the law of Moses, and said:  Our Lord confirm thee in thy