1. And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time
when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his
servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the
children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried
still at Jerusalem.
2. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from
off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house:
and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the
woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said,
Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of
Uriah the Hittite?
4. And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in
unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her
uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said,
I am with child.
6. And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite.
And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7. And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how
Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
8. And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy
feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there
followed him a mess of meat from the king.
9. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the
servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
10. And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down
unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from
thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine
house?
11. And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah,
abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my
lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into
mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as
thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this
thing.
12. And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to
morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem
that day, and the morrow.
13. And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before
him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie
on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down
to his house.
14. And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a
letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the
forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him,
that he may be smitten, and die.
16. And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he
assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men
were.
17. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and
there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and
Uriah the Hittite died also.
18. Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the
war;
19. And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an
end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20. And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto
thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye
did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21. Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman
cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he
died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou,
Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
22. So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that
Joab had sent him for.
23. And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed
against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were
upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
24. And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants;
and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant
Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
25. Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto
Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword
devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more
strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage
thou him.
26. And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was
dead, she mourned for her husband.
27. And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her
to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son.
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
Chapter 12
1. And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him,
and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one
rich, and the other poor.
2. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3. But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb,
which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up
together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his
own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom,
and was unto him as a daughter.
4. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared
to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for
the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor
man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and
he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath
done this thing shall surely die:
6. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this
thing, and because he had no pity.
7. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the
LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I
delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8. And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives
into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of
Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover
have given unto thee such and such things.
9. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to
do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite
with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and
hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house;
because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of
Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against
thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives
before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he
shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before
all Israel, and before the sun.
13. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD.
And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy
sin; thou shalt not die.
14. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion
to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that
is born unto thee shall surely die.
15. And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the
child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very
sick.
16. David therefore besought God for the child; and David
fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17. And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise
him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat
bread with them.
18. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died.
And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child
was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet
alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our
voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the
child is dead?
19. But when David saw that his servants whispered, David
perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto
his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed
himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of
the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and
when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that
thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child,
while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst
rise and eat bread.
22. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and
wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious
to me, that the child may live?
23. But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him
back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to
me.
24. And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto
her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his
name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
25. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called
his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
