2 Samuel 12

¹ Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up. It grew up together with him, and with his children. It ate of his own food, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.

⁴ A traveler came to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man who had come to him, but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵ David’s anger burned greatly against the man; and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, the man who has done this deserves to die! ⁶ He must restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. If that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these. ⁹ Why have you despised Yahweh’s word, to do that which is evil in his sight? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. ¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

¹¹ Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’”

¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh also has put away your sin. You will not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to Yahweh’s enemies to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

¹⁵ Nathan departed to his house. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick. ¹⁶ David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his house arose beside him, to raise him up from the earth; but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

¹⁸ It happened on the seventh day, that the child died. David’s servants feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he didn’t listen to our voice. How will he then harm himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?”

¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants whispered together, David perceived that the child was dead. David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”

²⁰ Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothing; and he came into Yahweh’s house, and worshiped. Then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he ate. ²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you rose up and ate bread.”

²² He said, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether Yahweh will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ ²³ But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴ David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her. She bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Yahweh loved him; ²⁵ and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah, for Yahweh’s sake.

²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. ²⁷ Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah. Yes, I have taken the city of waters. ²⁸ Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called by my name.”

²⁹ David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. ³⁰ He took the crown of their king from off his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David’s head. He brought forth the plunder of the city, exceeding much. ³¹ He brought forth the people who were in it, and put them under saws, and under iron picks, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln. He did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.