2 Samuel 12

¹And the LORD sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said to him: two men there were in one city, one rich and one poor.

²The rich man had flocks and herds in very great abundance.

³But the poor man had nothing at all, except one little ewe-lamb that he had bought and kept alive, and she grew up with him and with his children together; from his morsel she would eat, and from his cup she would drink, and in his bosom she would lie, and she was to him like a daughter.

⁴Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the ewe-lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.

⁵And David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan: As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this is a son of death.

⁶And he must repay the ewe-lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."

⁷Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.'

⁸And I gave you the house of your lord and the wives of your lord into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that were too little, I would have added to you as much again and more.

⁹Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

¹⁰And now the sword shall not depart from your house forever, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

¹¹"Thus says the Lord: I am about to raise up disaster against you from 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.

¹²For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

¹³David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.' Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin; you will not die.'

¹⁴However, because you have utterly despised the enemies of the Lord by this deed, the son also who is born to you shall surely die.

¹⁵Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and he became very ill.

¹⁶And David sought God on behalf of the child; and David fasted a fast, and would come in and spend the night lying on the ground.

¹⁷And the elders of his house rose up over him to raise him from the ground, but he was not willing, and he did not eat bread with them.

¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'While the child was still alive, we spoke to him but he would not listen to our voice. How then shall we say to him, The child is dead? He may do himself harm.'

¹⁹And David saw that his servants were whispering together, and David perceived that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead."

²⁰And David arose from the ground and washed himself and anointed himself and changed his garments, and went to the house of the LORD and worshiped; then he returned to his house and asked, and they set food before him, and he ate.

²¹And his servants said to him: What is this thing that you have done? For the sake of the living child you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate bread.

²²And he said, 'While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, "Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live."'

²³And now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I am going to him, but he will not return to me.

²⁴Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and he went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. And the Lord loved him.

²⁵He sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah, for the sake of the LORD.

²⁶And Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the city of the kingdom.

²⁷And Joab sent messengers to David and said: I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have captured the city of the waters.

²⁸Now therefore gather the rest of the troops and encamp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city myself and my name be called over it.

²⁹So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it.

³⁰And he took the crown of their king from his head -- its weight was a talent of gold, with a precious stone -- and it was placed on David's head. And the spoil of the city he brought out in great abundance.

³¹He brought out the people who were in it and set them to work with the saw, with iron picks, and with iron axes, and made them pass through the brick kiln. So he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.