Shmuel II - Chapter 12

1. And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich, and one 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 reared; and it grew up together with him and his sons; of his bread it would eat, and from his cup it would drink, and in his bosom it would lie, and it was to him like a daughter.

4. And there came a wayfarer to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to prepare for the guest that had come to him, and he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man that had come to him."

5. And David became very angry at the man; and he said to Nathan: "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is liable to death.

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

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

8. And I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that were too little, then would I add unto you like them and like them.

9. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in His eyes? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife for yourself as a wife, and you have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

10. And now, the sword shall never depart from your household for ever because you have despised Me and you have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

11. So says the Lord: "Behold I will raise up against you evil out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and I will give them to your friend, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

12. For you have acted in secrecy, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun."

13. And David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "Also the Lord has removed your sin; you shall not die.

14. Nevertheless, because you have greatly blasphemed the enemies of the Lord by this thing, the child also that is born to you shall surely die."

15. And Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became mortally ill.

16. And David besought God on behalf of the child; and David fasted a fast, and he came in and slept lying on the ground.

17. And the elders of his house stood over him to raise him up from the ground; 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 spoke to him and he did not hearken to our voices; how then shall we tell him that the child is dead, so that he do [himself] harm?"

19. And David saw that his servants were whispering and he understood that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said "[He is] dead."

20. And David got up from the ground, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came to the House of the Lord and kneeled; and he came to his house, and he asked and they set bread before him, and he ate.

21. And his servants said to him: "What is this thing that you have done? For the live child you fasted and wept, but when the child died, you got up and ate bread?"

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

23. But now [that] he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

24. And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and he came to her, and he lay with her: and she bore a son, and she 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 Yedidiah for the Lord's sake.

26. And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and captured the royal city.

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

28. And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city, and my name be called upon it."

29. And David gathered all the people, and he went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and captured it.

30. And he took the crown of Malkam off his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and [in it was] a precious stone; and it was [set] on David's head. And the spoil of the city he brought forth in great abundance.

31. And the people that were therein he brought forth and he put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and he made them pass through the brick kiln; and so he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.