1
And Jehovah sent Nathan to▵ David. And he came to▵ him, and said to him, Two men◦ were in one city, one rich and one miserable.
2
He who was rich had exceedingly multiplied flocks and herds.
3
But for the miserable man there was nothing◦ at all, but◦ one small ewe-lamb, which he had bought and let··live; and it grew··up together with him and with his sons; of his own morsel did it eat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.
4
And there came a traveler* to the rich man◦; and he spared◦ himself from taking from his own flock and from his own herd, to make food for the traveler who had come to him; but he took the ewe-lamb of the miserable man◦, and made it for the man◦ who had come to▵ him.
5
And David’s anger was· very ·fierce against◦ the man◦; and he said to▵ Nathan, By the life of Jehovah, but◦ the man◦ that has done this is a son of death.
6
And for the ewe-lamb he shall pay fourfold, because▵ he did this thing and on··account··of not having··pity.
7
And Nathan said to▵ David, Thou◦ art the man◦! Thus says Jehovah God of Israel: I▵ anointed thee for a king over Israel, and I▵ rescued thee out of the hand of Saul.
8
And I gave thee the house of thy lord, and the wives of thy lord into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been little▵, I would have given thee this and that.
9
Why hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do evil in His eyes? Uriah the Hittite thou hast smitten with the sword, and his wife thou hast taken to thee for a woman, and him thou hast killed with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
10
And now the sword shall not be removed from thy house even··to eternity, because▵ thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be to thee for a woman.
11
Thus says Jehovah, Behold, I will raise··up evil against thee from thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them to thy companion, and he shall lie with thy wives to the eyes of this sun.
12
For thou◦ didst it in secret; but I◦ will do this thing in··the··presence··of all Israel, and in··the··presence··of the sun.
13
And David said unto▵ Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said unto▵ David, Also Jehovah has passed··by thy sin; thou shalt· not ·die.
14
Nonetheless, because◦ by this thing thou hast made the enemies of Jehovah to disdain with disdain, the son also born to thee dying shall die.
15
And Nathan went to▵ his house, and Jehovah struck the child which the wife of Uriah gave··birth to for David, and he was desperately sick.
16
And David sought God for▫ the lad; and David fasted, and came··in and passed··the··night, and he lay on the earth.
17
And the elders of his house arose by◦ him, to raise him from the earth; but he was· not ·willing, nor did he nourish himself with bread with◦ them.
18
And it was, 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, when the child was alive, we spoke to▵ him, and he did not hearken to our voice; and how◦ shall we say to▵ him, The child is··dead, and he may do something evil?
19
And David saw that his servants whispered, and David 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 arose from the earth, and bathed and anointed◦ himself, and changed his raiment, and came into the house of Jehovah, and worshiped; and he came into▵ his house, and he asked, and they set bread for him and he did eat.
21
And his servants said unto▵ him, What thing is this which thou hast done? For the sake of the child while alive, thou didst fast and weep; but when▵ the child was··dead, thou didst rise··up and eat bread.
22
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether Jehovah will be··gracious to me, that the child may live?
23
But now that he is··dead, why is this that I◦ should 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 came··in to▵ her, and lay with her, and she gave··birth to a son, and he called his name Solomon; and Jehovah loved him.
25
And He sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah*, because of Jehovah.
26
And Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27
And Joab sent messengers to▵ David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, I have also taken the city of waters.
28
And now, gather the remainder of the people together, and encamp against the city and capture it, lest I◦ capture the city, and my name be called over it.
29
And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought··against it and took it.
30
And he took the crown of their king from on his head, and the weight thereof was a talent of gold and precious stones, and it was on David’s head. And he brought··out the spoil of the city exceedingly multiplied.
31
And he made the people come··out who were therein, and he set upon them with saws, and with slicing instruments of iron, and with axes of iron, and made them to pass··through the brickkiln; and thus◦ he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
