| Chapter 11 |
1 |
It happened, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out 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 stayed at Jerusalem. |
2 |
It happened at evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king`s house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look on. |
3 |
David send and inquired after the woman. One said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? |
4 |
David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned to her house. |
5 |
The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child. |
6 |
David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. Joab sent Uriah to David. |
7 |
When Uriah was come to him, David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. |
8 |
David said to Uriah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. Uriah departed out of the king`s house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. |
9 |
But Uriah slept at the door of the king`s house with all the servants of his lord, and didn`t go down to his house. |
10 |
When they had told David, saying, Uriah didn`t go down to his house, David said to Uriah, Haven`t you come from a journey? why did you not go down to your house? |
11 |
Uriah said to David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in booths; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing. |
12 |
David said to Uriah, Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the next day. |
13 |
When David had called him, he ate 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 didn`t go down to his house. |
14 |
It happened in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. |
15 |
He wrote in the letter, saying, Set you Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire you from him, that he may be struck, and die. |
16 |
It happened, when Joab kept watch on the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. |
17 |
The men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people, even 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 he charged the messenger, saying, "When you have made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the king, |
20 |
it shall be that, if the king`s wrath arise, and he tells you, `Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn`t you know that they would shoot from the wall? |
21 |
who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn`t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?` then shall you say, `Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.`" |
22 |
So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for. |
23 |
The messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us, and came out to us into the field, and we were on them even to the entrance of the gate. |
24 |
The shooters shot at your servants from off the wall; and some of the king`s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. |
25 |
Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you tell Joab, Don`t let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage you him. |
26 |
When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband. |
27 |
When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased Yahweh. |