said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then re6 turn. And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host 8 of the mighty men. And the 9 children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zobah, and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. Now when Joab saw that 'the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against 10 the Syrians: and the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother, and he put them in array against II the children of Ammon. And 2 he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. 12 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth 13 him good. So Joab and the 1 Heb. the face of the battle was against. 2 Heb. Abshai. ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards 6 be grown, and then return. And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Aram-maacah, and out of Zobah. 7 So they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came 8 to battle. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. 9 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field. 10 Now when Joab saw that 'the And battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians. II And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of 2Abishai his brother, and they put themselves in array against 12 the children of Ammon. he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, 13 then I will help thee. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth 14 him good. So Joab and the 1 Heb. the face of the battle was against. 2 Heb. Abshai. people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle against the Syrians and they fled before 14 him. And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, 15 and came to Jerusalem. And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves 16 together. And 'Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the River: and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. 17 And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and 18 fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, 19 that he died there. And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more. people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him. 15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem. 16 And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. 17 And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought 18 with him. And the Syrians fled 19 host. before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more. 20 And it came to pass, at the time of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. 2 And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; (for she was purified from her uncleanness ;) and 5 she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived; and she 6 sent and told David, and said, I am with child. And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to 7 David. And when Uriah was come unto him, David asked of him how 8 Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a 'mess 9 of meat from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. IO And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Art thou not come from a journey? II wherefore didst thou not go down unto thine house? And Uriah said unto 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 mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. 12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the 13 morrow. And when David had called him, he did eat 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 went not down to his 14 house. And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter 15 to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye 16 from him, that he may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, that he assigned Uriah unto the 17 place where he knew that valiant men were. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people, 18 even of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then 19 Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; and he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling 20 all the things concerning the war unto the king, it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the 21 wall? who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, that he died at Thebez? why went ye so nigh the wall? then shalt thou say, Thy 22 servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. So the messenger went, and 23 came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for. And the 5 messenger said unto David, The men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the 24 entering of the gate. And the shooters shot at thy servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant 25 Uriah the Hittite is dead also. Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong 26 against the city, and overthrow it and encourage thou him. And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she 27 made lamentation for her husband. And when the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, But the thing that David had done displeased ✓ and bare him a son. 3 the LORD. 12 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and 2 the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had brought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own 4 cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the 5 man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man 6 that hath done this is 'worthy to die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee 8 out of the hand of Saul; and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee 9 such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the word of the LORD, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and IO hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be II thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy 12 wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will 13 do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto 15 thee shall surely die. And Nathan departed unto his house. 1 Heb. a son of death. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, 16 and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; 17 and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: 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 spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice; 'how will he then vex himself, if 19 we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered together, David perceived that the child was dead: and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, 20 He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and 21 when he required they set bread before him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when 22 the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether the LORD will not be gracious to me, that the child 23 may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her and she bare a son, and 'he called his name Solomon. 25 And the LORD loved him; and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name 3Jedidiah, for the LORD's sake. 26 2 Samuel 12. 26. Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, 27 and took the royal city. And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, yea, I have taken the 28 city of waters. 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 after my 29 name. And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, 1 Or, how then shall we tell him that the child is dead, so that he do himself some harm? 2 Another reading is, she called. 3 That is, Beloved of Jah. 4 Heb. my name be called upon it. I Chronicles 20. I. And Joab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it. |