Historical
David Commits Adultery and Murder
11 Now it came to pass at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his officials with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David rose from his bed and strolled on the roof of the royal palace. Then from the roof he saw a woman washing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about the woman, and he reported, “Isn’t this Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4 Then David sent messengers and took her when she came to him, and he lay with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”
6 So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the troops fared, and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” When Uriah left the royal palace, a present from the king followed him. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the royal palace with all his master’s servants, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they informed David saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”
11 But Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day, 13 David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk. But in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his master’s servants, but did not go down to his house.
14 So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah’s hand. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it came to pass, when Joab was besieging the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. 17 Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the troops of David’s officers fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 When Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war, 19 he charged the messenger saying, “When you finish reporting all the events of the war to the king, 20 if it happens that the king’s wrath flares up and he says to you, ‘Why did you come so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you come so close to the wall?’ Then you will say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead, too.’”
22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to report. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your troops from the wall, and some of the king’s officers fell dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite died, too.”
25 Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Don’t let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Press your attack against the city and overthrow it!’ So tell him, chazak!”
26 Now when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, she mourned over her husband. 27 When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone who brought her to his palace. So she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done was evil in Adonai’s eyes.
Nathan Confronts David
12 Then Adonai sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said to him, “There were two men in the same city—one was rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had an exceedingly huge flock and herd, 3 but the poor man had nothing at all, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his own morsel and drank from his own cup, and nestled in his bosom, and it was to him like a daughter. 4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but he was unwilling to take one from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Rather, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man that had come to him.”
5 Then David’s anger blazed hot against the man and he said to Nathan, “As Adonai lives, the man that did this deserves to die! 6 So he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says Adonai, God of Israel: It is I who anointed you king over Israel, and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. Now if that were too little, then I would have added to you so much more. 9 Why then have you despised the word of Adonai by doing such evil in My eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to be your wife, and him you have slain with the sword of the children of Ammon 10 So now the sword will never depart from your house—because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11 “Thus says Adonai: Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 Indeed you have done it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun.”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”
Nathan replied to David, “Adonai also has made your sin pass away—you will not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have made the enemies of Adonai greatly blaspheme, so even the child born to you will surely die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.
Then Adonai struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David and he became very sick. 16 David therefore sought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the floor. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to get him up from the floor but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he didn’t listen to our voice. So how can we tell him that the child is dead? He might do something terrible!”
19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?”
“He is dead,” they said.
20 Then David got up from the floor, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the House of Adonai and worshipped. When he came back to his own palace, he asked for food, so they set food before him and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, “What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept while the child was still alive, but as soon as the child died, you got up and ate food.”
22 He replied, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought, ‘Who knows? Adonai might be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? It is I who will be going to him, but he will never return to me.”
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son and called his name Solomon. Adonai loved him, 25 and He sent word by the hand of the prophet Nathan. So he called his name Jedidiah[a], for Adonai’s sake.
26 Now Joab attacked Rabbah of the children of Ammon and captured the royal city. 27 So Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have attacked Rabbah and captured the city’s water supply. 28 So now gather the rest of the troops together, camp against the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city myself and it will be named after me.” 29 So David gathered all the troops, went to Rabbah, attacked it and captured it. 30 Then he took the crown of their king from off his head—its weight was a talent of gold and in it was a precious stone—and then it was placed on David’s head. He also brought a vast amount of spoils out of the city. 31 Then he brought out the people who were there and put them to work under saws, iron threshing boards and iron axes, and assigned them to brick making; and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.
Amnon Attacks Tamar and Absalom’s Wrath
13 It came to pass after this that Absalom son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar, so Amnon, son of David, fell in love with her. 2 But Amnon was so frustrated that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin and it seemed impossible in Amnon to do anything to her. 3 However, Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 So he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, so miserable morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Amnon told him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some bread to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may see it and eat from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick, and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in front of me so I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent someone to the house for Tamar saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare bread for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house while he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in front of him and baked the cakes. 9 Then she took the pan and poured them out in front of him but he refused to eat.
Then Amnon said, “Everyone, leave me!” So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the bread into the bedroom that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 11 But when she brought them close to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come lie with me, my sister.”
12 “No!” she said to him. “Don’t, my brother! Don’t rape me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Don’t do this disgraceful deed! 13 I—where could I go with my shame? You—you will be as one of the disgraceful fools in Israel. Now, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 But he was unwilling to listen to her voice, so he overpowered her, forced her and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon loathed her with very intense revulsion—indeed, the hatred that he hated her with was greater than the love in which he had loved her. So Amnon said to her, “Get up, get out!”
16 But she said to him, “No! Sending me away is even a greater evil than the one you have already done to me!” But again he would not listen to her.
17 Then he called his servant that attended him and said, “Get this woman away from me now and bolt the door after her.”
18 Now she had on her a long-sleeved garment[b] for with such robes the king’s virgin daughters used to be dressed. When his attendant took her outside and bolted the door after her, 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and rent her long-sleeved garment that was on her. She laid her hand on her head and was crying aloud as she went away.
20 Then her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? So now, my sister, keep quiet. He is your brother—don’t take this thing to heart.” But Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
21 When King David heard about all these things, he was very angry. 22 Absalom did not say a word to Amnon, either good or bad, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had raped his sister Tamar.
23 It came about, after two full years, that Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Then Absalom came to the king and said, “See now, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants come with your servant.”
25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. Let’s not all go—we don’t want to be burdensome to you.” Though he urged him, he would not go, though he blessed him.
26 Then Absalom said, “If not, then please let my brother Amnon go with us.”
“Why should he go with you?” the king said to him. 27 But when Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon go with him, along with all the king’s sons.
28 Then Absalom commanded his young men saying, “Now watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine. When I tell you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then put him to death! Have no fear! Isn’t it I who commanded you? Be strong! Be sons of valor!” 29 So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon as Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, each mounted his mule and fled.
30 While they were on the way, a report came to David saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons and not one of them is left!” 31 Then the king stood up, rent his clothes and lay on the ground, and all his courtiers were standing by with their clothes rent.
32 But Jonadab son of David’s brother Shimeah said in response, “My lord must not think that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons! For only Amnon has died. For from Absalom’s mouth this has been determined since the day he raped his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore, my lord the king must not take the report to his heart thinking that all the king’s sons are dead—for only Amnon is dead.”
34 Meanwhile Absalom had fled. When the young watchman lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, there were many people coming down the road behind him on the hillside. 35 Then Jonadab said to the king, “The king’s sons have just arrived! It’s just as your servant has said.” 36 As soon as he finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons arrived. They lifted up their voices and wept, and also the king and all his courtiers wept very bitterly.
37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. David mourned for his son every day. 38 So Absalom fled, went to Geshur and remained there three years. 39 Then King David’s soul longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.