Ii Samuelis 11

1 Factum est autem, vertente anno, eo tempore quo solent reges ad bella procedere, misit David Ioab, et servos suos cum eo, et universum Israel, et vastaverunt filios Ammon, et obsederunt Rabba: David autem remansit in Ierusalem.

Now in the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent Joab and his servants and all Israel with him; and they made waste the land of the children of Ammon, and took up their position before Rabbah, shutting it in. But David was still at Jerusalem.

2 Dum hæc agerentur, accidit ut surgeret David de strato suo post meridiem, et deambularet in solario domus regiæ: viditque mulierem se lavantem, ex adverso super solarium suum: erat autem mulier pulchra valde.

Now one evening, David got up from his bed, and while he was walking on the roof of the king's house, he saw from there a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

3 Misit ergo rex, et requisivit quæ esset mulier. Nunciatumque est ei quod ipsa esset Bethsabee filia Eliam, uxor Uriæ Hethæi.

And David sent to get knowledge who the woman was. And one said, Is this not Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?

4 Missis itaque David nunciis, tulit eam. quæ cum ingressa esset ad illum, dormivit cum ea: statimque sanctificata est ab immunditia sua:

And David sent and took her; and she came to him, and he took her to his bed: (for she had been made clean; ) then she went back to her house.

5 et reversa est domum suam concepto fœtu. Mittensque nunciavit David, et ait: Concepi.

And the woman became with child; and she sent word to David that she was with child.

6 Misit autem David ad Ioab, dicens: Mitte ad me Uriam Hethæum. Misitque Ioab Uriam ad David.

And David sent to Joab saying, Send Uriah the Hittite to me. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 Et venit Urias ad David. Quæsivitque David quam recte ageret Ioab, et populus, et quomodo administraretur bellum.

And when Uriah came to him, David put questions to him about how Joab and the people were, and how the war was going.

8 et dixit David ad Uriam: Vade in domum tuam, et lava pedes tuos. Et egressus est Urias de domo regis, secutusque est eum cibus regius.

And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and let your feet be washed. And Uriah went away from the king's house, and an offering from the king was sent after him.

9 Dormivit autem Urias ante portam domus regiæ cum aliis servis domini sui, et non descendit ad domum suam.

But Uriah took his rest at the door of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

10 Nunciatumque est David a dicentibus: Non ivit Urias in domum suam. Et ait David ad Uriam: Numquid non de via venisti? quare non descendisti in domum tuam?

And when word was given to David that Uriah had not gone down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? why did you not go down to your house?

11 Et ait Urias ad David: Arca Dei et Israel et Iuda habitant in papilionibus, et dominus meus Ioab, et servi domini mei super faciem terræ manent: et ego ingrediar domum meam, ut comedam et bibam, et dormiam cum uxore mea? per salutem tuam, et per salutem animæ tuæ non faciam rem hanc.

And Uriah said to David, Israel and Judah with the ark are living in tents, and my lord Joab and the other servants of my lord are sleeping in the open field; and am I to go to my house and take food and drink, and go to bed with my wife? By the living Lord, and by the life of your soul, I will not do such a thing.

12 Ait ergo David ad Uriam: Mane hic etiam hodie, et cras dimittam te. Mansit Urias in Ierusalem in die illa et altera:

And David said to Uriah, Be here today, and after that I will let you go. So Uriah was in Jerusalem that day and the day after.

13 et vocavit eum David ut comederet coram se et biberet, et inebriavit eum: qui egressus vespere, dormivit in strato suo cum servis domini sui, et in domum suam non descendit.

And when David sent for him, he took meat and drink with him, and David made him the worse for drink: and when evening came, he went to rest on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14 Factum est ergo mane, et scripsit David epistolam ad Ioab: misitque per manum Uriæ,

Now in the morning, David gave Uriah a letter to take to Joab.

15 scribens in epistola: Ponite Uriam ex adverso belli, ubi fortissimum est prælium: et derelinquite eum, ut percussus intereat.

And in the letter he said, Take care to put Uriah in the very front of the line, where the fighting is most violent, and go back from him, so that he may be overcome and put to death.

16 Igitur cum Ioab obsideret urbem, posuit Uriam in loco ubi sciebat viros esse fortissimos.

So while Joab was watching the town, he put Uriah in the place where it was clear to him the best fighters were.

17 Egressique viri de civitate, bellabant adversum Ioab, et ceciderunt de populo servorum David, et mortuus est etiam Urias Hethæus.

And the men of the town went out and had a fight with Joab: and a number of David's men came to their death in the fight, and with them Uriah the Hittite.

18 Misit itaque Ioab, et nunciavit David omnia verba prælii:

Then Joab sent David news of everything which had taken place in the war:

19 præcepitque nuncio, dicens: Cum compleveris universos sermones belli ad regem,

And he gave orders to the man who took the news, saying, After you have given the king all the news about the war,

20 si eum videris indignari, et dixerit: Quare accessistis ad murum, ut præliaremini? an ignorabatis quod multa desuper ex muro tela mittantur?

If the king is angry and says, Why did you go so near the town for the fight? was it not certain that their archers would be on the wall?

21 Quis percussit Abimelech filium Ierobaal? nonne mulier misit super eum fragmen molæ de muro, et interfecit eum in Thebes? quare iuxta murum accessistis? dices: Etiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus occubuit.

Who put Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, to death? did not a woman send a great stone down on him from the wall, putting him to death at Thebez? why did you go so near the wall? Then say to him, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is among the dead.

22 Abiit ergo nuncius, et venit, et narravit David omnia quæ ei præceperat Ioab.

So the man went, and came to David, and gave him all the news which Joab had sent him to give; then David was angry with Joab and said, Why did you go so near the town for the fight? was it not certain that their archers would be on the wall? who put Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, to death? did not a woman send a great stone down on him from the wall, putting him to death at Thebez? why did you go so near the wall?

23 Et dixit nuncius ad David: Prævaluerunt adversum nos viri, et egressi sunt ad nos in agrum: nos autem facto impetu persecuti eos sumus usque ad portam civitatis.

And the man said to David, Truly the men got the better of us, and came out against us into the open country, but we sent them back to the very doors of the town.

24 Et direxerunt iacula sagittarii ad servos tuos ex muro desuper: mortuique sunt de servis regis, quinetiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus mortuus est.

And the archers sent their arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's servants are dead, and among them is your servant Uriah the Hittite.

25 Et dixit David ad nuncium: Hæc dices Ioab: Non te frangat ista res: varius enim eventus est belli, nunc hunc, et nunc illum consumit gladius: conforta bellatores tuos adversus urbem, ut destruas eam, et exhortare eos.

Then David said to the man, Go and say to Joab, Do not let this be a grief to you; for one man may come to his death by the sword like another: put up an even stronger fight against the town, and take it: and do you put heart into him.

26 Audivit autem uxor Uriæ, quod mortuus esset Urias vir suus, et planxit eum.

And when the wife of Uriah had news that her husband was dead, she gave herself up to weeping for him.

27 Transacto autem luctu misit David, et introduxit eam in domum suam, et facta est ei uxor, peperitque ei filium: et displicuit verbum hoc, quod fecerat David, coram Domino.

And when the days of weeping were past, David sent for her, and took her into his house, and she became his wife and gave him a son. But the Lord was not pleased with the thing David had done.