2 Samuel 12
1 Yahweh [told the prophet Nathan what David had done, and he] sent Nathan to tell [this story to] David: “[I heard about] two men [who] were living in a certain city. One was rich and the other was poor.
And the Lord sent Nathan unto David, and he came unto him and said to him, Two men were once in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man owned a lot of cattle and sheep.
The rich man had flocks and herds, in great abundance.
3 But the poor man had only one little female lamb, which he had bought. He raised the lamb, and it grew up with his children. He would give the lamb some of his own food and let it drink from his cup. He let the lamb sleep in his arms. The lamb was like a daughter to him.
But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe, which he had bought; and he nourished it, and it grew up with him and with his children together; of his bread it used to eat, and out of his cup it used to drink, and in his bosom it used to lie, and it was to him as a daughter.
4 [One day] a visitor came to [visit] the rich man. The rich man did not want to take one of his own animals [and kill it] to prepare a meal for the visitor. So instead, he stole the poor man’s lamb [and killed it] and prepared a meal for his visitor.”
And there came a traveler unto the rich man; and he felt compunction to take from his own flocks and from his own herds to dress for the wayfarer that was come to him; but he took the ewe of the poor man, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 [When] David [heard that, he] was very angry about [what] the rich man [had done]. He said to Nathan, “I solemnly declare that the man who did that should be executed!
And the anger of David was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, surely the man that hath done this deserveth to die;
6 But before he is executed, he should pay back to the poor man four lambs for doing this, and for not having pity [on the poor man].”
And the ewe he shall pay fourfold, for punishment that he hath done this thing, and because he had no compassion.
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man [I have been talking about]! And this is what Yahweh, the God we Israelis [worship], says to you: ‘I appointed you to be king of Israel, after having rescued you from Saul.
Then said Nathan to David, Thou art the man! Thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, It is I who anointed thee as king over Israel, and it is I who delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 I gave you his palace and his wives. I caused you to become the king to rule Israel and Judah. If [you had told me that] you were not content with what I gave you, I would have given you twice as much!
And I gave unto thee the house of thy master, and [put] the wives of thy master into thy bosom, and gave unto thee the house of Israel and Judah: and if this be too little, I could bestow on thee yet many more like these things.
9 So why have you despised my commandment [about not committing adultery]? You have done what I consider to be very evil! You have arranged for Uriah to be killed in a battle by the Ammon people-group’s soldiers, and you have taken his wife to be your wife!
Wherefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his eyes? Uriyah the Hittite hast thou smitten with the sword, and his wife hast thou taken unto thee for wife; but him hast thou slain with the sword of the children of 'Ammon.
10 You have despised me, and have taken Uriah’s wife to be your wife. So for many generations some of your descendants will die violently. [MTY, PRS]
And now, the sword shall not depart from thy house for ever; for the reason that thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriyah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 I solemnly declare to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble to you. I will take your wives and give them to him, and he will have sexual relations with them in the daytime, where everyone can see it, and you will know all about it.
Thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against thee evil out of thy own house, and I will take away thy wives before thy eyes, and I will give them unto thy neighbor; and he shall lie with thy wives before the face of this sun.
12 What you did, you did secretly, but what I will cause to happen, everyone in Israel will be able to see it [or know about it]. [IDM]’”
For thou hast done it in secret; but I will surely do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 David replied, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh has forgiven you for your sin: You will not die [because of this sin].
Then said David unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, Also the Lord hath caused thy sin to pass away: thou shalt not die.
14 But, you have shown contempt for Yahweh by doing this. So, your baby will die.”
Nevertheless, because thou hast given great cause to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme through this thing, the child also that hath been born unto thee shall surely die.
15 Then Nathan went home. Then Yahweh caused the baby t o become very sick, the one that Uriah’s wife had given birth to.
And Nathan went to his house; and the Lord struck the child that Uriyah's wife had born unto David, that it became very sick.
16 So David prayed to God that the child [would not die]. He (fasted/abstained from food), and he went into [the room where he slept] and lay all night on the floor.
And David besought God in behalf of the lad; and David kept a fast, and came home, and lay over night upon the earth.
17 [The next morning] his advisors stood around him and urged him to get up. But he would not get up, and he would not eat any food with them.
And the elders of the house arose about him, to raise him up from the earth; but he would not, and he did not partake of any bread with them.
18 One week later the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell that to David. They said [to each other], “Hey, while the baby was still alive, we talked to him, but he would not answer us. Now, if we tell him that the baby is dead [RHQ], he may do something to harm himself!”
And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died; and the servants of David were afraid to tell him, that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice: how then shall we say to him, The child is dead! he might do [himself] a hurt.
19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering something to each other, he realized that the baby must be dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They replied, “Yes, he is dead.”
But when David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, David understood that the child was dead; wherefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? and they said, he is dead.
20 Then David got up from the floor. He bathed himself, put lotions on his body, and put on other clothes, Then he went into Yahweh’s Sacred Tent and worshiped Yahweh. Then he went home. He asked his servants for some food. They gave him some, and he ate it.
David then rose up from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his garments, and went into the house of the Lord and prostrated himself; and then he came to his own house, and asked that they should set food before him, and he ate.
21 Then his servants said to him, “We do not understand [RHQ] why you have done this! While the baby was still alive, you cried for him and refused to eat anything. But now that the baby has died, [you are not crying any more!] You got up and ate some food!”
And his servants then said unto him, What is this thing which thou hast done? On account of the child when living thou didst fast and weep; but as soon as the child was dead thou didst arise and eat bread!
22 David replied, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted and cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Yahweh may be merciful to me and not allow the baby to die’.
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; because I said, Who knoweth, but that the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now the baby is dead. So (there is no reason for me to (fast/abstain from eating food) any more./why should I (fast/abstain from eating food) any more?) [RHQ] (Can I bring him back to me?/I certainly cannot bring him back to me!) [RHQ] [Some day] I will go to where he is, but he will not return to me.”
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast then? can I restore him again? I am going to him; but he will not return to me.
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba. Then he (slept/had sexual relations) with her, and she [became pregnant again and] gave birth to another son. David named that son Solomon. Yahweh loved that little boy.
And David comforted Bath-sheba' his wife, and he went in unto her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and called his name Solomon; and the Lord loved him.
25 He told the prophet Nathan to tell David to name the baby boy Jedediah [which means ‘loved by Yahweh’, ] because Yahweh loved him.
And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name, Yedideyah in behalf of the Lord.
26 (Meanwhile/While all that was happening), Joab’s [soldiers] attacked Rabbah, [the capital city] of the Ammon people-group; and they captured the king’s fortress.
And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of 'Ammon, and captured the royal city.
27 Then Joab sent messengers to David, to tell him this: “My troops are attacking Rabbah, and we have captured the city’s water supply.
And Joab sent messengers to David; and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have also captured the water-town.
28 Now gather your troops and come and surround the city and capture it. If you do not do that, my troops will capture the city and it will then be named ‘the City of Joab’.”
And now gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and capture it: lest I capture the city myself, and it be called by my name.
29 So David gathered all his troops. They went [with David] to Rabbah and attacked it and captured it.
And David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and captured it.
30 Then David took the crown from the head of the king of Rabbah (OR, from the head of [Milcom] the god of Rabbah) and put it on his own head. It [was very heavy; it] weighed (75 pounds/34 kg.), and it had many very valuable stones fastened to it. His soldiers also took many other valuable things from the city.
And he took the crown of Malkam from off his head, and its weight was a talent of gold, and [on it was] a precious stone, and it was set on the head of David; and the booty of the city he brought out in great abundance.
31 Then they brought the people of Rabbah out of the city and forced them to [work for them] using saws and iron picks and axes. David’s troops also forced them to make bricks. David’s soldiers did this in all the towns of the Ammon people-group. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
And the people that were therein he brought forward, and put them under saws, and under iron threshing-wagons, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through brick-kilns; and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of 'Ammon: and David returned with them with all the people unto Jerusalem.
