2 Samuel 12
1 And the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The Lord sent Nathan to see David. When he got there, he said, “Once there were two men living in the same town. One was rich, and one was poor.
2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds:
The rich man had many thousands of sheep and cattle,
3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it fed of his own food, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.
but the poor man didn't have anything but one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He cared for it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his plate and drank from his cup. It slept on his lap and was like a daughter to him.
4 And there came a traveller to the rich man, and he was not willing to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the wayfaring man that had come to him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man that had come to him.
One day the rich man had a visitor. He didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed his visitor. He took the poor man's lamb instead to prepare a meal for his visitor.”
5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
David became absolutely furious with what that man did, and angrily told Nathan. “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should be put to death!
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
He must repay that lamb with four of his own for doing this, for being so heartless.”
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul;
“You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from Saul.
8 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 moreover have given to thee such and such things.
I gave your master's house to you and placed your master's wives in your lap. I gave you the kingdom of Israel and Judah, and if that hadn't been enough, I would have given you so much more.
9 Why hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
So why have you treated what Lord said with contempt by doing evil in his sight? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife—you killed him using the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
So your descendants will always face the sword that kills because you treated me with contempt and stole Uriah's wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes, and give them to thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster in you from your own family. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to someone else, and he will sleep openly with your wives where everyone can see.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
You did it all in secret, but I will do it openly where everyone in all of Israel can see.”
13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said to David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You're not going to die,” Nathan replied.
14 But, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to thee shall surely die.
“But because by doing this you have treated the Lord with complete contempt, the son you have will die.”
15 And Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he was very sick.
Then Nathan went home. The Lord made the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David become very sick.
16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy. He fasted, went to his bedroom, and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
His senior officials approached him and tried to help him up from the ground, but he didn't want to, and he refused their appeals to eat.
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 spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice: how will he then be grieved, if we tell him that the child is dead?
On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were scared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said to each other, “Look, while the child was still alive, we talked with him, and he refused to listen to us. How on earth can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something really bad!”
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
But David saw his officials were whispering among themselves, he realized that the child was dead. So he asked his officials, “Did the child die?” “Yes, he died,” they replied.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set food before him, and he ate.
David got up from the ground, washed and put on scented oils, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Afterwards he went back home, and asked for some food. So they served him a meal which he ate.
21 Then said his servants to him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while he was alive; but after the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
“Why are you acting like this?” his officials asked him. “While the child was still alive, you fasted and cried aloud, but now that he's dead, you get up and eat.”
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
David replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and cried aloud, for I thought to myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will be gracious to me and let him live.’
23 But now he is dead, why should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
But now that he's dead, what's the point for me to go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? One day I will die and go to him, but he will never come back to me.”
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and he made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child,
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
so he sent a message through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
At this time Joab had been fighting against the Ammonite town of Rabbah, and had captured the royal fortress.
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I have attacked Rabbah and I have also captured its water supply.
28 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 name.
So please call up the rest of the army, besiege the town, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and I will get the credit.”
29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
So David called up the rest of the army and marched on Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it.
30 And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. It weighed a talent of gold and was decorated with precious stones. David took a large amount of plunder from the town.
31 And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
David took the inhabitants and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he also made them work making bricks. He did the same in all the Ammonite towns. Then David and the whole Israelite army returned to Jerusalem.
