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.
12:2 The rich [man] had very numerous flocks and herds:
12:3 But the poor [man] had nothing save 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 meat, and drank
of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a
daughter.
12:4 And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he spared to
take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the
way-faring man that had come to him; but took the poor man's
lamb, and dressed it for the man that had come to him.
12:5 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:
12:6 And he shall restore the lamb four-fold, because he did
this thing, and because he had no pity.
12:7 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;
12:8 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.
12:9 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.
12:10 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.
12:11 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 neighbor, and he shall lie with
thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12:12 For thou didst [it] secretly: but I will do this thing
before all Israel, and before the sun.
12:13 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.
12:14 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.
12:15 And Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the
child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it was very sick.
12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David
fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
12:17 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.
12:18 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?
12:19 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.
12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed
[himself], and changed his apparel, and came into the house of
the LORD, and worshiped: then he came to his own house; and
when he required, they set bread before him, and he ate.
12:21 Then said his servants to him, What thing [is] this that
thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, [while
it was] alive; but after the child was dead, thou didst rise
and eat bread.
12:22 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?
12:23 But now he is dead, Why should I fast? can I bring him
back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
12:24 And David comforted Bath-sheba 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.
12:25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he
called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
12:26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon,
and took the royal city.
12:27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought
against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
12:28 Now therefore collect the rest of the people, and encamp
against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be
called after my name.
12:29 And David collected all the people, and went to Rabbah,
and fought against it, and took it.
12:30 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.
12:31 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 brick-kiln: and thus he
did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and
all the people returned to Jerusalem.
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