1The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David. When Nathan came to him, he said, ‘Two men lived in the same town. One was rich. The other was poor.2The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle.3But all the poor man had was one little female lamb. He had bought it. He raised it. It grew up with him and his children. It shared his food. It drank from his cup. It even slept in his arms. It was just like a daughter to him.4‘One day a traveller came to the rich man. The rich man wanted to prepare a meal for him. But he didn’t want to kill one of his own sheep or cattle. Instead, he took the little female lamb that belonged to the poor man. Then the rich man cooked it for the traveller who had come to him.’5David was very angry with the rich man. He said to Nathan, ‘The man who did this must die! And that’s just as sure as the LORD is alive.6The man must pay back four times as much as that lamb was worth. How could he do such a thing? And he wasn’t even sorry he had done it.’7Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says, “I anointed you king over Israel. I saved you from Saul.8I gave you everything that belonged to your master Saul. I even put his wives into your arms. I made you king over all the people of Israel and Judah. And if all of that had not been enough for you, I would have given you even more.9Why did you turn your back on what I told you to do? You did what is evil in my sight. You made sure that Uriah, the Hittite, would be killed in battle. You took his wife to be your own. You let the men of Ammon kill him with their swords.10So time after time members of your own royal house will be killed with swords. That’s because you turned your back on me. You took the wife of Uriah, the Hittite, to be your own.”11‘The LORD also says, “I am going to bring trouble on you. It will come from your own family. I will take your wives away. Your own eyes will see it. I will give your wives to a man who is close to you. He will sleep with them in the middle of the day.12You committed your sins in secret. But I will make sure that the man commits his sin in the middle of the day. Everyone in Israel will see it.” ’13Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You aren’t going to die.14But you have dared to show great disrespect for the LORD. So the son who has been born to you will die.’15Nathan went home. Then the LORD made David’s child very ill. That was the child David had by Uriah’s wife.16David begged God to heal the child. David didn’t eat anything. He spent his nights lying on the ground. He put on the rough clothes people wear when they’re sad.17His most trusted servants stood beside him. They wanted him to get up from the ground. But he refused to do it. And he wouldn’t eat any food with them.18On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him the child was dead. They thought, ‘While the child was still alive, we spoke to David. But he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we now tell him the child is dead? He might do something terrible to himself.’19David saw that his attendants were whispering to one another. Then he realised the child was dead. ‘Has the child died?’ he asked. ‘Yes’, they replied. ‘He’s dead.’20Then David got up from the ground. After he washed himself, he put on lotions. He changed his clothes. He went into the house of the LORD and worshipped him. Then he went to his own house. He asked for some food. They served it to him. And he ate it.21His attendants asked him, ‘Why are you acting like this? While the child was still alive, you wouldn’t eat anything. You cried a lot. But now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!’22He answered, ‘While the child was still alive, I didn’t eat anything. And I cried a lot. I thought, “Who knows? The LORD might have mercy on me. He might let the child live.”23But now he’s dead. So why should I continue to go without food? Can I bring him back to life again? Someday I’ll go to him. But he won’t return to me.’24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. Some time later she had a son. He was given the name Solomon. The LORD loved him.25So the LORD sent a message through Nathan the prophet. The LORD said, ‘Name the boy Jedidiah.’26During that time, Joab fought against Rabbah. It was the royal city of the Ammonites. It had high walls around it. Joab was about to capture it.27He sent messengers to David. He told them to say, ‘I have fought against Rabbah. I’ve taken control of its water supply.28So bring the rest of the troops together. Surround the city and get ready to attack it. Then capture it. If you don’t, I’ll capture it myself. Then it will be named after me.’29So David brought together the whole army and went to Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it.30David took the gold crown off the head of the king of Ammon. Then the crown was placed on David’s head. The crown weighed 36 kilograms. It had jewels in it. David took a huge amount of goods from the city.31He brought out the people who were there. He made them work with saws and iron picks and axes. He forced them to make bricks. David did that to all the towns in Ammon. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12
English Standard Version
Nathan Rebukes David
1And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. (Jud 9:8; 2Sa 7:2; 2Sa 7:4; 2Sa 7:17; 2Sa 12:7; 2Sa 12:13; 2Sa 12:15; 2Sa 12:25; 2Sa 14:5; 1Ki 1:10; 1Ki 1:22; 1Ki 1:34; 1Ki 4:5; 1Ki 20:35; 1Ch 29:29; 2Ch 9:29)2The rich man had very many flocks and herds,3but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,[1] and it was like a daughter to him.4Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”5Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, (Ru 3:13)6and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (Ex 22:1; Lu 19:8)7Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. (1Sa 16:13)8And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.9Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. (Nu 15:31; 1Sa 15:19; 2Sa 11:15; 2Sa 11:17; 2Sa 11:27)10Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’11Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.12For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” (2Sa 16:22)13David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (1Sa 15:24; 2Sa 24:10; Ps 32:1; Ps 32:5; Ps 51:4; Mic 7:18; Zec 3:4)14Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,[2] the child who is born to you shall die.” (Isa 52:5; Eze 36:20; Eze 36:23; Ro 2:24)
David’s Child Dies
15Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick.16David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. (2Sa 13:31; 1Ki 21:27)17And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.18On the seventh day 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 did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”19But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”20Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. (Ru 3:3; Job 1:20)21Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”22He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ (Jon 3:9)23But 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.” (Job 7:8)
Solomon’s Birth
24Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, 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 (1Ch 22:9; Mt 1:6)25and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,[3] because of the Lord.
Rabbah Is Captured
26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. (De 3:11; 2Sa 11:1; 1Ch 20:1)27And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters.28Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.”29So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.30And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent[4] of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount.31And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at[5] the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.