2Samuel:11-12

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* And it came to pass , after the year was expired , at the time when kings go forth to battle , that David sent Joab , and his servants with him , and all Israel ; and they destroyed the children of Ammon , and besieged Rabbah . But David tarried still at Jerusalem . * And it came to pass in an eveningtide , that David arose from off his bed , and walked upon the roof of the king 's house : and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself ; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon . * And David sent and enquired after the woman . And one said , Is not this Bathsheba , the daughter of Eliam , the wife of Uriah the Hittite ? * And David sent messengers , and took her ; and she came in unto him , and he lay with her ; for she was purified from her uncleanness : and she returned unto her house . * And the woman conceived , and sent and told David , and said , I am with child . * And David sent to Joab , saying , Send me Uriah the Hittite . And Joab sent Uriah to David . * And when Uriah was come unto him , David demanded of him how Joab did , and how the people did , and how the war prospered . * And David said to Uriah , Go down to thy house , and wash thy feet . And Uriah departed out of the king 's house , and there followed him a mess of meat from the king . * But Uriah slept at the door of the king 's house with all the servants of his lord , and went not down to his house . * And when they had told David , saying , Uriah went not down unto his house , David said unto Uriah , Camest thou not from thy journey ? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house ? * And Uriah said unto David , The ark , and Israel , and Judah , abide in tents ; and my lord Joab , and the servants of my lord , are encamped in the open fields ; shall I then go into mine house , to eat and to drink , and to lie with my wife ? as thou livest , and as thy soul liveth , I will not do this thing . * And David said to Uriah , Tarry here to day also , and to morrow I will let thee depart . So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day , and the morrow . * And when David had called him , he did eat and drink before him ; and he made him drunk : and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord , but went not down to his house . * And it came to pass in the morning , that David wrote a letter to Joab , and sent it by the hand of Uriah . * And he wrote in the letter , saying , Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle , and retire ye from him , that he may be smitten , and die . * And it came to pass , when Joab observed the city , that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were . * And the men of the city went out , and fought with Joab : and there fell some of the people of the servants of David ; and Uriah the Hittite died also . * Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war ; * And charged the messenger , saying , When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king , * And if so be that the king 's wrath arise , and he say unto thee , Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight ? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall ? * Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth ? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall , that he died in Thebez ? why went ye nigh the wall ? then say thou , Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also . * So the messenger went , and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for . * And the messenger said unto David , Surely the men prevailed against us , and came out unto us into the field , and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate . * And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants ; and some of the king 's servants be dead , and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also . * Then David said unto the messenger , Thus shalt thou say unto Joab , Let not this thing displease thee , for the sword devoureth one as well as another : make thy battle more strong against the city , and overthrow it : and encourage thou him . * And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead , she mourned for her husband . * And when the mourning was past , David sent and fetched her to his house , and she became his wife , and bare him a son . But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD . * And the LORD sent Nathan unto David . And he came unto him , and said unto him , There were two men in one city ; the one rich , and the other poor . * The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds : * But the poor man had nothing , save one little ewe lamb , which he had bought and nourished up : and it grew up together with him , and with his children ; it did eat of his own meat , and drank of his own cup , and lay in his bosom , and was unto him as a daughter . * And there came a traveller unto the rich man , and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd , to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him ; but took the poor man 's lamb , and dressed it for the man that was come to him . * 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 : * And he shall restore the lamb fourfold , because he did this thing , and because he had no pity . * 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 out of the hand of Saul ; * 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 unto thee such and such things . * Wherefore 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 . * Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house ; because thou hast despised me , and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife . * Thus saith the LORD , Behold , I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house , and I will take thy wives before thine eyes , and give them unto thy neighbour , and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun . * For thou didst it secretly : but I will do this thing before all Israel , and before the sun . * And David said unto Nathan , I have sinned against the LORD . And Nathan said unto David , The LORD also hath put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die . * Howbeit , because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme , the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die . * And Nathan departed unto his house . And the LORD struck the child that Uriah 's wife bare unto David , and it was very sick . * David therefore besought God for the child ; and David fasted , and went in , and lay all night upon the earth . * And the elders of his house arose , and went to him , to raise him up from the earth : but he would not , neither did he eat bread with them . * 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 spake unto him , and he would not hearken unto our voice : how will he then vex himself , if we tell him that the child is dead ? * But when David saw that his servants whispered , David perceived that the child was dead : therefore David said unto his servants , Is the child dead ? And they said , He is dead . * 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 bread before him , and he did eat . * Then said his servants unto him , What thing is this that thou hast done ? thou didst fast and weep for the child , while it was alive ; but when the child was dead , thou didst rise and eat bread . * 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 ? * But now he is dead , wherefore should I fast ? can I bring him back again ? I shall go to him , but he shall not return to me . * And David comforted Bathsheba his wife , and went in unto her , and lay with her : and she bare a son , and he called his name Solomon : and the LORD loved him . * And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet ; and he called his name Jedidiah , because of the LORD . * And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon , and took the royal city . * And Joab sent messengers to David , and said , I have fought against Rabbah , and have taken the city of waters . * 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 . * And David gathered all the people together , and went to Rabbah , and fought against it , and took it . * And he took their king 's crown from off his head , the weight whereof 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 . * And he brought forth the people that were therein , and put them under saws , and under harrows of iron , and under axes of iron , and made them pass through the brickkiln : and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon . So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem . * And it came to pass after this , that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister , whose name was Tamar ; and Amnon the son of David loved her .

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