2 Samuel 12:1-14

New King James Version

Nathan’s Parable and David’s Confession

12 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And ^(A)he came to him, and ^(B)said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. ³But 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 ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this ^[a]shall surely die! ⁶And he shall restore ^(C)fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

⁷Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I ^(D)anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! ⁹^(E)Why have you ^(F)despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? ^(G)You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. ¹⁰Now therefore, ^(H)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 adversity against you from your own house; and I will ^(I)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, ^(J)but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”

¹³^(K)So David said to Nathan, ^(L)“I have sinned against the Lord.”

And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has ^(M)put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord ^(N)to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:5 deserves to die, lit. is a son of death

2 Samuel 12:1-14

New International Version

Nathan Rebukes David^(A)

12 The Lord sent Nathan^(B) to David.^(C) When he came to him,^(D) he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

⁵David^(E) burned with anger^(F) against the man^(G) and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives,^(H) the man who did this must die! ⁶He must pay for that lamb four times over,^(I) because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

⁷Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!^(J) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed^(K) you^(L) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I gave your master’s house to you,^(M) and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹Why did you despise^(N) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down^(O) Uriah^(P) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed^(Q) him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰Now, therefore, the sword^(R) will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

¹¹“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household^(S) I am going to bring calamity on you.^(T) Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.^(U) ¹²You did it in secret,^(V) but I will do this thing in broad daylight^(W) before all Israel.’”

¹³Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned^(X) against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away^(Y) your sin.^(Z) You are not going to die.^(AA) ¹⁴But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for^[a] the Lord,^(AB) the son born to you will die.”

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:14 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text for the enemies of

Psalm 51

New King James Version

A Prayer of Repentance

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David ^(A)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
^(B)Blot out my transgressions.
²^(C)Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

³For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
⁴^(D)Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil ^(E)in Your sight—
^(F)That You may be found just ^[a]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

⁵^(G)Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
⁶Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

⁷^(H)Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be ^(I)whiter than snow.
⁸Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken ^(J)may rejoice.
⁹Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰^(K)Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your ^(L)Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your ^(M)generous Spirit.
¹³Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

¹⁴Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
¹⁵O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
¹⁶For ^(N)You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
¹⁷^(O)The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹Then You shall be pleased with ^(P)the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Footnotes

Psalm 51:4 LXX, Tg., Vg. in Your words

Psalm 51

New International Version

Psalm 51^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^(A)

¹Have mercy^(B) on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;^(C)
according to your great compassion^(D)
    blot out^(E) my transgressions.^(F)
²Wash away^(G) all my iniquity
    and cleanse^(H) me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.^(I)
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned^(J)
    and done what is evil in your sight;^(K)
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.^(L)
⁵Surely I was sinful^(M) at birth,^(N)
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom^(O) in that secret place.^(P)

⁷Cleanse^(Q) me with hyssop,^(R) and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.^(S)
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;^(T)
    let the bones^(U) you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins^(V)
    and blot out^(W) all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart,^(X) O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.^(Y)
¹¹Do not cast me^(Z) from your presence^(AA)
    or take your Holy Spirit^(AB) from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation^(AC)
    and grant me a willing spirit,^(AD) to sustain me.^(AE)

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways,^(AF)
    so that sinners^(AG) will turn back to you.^(AH)
¹⁴Deliver me^(AI) from the guilt of bloodshed,^(AJ) O God,
    you who are God my Savior,^(AK)
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.^(AL)
¹⁵Open my lips, Lord,^(AM)
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice,^(AN) or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷My sacrifice,^(AO) O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart^(AP)
    you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸May it please you to prosper Zion,^(AQ)
    to build up the walls of Jerusalem.^(AR)
¹⁹Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,^(AS)
    in burnt offerings^(AT) offered whole;
    then bulls^(AU) will be offered on your altar.

Footnotes

Psalm 51:1 In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.
Psalm 51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are

Psalm 32

New King James Version

The Joy of Forgiveness

A Psalm of David. A ^[a]Contemplation.

32 Blessed is he whose ^(A)transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
²Blessed is the man to whom the Lord ^(B)does not ^[b]impute iniquity,
And ^(C)in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
⁴For day and night Your ^(D)hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
⁵I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
^(E)I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶^(F)For this cause everyone who is godly shall ^(G)pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
⁷^(H)You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with ^(I)songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
⁹Do not be like the ^(J)horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

¹⁰^(K)Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But ^(L)he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
¹¹^(M)Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Footnotes

Psalm 32:1 Heb. Maschil
Psalm 32:2 charge his account with

Psalm 32

New International Version

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.^[a]

¹Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.^(A)
²Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them^(B)
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.^(C)

³When I kept silent,^(D)
    my bones wasted away^(E)
    through my groaning^(F) all day long.
⁴For day and night
    your hand was heavy^(G) on me;
my strength was sapped^(H)
    as in the heat of summer.^[b]

⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.^(I)
I said, “I will confess^(J)
    my transgressions^(K) to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.^(L)

⁶Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
    while you may be found;^(M)
surely the rising^(N) of the mighty waters^(O)
    will not reach them.^(P)
⁷You are my hiding place;^(Q)
    you will protect me from trouble^(R)
    and surround me with songs of deliverance.^(S)

⁸I will instruct^(T) you and teach you^(U) in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on^(V) you.
⁹Do not be like the horse or the mule,
    which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle^(W)
    or they will not come to you.
¹⁰Many are the woes of the wicked,^(X)
    but the Lord’s unfailing love
    surrounds the one who trusts^(Y) in him.

¹¹Rejoice in the Lord^(Z) and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Footnotes

Psalm 32:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 32:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 5 and 7.

2 Samuel 12:15-24

New King James Version

¹⁵Then Nathan departed to his house.

The Death of David’s Son

And the ^(A)Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. ¹⁶David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and ^(B)lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”

¹⁹When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”

And they said, “He is dead.”

²⁰So David arose from the ground, washed and ^(C)anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and ^(D)worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. ²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this 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.”

²²And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; ^(E)for I said, ‘Who can tell whether ^[a]the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ ²³But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go ^(F)to him, but ^(G)he shall not return to me.”

Solomon Is Born

²⁴Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So ^(H)she bore a son, and ^(I)he^[b] called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him,

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:22 Heb. mss., Syr. God
2 Samuel 12:24 So with Kt., LXX, Vg.; Qr., a few Heb. mss., Syr., Tg. she

2 Samuel 12:15-24

New International Version

¹⁵After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck^(A) the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. ¹⁶David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying^(B) in sackcloth^[a] on the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,^(C) and he would not eat any food with them.^(D)

¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

¹⁹David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

²⁰Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed,^(E) put on lotions and changed his clothes,^(F) he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

²¹His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept,^(G) but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

²²He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows?^(H) The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’^(I) ²³But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him,^(J) but he will not return to me.”^(K)

²⁴Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba,^(L) and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.^(M) The Lord loved him;

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have in sackcloth.

2 Samuel 12:26-31

New King James Version

Rabbah Is Captured^(A)

²⁶Now ^(B)Joab fought against ^(C)Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city. ²⁷And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply. ²⁸Now 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.” ²⁹So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. ³⁰^(D)Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the ^[a]spoil of the city in great abundance. ³¹And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:30 plunder

2 Samuel 12:26-31

New International Version

²⁶Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah^(A) of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. ²⁷Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. ²⁸Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.”

²⁹So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. ³⁰David took the crown^(B) from their king’s^[a] head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent^[b] of gold, and it was set with precious stones. David took a great quantity of plunder from the city ³¹and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking.^[c] David did this to all the Ammonite^(C) towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 12:30 Or from Milkom’s (that is, Molek’s)
2 Samuel 12:30 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
2 Samuel 12:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

2 Samuel 12:1-14 New King James Version

Nathan’s Parable and David’s Confession

Footnotes

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:1-14 New International Version

Nathan Rebukes David(A)

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 51 New King James Version

A Prayer of Repentance

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David (A)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 51 New International Version

Psalm 51[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.(A)

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 32 New King James Version

The Joy of Forgiveness

A Psalm of David. A [a]Contemplation.

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 32 New International Version

Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.[a]

Footnotes

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:15-24 New King James Version

The Death of David’s Son

Solomon Is Born

Footnotes

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:15-24 New International Version

Footnotes

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:26-31 New King James Version

Rabbah Is Captured(A)

Footnotes

Cross references

2 Samuel 12:26-31 New International Version

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

2 Samuel 12:1-14

New King James Version

2 Samuel 12:1-14

New International Version

Nathan Rebukes David^(A)

Psalm 51

New King James Version

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David ^(A)when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Psalm 51

New International Version

Psalm 51^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^(A)

Psalm 32

New King James Version

A Psalm of David. A ^[a]Contemplation.

Psalm 32

New International Version

Of David. A maskil.^[a]

2 Samuel 12:15-24

New King James Version

2 Samuel 12:15-24

New International Version

2 Samuel 12:26-31

New King James Version

Rabbah Is Captured^(A)

2 Samuel 12:26-31

New International Version