(A)Why have you despised the word of the Lord, (B)to do what is evil in his sight? (C)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and (D)have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now 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.’ 11 Thus 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. 12 For you did it secretly, (E)but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 (F)David said to Nathan, (G)“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, (H)“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly (I)scorned the Lord,[a] the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

David's Child Dies

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David (J)fasted and went in (K)and lay all night on the ground. 17 And 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. 18 On 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.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 12:14 Masoretic Text the enemies of the Lord; Dead Sea Scroll the word of the Lord

Why did you despise(A) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down(B) Uriah(C) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed(D) him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword(E) 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(F) I am going to bring calamity on you.(G) 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.(H) 12 You did it in secret,(I) but I will do this thing in broad daylight(J) before all Israel.’”

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

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

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

18 On 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.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 12:14 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text for the enemies of
  2. 2 Samuel 12:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have in sackcloth.

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.

10 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.

11 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.

12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

13 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.

14 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.

15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

17 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.

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 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?

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