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One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace.[a] From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.[b] So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger[c] said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

David sent some messengers to get her.[d] She came to[e] him and he went to bed with her.[f] (Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.)[g] Then she returned to her home. The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”

So David sent a message to Joab that said, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.[h] Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.”[i] When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him.[j] But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all[k] the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.

10 So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?” 11 Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with[l] my wife? As surely as you are alive,[m] I will not do this thing!” 12 So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.[n]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 11:2 tn Heb “on the roof of the house of the king.” So also in vv. 8, 9.
  2. 2 Samuel 11:2 tn The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.
  3. 2 Samuel 11:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the messenger) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn Heb “and David sent messengers and he took her.”
  5. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn The expression בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations, the implied purpose for approaching someone. Here it refers only to the stage of approaching while the next verb describes the result. That she is the subject of this verb (while David is the subject of the next verb) probably indicates that the act was consensual.
  6. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn Heb “he lay down with her.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
  7. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause further heightens the tension by letting the reader know that Bathsheba, having just completed her menstrual cycle, is ripe for conception. See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 286. Since she just had her period, it will also be obvious to those close to the scene that Uriah, who has been away fighting, cannot be the father of the child.
  8. 2 Samuel 11:7 tn Heb “concerning the peace of Joab and concerning the peace of the people and concerning the peace of the battle.”
  9. 2 Samuel 11:8 tn Heb “and wash your feet.”
  10. 2 Samuel 11:8 tn Heb “and there went out after him the gift of the king.”
  11. 2 Samuel 11:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word “all.”
  12. 2 Samuel 11:11 tn Heb “lie with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
  13. 2 Samuel 11:11 tn Heb “as you live and as your soul lives.”
  14. 2 Samuel 11:12 tn On the chronology involved here see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 287.

Psalm 6[a]

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style;[b] a psalm of David.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger.
Do not discipline me in your raging fury.[c]
Have mercy on me,[d] Lord, for I am frail.
Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking.[e]
I am absolutely terrified,[f]
and you, Lord—how long will this continue?[g]
Relent, Lord, rescue me![h]
Deliver me because of your faithfulness.[i]
For no one remembers you in the realm of death.[j]
In Sheol who gives you thanks?[k]
I am exhausted as I groan.
All night long I drench my bed in tears;[l]
my tears saturate the cushion beneath me.[m]
My eyes[n] grow dim[o] from suffering;
they grow weak[p] because of all my enemies.[q]
Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly,[r]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.[s]
The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;
the Lord has accepted[t] my prayer.
10 They will be humiliated[u] and absolutely terrified.[v]
All my enemies will turn back and be suddenly humiliated.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 6:1 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
  2. Psalm 6:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (sheminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
  3. Psalm 6:1 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
  4. Psalm 6:2 tn Or “show me favor.”
  5. Psalm 6:2 tn Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
  6. Psalm 6:3 tn Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
  7. Psalm 6:3 tn Heb “and you, Lord, how long?” The suffering psalmist speaks in broken syntax. He addresses God, but then simply cries out with a brief, but poignant, question: How long will this (= his suffering) continue?
  8. Psalm 6:4 tn Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
  9. Psalm 6:4 sn Deliver me because of your faithfulness. Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
  10. Psalm 6:5 tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
  11. Psalm 6:5 tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”sn In Sheol who gives you thanks? According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
  12. Psalm 6:6 tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
  13. Psalm 6:6 tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
  14. Psalm 6:7 tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.
  15. Psalm 6:7 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
  16. Psalm 6:7 tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”
  17. Psalm 6:7 sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
  18. Psalm 6:8 tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
  19. Psalm 6:8 sn The Lord has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes because the Lord responded positively to the lament and petition of vv. 1-7 and promised him deliverance.
  20. Psalm 6:9 tn The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the Lord has responded favorably to the psalmist’s request.
  21. Psalm 6:10 tn In the structure of the Psalm, this verse is either another petition or a statement of confidence. If a petition, the four prefixed verbal forms in this verse should be understood as jussives. By form, many prefixed verbs can be either imperfect or jussive. But the third verb in the series, יָשֻׁבוּ (yashuvu), can be distinguished as an imperfect by its qibbuts theme vowel, and is not a jussive (which would have had a qamets hatuph or holem). Expecting all four verbs to be the same due to parallelism leads to the conclusion that this section is a statement of confidence, in which the imperfect verbs should be treated as future.
  22. Psalm 6:10 sn The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. He is confident that the tables will be turned and his enemies will know what absolute terror feels like.

Psalm 32[a]

By David; a well-written song.[b]

32 How blessed[c] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,[d]
whose sin is pardoned.[e]
How blessed is the one[f] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,[g]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.[h]
When I refused to confess my sin,[i]
my whole body wasted away,[j]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
For day and night you tormented me;[k]
you tried to destroy me[l] in the intense heat[m] of summer.[n] (Selah)
Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess[o] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.[p] (Selah)
For this reason every one of your faithful followers[q] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.[r]
Certainly[s] when the surging water[t] rises,
it will not reach them.[u]
You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.[v] (Selah)
I will instruct and teach you[w] about how you should live.[x]
I will advise you as I look you in the eye.[y]
Do not be[z] like an unintelligent horse or mule,[aa]
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.[ab]
10 An evil person suffers much pain,[ac]
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.[ad]
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright![ae]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 32:1 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
  2. Psalm 32:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
  3. Psalm 32:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
  4. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “lifted up.”
  5. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “covered over.”
  6. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
  7. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
  8. Psalm 32:2 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
  9. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
  10. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
  11. Psalm 32:4 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
  12. Psalm 32:4 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (leshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (leshuddi, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
  13. Psalm 32:4 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
  14. Psalm 32:4 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
  15. Psalm 32:5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
  16. Psalm 32:5 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
  17. Psalm 32:6 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  18. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (metsoʾ, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
  19. Psalm 32:6 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
  20. Psalm 32:6 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
  21. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
  22. Psalm 32:7 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
  23. Psalm 32:8 tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the Lord addresses the psalmist in vv. 8-9 (cf. NASB “I will instruct you and teach you…I will counsel you with My eye upon you”).
  24. Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”
  25. Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the Lord for intervention. Here the expression “my eye upon you” may simply mean that the psalmist will teach his pupils directly and personally.
  26. Psalm 32:9 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
  27. Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
  28. Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (ʿadiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lekhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if defective, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”
  29. Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
  30. Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the Lord, faithfulness surrounds him.”
  31. Psalm 32:11 tn Heb “all [you] pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

Psalm 38[a]

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention.[b]

38 O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger.
Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.[c]
For your arrows pierce[d] me,
and your hand presses me down.[e]
My whole body is sick because of your judgment;[f]
I am deprived of health because of my sin.[g]
For my sins overwhelm me;[h]
like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
My wounds[i] are infected and starting to smell,[j]
because of my foolish sins.[k]
I am dazed[l] and completely humiliated;[m]
all day long I walk around mourning.
For I am overcome with shame,[n]
and my whole body is sick.[o]
I am numb with pain and severely battered;[p]
I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.[q]
O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire;[r]
my groaning is not hidden from you.
10 My heart beats quickly;
my strength leaves me.
I can hardly see.[s]
11 Because of my condition,[t] even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance;[u]
my neighbors stand far away.[v]
12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me;[w]
those who want to harm me speak destructive words.
All day long they say deceitful things.
13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing;
I am like a mute who cannot speak.[x]
14 I am like a man who cannot hear
and is incapable of arguing his defense.[y]
15 Yet[z] I wait for you, O Lord!
You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me;[aa]
when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.[ab]
17 For I am about to stumble,
and I am in constant pain.[ac]
18 Yes,[ad] I confess my wrongdoing,
and I am concerned about my sins.
19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous;[ae]
those who hate me without cause outnumber me.[af]
20 They repay me evil for the good I have done;
though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.[ag]
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
My God, do not remain far away from me.
22 Hurry and help me,[ah] O Lord, my deliverer.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 38:1 sn Psalm 38. The author asks the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He confesses his sin and recognizes that the crisis he faces is the result of divine discipline. Yet he begs the Lord not to reject him.
  2. Psalm 38:1 tn The Hebrew text reads simply, “to cause to remember.” The same form, the Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the heading of Ps 70. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
  3. Psalm 38:1 tn The words “continue to” are supplied in the translation of both lines. The following verses make it clear that the psalmist is already experiencing divine rebuke/punishment. He asks that it might cease.sn Cf. Ps 38:1 with Ps 6:1, which has similar wording.
  4. Psalm 38:2 tn The verb Hebrew נָחַת (nakhat) apparently here means “penetrate, pierce” (note the use of the Qal in Prov 17:10). The psalmist pictures the Lord as a warrior who shoots arrows at him (see Ps 7:12-13).
  5. Psalm 38:2 tn Heb “and your hand [?] upon me.” The meaning of the verb נָחַת (nakhat) is unclear in this context. It could mean “your hand comes down on me.” It may be preferable to emend the form to וַתָּנַח (vattanakh) from the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “rest”). In this case the text would read literally, “and your hand rests upon me” (see Isa 25:10, though the phrase is used in a positive sense there, unlike Ps 38:2).
  6. Psalm 38:3 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.
  7. Psalm 38:3 tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”
  8. Psalm 38:4 tn Heb “pass over my head.”
  9. Psalm 38:5 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
  10. Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
  11. Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
  12. Psalm 38:6 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
  13. Psalm 38:6 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
  14. Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
  15. Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).
  16. Psalm 38:8 tn Heb “I am numb and crushed to excess.”
  17. Psalm 38:8 tn Heb “I roar because of the moaning of my heart.”
  18. Psalm 38:9 tn Heb “O Lord, before you [is] all my desire.”
  19. Psalm 38:10 tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).
  20. Psalm 38:11 tn Or “wound,” or “illness.”
  21. Psalm 38:11 tn Heb “stand [aloof].”
  22. Psalm 38:11 tn Heb “and the ones near me off at a distance stand.”
  23. Psalm 38:12 tn Heb “lay snares.”
  24. Psalm 38:13 sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).
  25. Psalm 38:14 tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”
  26. Psalm 38:15 tn Or perhaps “surely.”
  27. Psalm 38:16 tn Heb “For I said, ‘Lest they rejoice over me.’” The psalmist recalls the motivating argument of his petition. He probably prefaced this statement with a prayer for deliverance (see Pss 7:1-2; 13:3-4; 28:1).
  28. Psalm 38:16 tn Heb “they will magnify against me.” See Pss 35:26; 55:13.
  29. Psalm 38:17 tn Heb “and my pain [is] before me continually.”
  30. Psalm 38:18 tn Or “for.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is asseverative here.
  31. Psalm 38:19 tn Heb “and my enemies, life, are many.” The noun חַיִּים (khayyim, “life”) fits very awkwardly here. The translation assumes an emendation to חִנָּם (khinnam, “without reason”; note the parallelism with שֶׁקֶר [sheqer, “falsely”] and see Pss 35:19; 69:4; Lam 3:52). The verb עָצַם (ʿatsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority (note the parallel verb רָבַב, ravav, “be many”).
  32. Psalm 38:19 tn Heb “are many.”
  33. Psalm 38:20 tn Heb “the ones who repay evil instead of good accuse me, instead of my pursuing good.”
  34. Psalm 38:22 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Ps 22:19.