2 Samuel 12
International Children’s Bible
David’s Son Dies
12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When Nathan came to David, Nathan said, “There were two men in a city. One man was rich, but the other was poor. 2 The rich man had very many sheep and cattle. 3 But the poor man had nothing except one little female lamb he had bought. The poor man fed the lamb. It grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup. It slept in his arms. The lamb was like a daughter to him.
4 “Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to give food to the traveler. But he didn’t want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler. Instead, he took the lamb from the poor man. The rich man killed the lamb and cooked it for his visitor.”
5 David became very angry at the rich man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this should die! 6 He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I appointed you king of Israel. I saved you from Saul. 8 I gave you his kingdom and his wives. And I made you king of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you even more. 9 So why did you ignore the Lord’s command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites! And you took his wife to become your wife! 10 So there will always be people in your family who will be killed by a sword. This is because you showed that you did not respect me! And you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite!’
11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am bringing trouble to you from your own family. While you watch, I will take your wives from you. And I will give them to someone who is very close to you. He will have physical relations with your wives, and everyone will know it. 12 You had physical relations with Bathsheba in secret. But I will do this so all the people of Israel can see it.’”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan answered, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die. 14 But what you did caused the Lord’s enemies to lose all respect for him. For this reason the son who was born to you will die.”
15 Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow, to become very sick. 16 David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there. He lay on the ground all night. 17 The elders of David’s family came to him. They tried to pull him up from the ground. But he refused to get up. And he refused to eat food with them.
18 On the seventh day the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, “Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive. But he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may harm himself.”
19 But David saw his servants whispering. Then he understood that the baby was dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?”
They answered, “Yes, he is dead.”
20 Then David got up from the floor. He washed himself, put lotions on himself and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.
21 David’s servants said to him, “Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you refused to eat. You cried. But when the baby died, you got up and ate food.”
22 David said, “While the baby was still alive, I refused to eat, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’ 23 But now the baby is dead. So why should I go without food? I can’t bring him back to life. Some day I will go to him. But he cannot come back to me.”
24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife. He slept with her and had intimate relations with her. She became pregnant again and had another son. David named the boy Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon. 25 The Lord sent word through Nathan the prophet to name the baby Jedidiah.[a] This was because the Lord loved the child.
David Captures Rabbah
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah, a city of the Ammonites. And he was about to capture the royal city. 27 Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah. I have captured its water supply. 28 Now bring the other soldiers together and attack this city. Capture it before I capture it myself. If I capture this city, it will be called by my name!”
29 So David gathered all the army and went to Rabbah. He fought against Rabbah and captured it. 30 David took the crown off their king’s head. It was gold and weighed about 75 pounds. It also had gems in it. They put the crown on David’s head. And David took many valuable things out of the city. 31 He also brought out the people of the city. He made them work with saws, iron picks and axes. He also forced them to build with bricks. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army went back to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 12:25 Jedidiah This name means “loved by the Lord.”
2 Samuel 12
English Standard Version
Nathan Rebukes David
12 And the Lord sent (A)Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, (B)“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but 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,[a] and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now 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.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, (C)“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb (D)fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, (E)‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And 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. 9 (F)Why have you despised the word of the Lord, (G)to do what is evil in his sight? (H)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and (I)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, (J)but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 (K)David said to Nathan, (L)“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, (M)“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly (N)scorned the Lord,[b] 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 (O)fasted and went in (P)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.” 19 But 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.” 20 Then David arose from the earth (Q)and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord (R)and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then 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.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, (S)‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, (T)but he will not return to me.”
Solomon's Birth
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and (U)she bore a son, and he called his name (V)Solomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,[c] because of the Lord.
Rabbah Is Captured
26 (W)Now Joab (X)fought against (Y)Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now 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.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent[d] 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. 31 And 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[e] the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 12:3 Hebrew bosom; also verse 8
- 2 Samuel 12:14 Masoretic Text the enemies of the Lord; Dead Sea Scroll the word of the Lord
- 2 Samuel 12:25 Jedidiah means beloved of the Lord
- 2 Samuel 12:30 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 12:31 Hebrew pass through
2 Samuel 12
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Nathan’s Parable and David’s Repentance
12 So the Lord sent Nathan to David.(A) When he arrived, he said to him:
There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meagre food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. 4 Now a traveller came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveller who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.[a]
5 David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.’(B)
7 Nathan replied to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I anointed you king over Israel,(C) and I rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms,[b] and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. 9 Why then have you despised the Lord’s command by doing what I consider[c] evil?(D) You struck down Uriah(E) the Hethite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife – you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword.(F) 10 Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house(G) because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hethite to be your own wife.”
11 ‘This is what the Lord says,(H) “I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another[d] before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.[e] 12 You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.” ’[f]
13 David responded to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’(I)
Then Nathan replied to David, ‘And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die.(J) 14 However, because you treated[g] the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.’(K) 15 Then Nathan went home.
The Death of Bathsheba’s Son
The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s(L) wife had borne to David, and he became deathly ill. 16 David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.(M) 17 The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
18 On the seventh day the baby died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, ‘Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate.’
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, ‘Is the baby dead? ’
‘He is dead,’ they replied.
20 Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord’s house, and worshipped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, ‘Why have you done this? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.’
22 He answered, ‘While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, “Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.”(N) 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.’(O)
The Birth of Solomon
24 Then David comforted(P) his wife Bathsheba; he went to her and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named[h] him Solomon.[i](Q) The Lord loved him, 25 and he sent a message through the prophet Nathan, who named[j] him Jedidiah,[k] because of the Lord.
Capture of the City of Rabbah
26 Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites(R) and captured the royal fortress. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, ‘I have fought against Rabbah and have also captured its water supply. 28 Now therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will be the one to capture the city, and it will be named after me.’ 29 So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; he fought against it and captured it. 30 He took the crown from the head of their king,[l] and it was placed on David’s head. The crown weighed thirty-five kilograms[m] of gold, and it had a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city. 31 He removed the people who were in the city and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to labour at brickmaking.(S) He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 12:4 Lit for the man who had come to him
- 12:8 Lit bosom
- 12:9 Alt Hb tradition reads what he considers
- 12:11 Or to your neighbour
- 12:11 Lit in the eyes of this sun
- 12:12 Lit and before the sun
- 12:14 Alt Hb tradition, one LXX ms; MT reads treated the enemies of; DSS read treated the word of
- 12:24 Alt Hb tradition reads he named
- 12:24 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like ‘peace’.
- 12:25 Or prophet to name
- 12:25 = Beloved of the Lord
- 12:30 LXX reads of Milcom; some emend to Molech; 1Kg 11:5,33
- 12:30 Lit a talent
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