2 Samuel 11:1-5

Expanded Bible

David Sins with Bathsheba

11 In the spring, when the kings normally went out to war, David sent out Joab, his ·servants [officers; army], and all the Israelites. They ·destroyed [massacred; ravaged] the Ammonites and ·attacked [besieged] the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. ² One ·evening [afternoon] David got up from his ·bed [midday rest] and walked around on the roof [^Cthe flat roofs of Israelite houses were used for living space] of ·his palace [^Lthe king’s house]. While he was on the roof, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. ³ So David sent his servants to find out who she was. A servant answered, “That woman is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite [^CHittites were foreigners, but he joined the Israelite cause].” ⁴ So David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he ·had sexual relations [^Llay] with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her ·monthly period [^Luncleanness; Lev. 15:19–24].) Then she went back to her house. ⁵ But Bathsheba ·became pregnant [conceived] and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”