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拿單指摘大衛,大衛認罪

12 耶和華差派拿單去見大衛。於是拿單來到大衛那裡,對他說:“在一座城裡有兩個人,一個富有,一個貧窮。 那富有的有極多牛羊, 那貧窮的除了買來養的一隻母羊羔以外,甚麼也沒有。那小羊在他家裡和他的兒女一同長大,小羊吃他的食物,喝他杯中的飲料,睡在他的懷裡,就像他的女兒一樣。 有一個旅客來到富翁那裡,他捨不得從自己的牛群羊群中取一頭出來,款待到他那裡來的旅客,卻取了那窮人的母羊羔,款待到他那裡來的客人。” 大衛就非常惱怒那人,對拿單說:“我指著永活的耶和華起誓,作這事的人該死。 他必須四倍賠償這羊羔,因為他作了這事,又因他沒有憐憫的心。”

拿單對大衛說:“你就是那人!耶和華以色列的 神這樣說:‘我膏立了你作以色列的王,把你從掃羅的手裡救了出來, 把你主人的家賜給你,把你主人的妻妾交在你懷裡,又把以色列和猶大家賜給你。如果太少了,我還可以多多加給你。 你為甚麼藐視耶和華的話,行他看為惡的事呢?你用刀擊殺了赫人烏利亞,娶了他的妻子作你的妻子,你藉著亞捫人的刀殺了烏利亞。 10 所以,從今以後,刀劍必不離開你的家,因為你藐視了我,娶了赫人烏利亞的妻子作你的妻子。’ 11 耶和華這樣說:‘看哪!我必從你家中興起禍患攻擊你;我要在你的眼前把你的妃嬪拿去賜給你的同伴。他要在光天化日之下與她們同床。 12 你在暗中行了這事,我卻要在所有以色列人面前,在光天化日之下行這事報應你。’” 13 大衛對拿單說:“我得罪了耶和華了。”拿單對大衛說:“耶和華已經除去了你的罪,你必不至於死。 14 只是因為你作了這事,使耶和華的仇敵大得褻瀆的機會,所以你所生的兒子必定死。” 15 於是拿單回自己的家去了。

耶和華擊打烏利亞的妻子給大衛所生的孩子,他就害了重病。

大衛的兒子病逝

16 大衛為那孩子懇求 神,並且禁食。他進房裡去,終夜躺在地上。 17 他家中的老侍從站在他旁邊,要把他從地上扶起來,他卻不肯,也不與他們一起吃飯。 18 到了第七天,孩子死了。大衛的臣僕不敢告訴他孩子死了,因為他們說:“看哪,孩子還活著的時候,我們勸他,他尚且不聽我們的話。現在我們怎麼能告訴他孩子已經死了呢?他會傷心欲絕的。” 19 大衛看見他的臣僕彼此低聲耳語,就知道孩子已經死了。他問臣僕說:“孩子死了嗎?”他們回答:“死了!” 20 於是大衛從地上起來,洗澡,抹膏,更換衣服,進耶和華的殿去敬拜,然後回到自己的宮裡去,吩咐人給他擺上飯,他就吃了。 21 臣僕問他:“你為甚麼這樣作呢?孩子還活著的時候,你為他禁食哭泣;孩子死了,你倒起來吃飯!” 22 他回答:“孩子還活著的時候,我禁食哭泣,因為我想:‘誰知道呢?也許耶和華憐憫我,讓孩子可以活著。’ 23 現在他死了,我為甚麼還要禁食呢?我還能使他回來嗎?我要到他那裡去,他卻不能回到我這裡來。”

所羅門出生

24 大衛安慰他的妻子拔示巴,進到她那裡去,與她同睡。她生了一個兒子,大衛給他起名叫所羅門;耶和華也喜愛他, 25 就差派拿單先知去,照著耶和華的吩咐,給他起名叫耶底底亞。

約押攻取拉巴(A)

26 那時,約押正在攻打亞捫人的拉巴,攻取了王城。 27 約押派遣使者去見大衛,說:“我攻打拉巴,已經攻取了水城。 28 現在,請你聚集其餘的人民,安營攻打這城,把城攻取;免得我攻取了這城,人就以我的名字來叫這城。” 29 於是大衛聚集所有的人民,向拉巴進軍;攻打那城,把它攻取了。 30 大衛從他們的王的頭上奪取了王冠。王冠的金子重三十五公斤,上面嵌有寶石,人把這冠冕戴在大衛的頭上。大衛又從這城裡帶走了許多戰利品, 31 又把那城裡的人民帶出去,使他們用鋸子、鐵耙、鐵斧作工,或使他們在磚窯服役。大衛對待亞捫各城的居民都是這樣。後來,大衛和眾人都回耶路撒冷去了。

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. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 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. 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]

David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.’(B)

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. 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. 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

  1. 12:4 Lit for the man who had come to him
  2. 12:8 Lit bosom
  3. 12:9 Alt Hb tradition reads what he considers
  4. 12:11 Or to your neighbour
  5. 12:11 Lit in the eyes of this sun
  6. 12:12 Lit and before the sun
  7. 12:14 Alt Hb tradition, one LXX ms; MT reads treated the enemies of; DSS read treated the word of
  8. 12:24 Alt Hb tradition reads he named
  9. 12:24 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like ‘peace’.
  10. 12:25 Or prophet to name
  11. 12:25 = Beloved of the Lord
  12. 12:30 LXX reads of Milcom; some emend to Molech; 1Kg 11:5,33
  13. 12:30 Lit a talent