³ This is good and acceptable in the sight of ^(A)God our Savior, ^4 (B)who wants all people to be ^(C)saved and to ^(D)come to the ^[a]knowledge of the truth.

³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or ^(A)whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

²³ Whatever you do, do your work ^[a]heartily, ^(A)as for the Lord and not for people,

^14 (A)Do not be ^[a]mismatched with ^(B)unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness ^(C)share together, or what does light have in common with darkness?

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you ^(A)abstain from sexual immorality;

²⁴ and let’s consider how ^(A)to ^[a]encourage one another in love and ^(B)good deeds, ²⁵ not abandoning our own ^(C)meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but ^(D)encouraging one another; and all the more as you see ^(E)the day drawing near.

Bathsheba, David’s Great Sin

11 ^(A)Then it happened ^[a](B)in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and ^(C)besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

² Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on ^(D)the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. ³ So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not ^(E)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of ^(F)Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ Then David sent messengers and ^[b]had her brought, and when she came to him, ^(G)he slept with her; ^(H)and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. ⁵ But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, “^(I)I am pregnant.”

⁶ Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, ^(J)David asked about Joab’s well-being and ^[c]that of the people, and the condition of the war. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and ^(K)wash your feet.” So Uriah left the king’s house, and a gift from the king ^[d]was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept ^(L)at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

⁵ Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this certainly ^[a](A)deserves to die! ⁶ So he must make restitution for the lamb ^(B)four times over, since he did this thing and ^[b]had no compassion.”

⁷ Nathan then said to David, “^(C)You yourself are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘^(D)It is I who anointed you as king over Israel, and it is I who rescued you from the hand of Saul.

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “^(A)I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has ^(B)allowed your sin to pass; you shall not die. ¹⁴ However, since by this deed you have ^(C)shown utter disrespect for the ^[a]Lord, the child himself who is born to you shall certainly die.”