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. ¹⁰ Now when they informed David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ And Uriah said to David, “^(M)The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in ^[e]temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and ^(N)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” ¹² Then David said to Uriah, “^(O)Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day after. ¹³ Now David summoned ^[f]Uriah, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he ^(P)made ^[g]Uriah drunk; and in the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed ^(Q)with his lord’s servants, and he still did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ So in the morning David ^(R)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ^15 (S)He had written in the letter ^[h]the following: “^[i]Station Uriah on the front line of the ^[j]fiercest battle and pull back from him, ^(T)so that he may be struck and killed.” ¹⁶ So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he ^[k]stationed Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and ^(U)Uriah the Hittite also died. ¹⁸ Then Joab sent a messenger and reported to David all the events of the war. ¹⁹ He ordered the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ then it shall be that if the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you move against the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who ^(V)struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did a woman not throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you move against the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”

²² So the messenger departed and came and reported to David everything that Joab had sent him to tell. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we ^[l]pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Also, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king’s servants died, and your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.” ²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “This is what you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing ^[m]displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; ^[n]fight with determination against the city and overthrow it’; and thereby encourage him.”

²⁶ Now when Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, ^(W)she mourned for her husband. ²⁷ When the time of mourning was over, David sent servants and ^[o]had her brought to his house and ^(X)she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But ^(Y)the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.

⁴ Then David sent messengers and ^[a]had her brought, and when she came to him, ^(A)he slept with her; ^(B)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, “^(C)I am pregnant.”

⁷ Nathan then said to David, “^(A)You yourself are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘^(B)It is I who anointed you as king over Israel, and it is I who rescued you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I also gave you ^(C)your master’s house and put your master’s wives ^[a]into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you ^[b]many more things like these! ⁹ Why ^(D)have you despised the word of the Lord, by doing evil in His sight? ^(E)You have struck and killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, you ^(F)have taken his wife as your wife, and you have slaughtered him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ¹⁰ Now then, ^(G)the sword shall never leave your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household; ^(H)I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will sleep with your wives in ^[c]broad daylight. ¹² Indeed, ^(I)you did it secretly, but ^(J)I will do this thing before all Israel, and ^[d]in open daylight.’” ¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “^(K)I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has ^(L)allowed your sin to pass; you shall not die.

¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” ²⁰ So David got up from the ground, ^(A)washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and ^(B)worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and when he asked, they served him food, 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 ^[a]alive; but when the child died, you got up and ate food.” ²² And he said, “While the child was still alive, ^(C)I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘^(D)Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ ²³ But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? ^(E)I am going to him, but ^(F)he will not return to me.”