Nathan Rebukes David^(A)

12 The Lord sent Nathan^(B) to David.^(C) When he came to him,^(D) he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴ “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

⁵ David^(E) burned with anger^(F) against the man^(G) and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives,^(H) the man who did this must die! ⁶ He must pay for that lamb four times over,^(I) because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!^(J) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed^(K) you^(L) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you,^(M) and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise^(N) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down^(O) Uriah^(P) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed^(Q) him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword^(R) will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household^(S) I am going to bring calamity on you.^(T) Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.^{(U) 12} You did it in secret,^(V) but I will do this thing in broad daylight^(W) before all Israel.’”

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned^(X) against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away^(Y) your sin.^(Z) You are not going to die.^{(AA) 14} But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for^[a] the Lord,^(AB) the son born to you will die.”

¹⁵ After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck^(AC) the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. ¹⁶ David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying^(AD) in sackcloth^[b] on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,^(AE) and he would not eat any food with them.^(AF)

¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

¹⁹ David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed,^(AG) put on lotions and changed his clothes,^(AH) he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

²¹ His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept,^(AI) but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows?^(AJ) The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’^{(AK) 23} But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him,^(AL) but he will not return to me.”^(AM)

²² “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name,^(A) which you have profaned^(B) among the nations where you have gone.^{(C) 23} I will show the holiness of my great name,^(D) which has been profaned^(E) among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,^(F) declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy^(G) through you before their eyes.^(H)

²⁴ “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.^{(I) 25} I will sprinkle^(J) clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse^(K) you from all your impurities^(L) and from all your idols.^{(M) 26} I will give you a new heart^(N) and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone^(O) and give you a heart of flesh.^{(P) 27} And I will put my Spirit^(Q) in you and move you to follow my decrees^(R) and be careful to keep my laws.^{(S) 28} Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people,^(T) and I will be your God.^(U)

³⁴ The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. ³⁵ They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden;^(A) the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.^(B)” ³⁶ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’^(C)

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers^(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.^{(B) 2} So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers^(C) criticized him ³ and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(D)

⁴ Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.^(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

⁸ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’^{(F) 10} This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

¹¹ “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea^(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told^(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.^(I) These six brothers^(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel^(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message^(L) through which you and all your household^(M) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on^(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.^{(O) 16} Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with^[a] water,^(P) but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.’^{(Q) 17} So if God gave them the same gift^(R) he gave us^(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”^(T)

²³ In that day^(A) you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.^{(B) 24} Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,^(C) and your joy will be complete.^(D)

²⁵ “Though I have been speaking figuratively,^(E) a time is coming^(F) when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name.^(G) I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me^(H) and have believed that I came from God.^{(I) 28} I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”^(J)

²⁹ Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.^{(K) 30} Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe^(L) that you came from God.”^(M)

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming^(N) and in fact has come when you will be scattered,^(O) each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.^(P) Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.^(Q)

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.^(R) In this world you will have trouble.^(S) But take heart! I have overcome^(T) the world.”