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Nathan the Prophet Confronts David

12 So the Lord sent Nathan[a] to David. When he came to David,[b] Nathan[c] said,[d] “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children.[e] It used to[f] eat his food,[g] drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms.[h] It was just like a daughter to him.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 12:1 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add “the prophet.” The words are included in a few modern English version (e.g., TEV, CEV, NLT).
  2. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn The Hebrew text repeats “to him.”
  5. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “his sons.”
  6. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.
  7. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “from his morsel.”
  8. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lie.”

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. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 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.

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