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2 Samuel 10-12
Legacy Standard Bible

The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men

10 (A)Now it happened afterwards, that (B)the king of the sons of Ammon died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. 2 So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of (C)Nahash, just as his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent to comfort him concerning his father by the hand of his servants. And David’s servants came to the land of the sons of Ammon. 3 But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? (D)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and (E)shaved off half of their beards, and (F)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. 5 Then they told it to David. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “[a]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

6 Then the sons of Ammon saw that (G)they had become odious to David. So the sons of Ammon sent and (H)hired the Arameans of (I)Beth-rehob and the (J)Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of (K)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. 7 Then David heard of it and sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. 8 And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle (L)at the entrance of the gate of the city. But the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of (M)Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

9 Then Joab saw that [b]the battle was set against him from the front and from the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel, and they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans. 10 But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of Abishai his brother; and he arranged them to meet the sons of Ammon. 11 And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to save you. 12 (N)Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and (O)may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Arameans, and (P)they fled before him. 14 Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they also fled before Abishai and came into the city. (Q)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

15 Then the Arameans saw that they had been [c]defeated by Israel. So they gathered themselves together. 16 (R)And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the [d]River, and they came to Helam; and (S)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [e]led them. 17 And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arranged themselves to meet David and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans (T)700 charioteers and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 Then all the kings, the servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were [f]defeated by Israel. So (U)they made peace with Israel and served them. And the Arameans were afraid to save the sons of Ammon anymore.

David and Bathsheba

11 (V)Now it happened [g](W)in the spring, at the time when [h]kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and (X)besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.

2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on (Y)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 and [i]inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not (Z)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of (AA)Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and (AB)he lay with her; (AC)and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 And the woman became pregnant; and she sent and told David, and said, “(AD)I am pregnant.”

6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, (AE)David asked concerning the [j]state of Joab and the [k]state of the people and the [l]state of the war. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and (AF)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king went out after him. 9 But Uriah lay down (AG)at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 Then they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house.” And David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 And Uriah said to David, “(AH)The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in [m]booths, and my lord Joab and (AI)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “(AJ)Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you out.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the [n]next. 13 Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he (AK)made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed (AL)with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house.

14 Now it happened in the morning that David (AM)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 (AN)And he had written in the letter, saying, “[o]Place Uriah in the front line of the [p]fiercest battle and withdraw from him, (AO)so that he may be struck down and die.” 16 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put 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 (AP)Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the events of the war. 19 And he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, 20 and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you approach the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who (AQ)struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall so he died at Thebez? Why did you approach the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 And the messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we [q]pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 24 And 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, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this thing be evil in your sight, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and [r]tear it down’; and so strengthen him.”

26 Then the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband had died, so (AR)she lamented over her husband. 27 Then the time of mourning passed by, and David sent and gathered her to his house and (AS)she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But (AT)the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

Yahweh Sends Nathan to David

12 Then Yahweh sent (AU)Nathan to David. And (AV)he came to him and [s]said,

“There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.
3 But the poor man had nothing except (AW)one little ewe lamb
Which he bought and nourished;
And it grew up together with him and his children.
It would eat his morsel of bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
And was like a daughter to him.
4 Now a visitor came to the rich man,
And he [t]was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,
To prepare for the traveler who had come to him;
Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, surely the man who has done this [u](AX)deserves to die. 6 And he must make restitution for the lamb (AY)fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”

7 Nathan then said to David, “(AZ)You are the man! Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘(BA)It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I also gave you (BB)your master’s house and your master’s wives into your [v]care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 9 Why (BC)have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in His sight? (BD)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, (BE)have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 So now, (BF)the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; (BG)I will even take your wives from before your sight and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 Indeed (BH)you did it secretly, but (BI)I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “(BJ)I have sinned against Yahweh.” And Nathan said to David, “Yahweh also has [w](BK)taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have (BL)given occasion to the enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme, the son also that is born to you shall surely die.” 15 And Nathan went to his house.

David’s Child Dies

Then Yahweh smote the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, so that he was very sick. 16 David therefore sought God about the boy; and David (BM)fasted and went and (BN)spent the night lying on the ground. 17 (BO)And the elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child has died? He might do himself harm!” 19 And David saw that his servants were whispering together, so David discerned that the child had died; so David said to his servants, “Has the child died?” And they said, “He has died.” 20 So David arose from the ground, (BP)washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of Yahweh and (BQ)worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and he asked, and they set food before him, and he ate.

21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? [x]While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 Then he said, “While the child was still alive, (BR)I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘(BS)Who knows, Yahweh may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ 23 But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? (BT)I will go to him, but (BU)he will not return to me.”

Solomon Is Born

24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and [y](BV)he named him Solomon. Now Yahweh loved him 25 and sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he named him [z]Jedidiah for the sake of Yahweh.

Joab Fights Ammon

26 (BW)Then Joab fought against (BX)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters. 28 So now, gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city myself and it be named after me.” 29 So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah, fought against it and captured it. 30 Then (BY)he took the crown of [aa]their king from his head; and its weight was a [ab]talent of gold, and in it [ac]was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in a very great amount. 31 He also brought out the people who were in it and (BZ)set them up with saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brickkiln. And thus he used to do to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 10:5 Lit Return to
  2. 2 Samuel 10:9 Lit the faces of the battle were against
  3. 2 Samuel 10:15 Lit smitten before
  4. 2 Samuel 10:16 The Euphrates River
  5. 2 Samuel 10:16 Lit before
  6. 2 Samuel 10:19 Lit smitten before
  7. 2 Samuel 11:1 Lit at the return of the year
  8. 2 Samuel 11:1 As in mss and versions; M.T. messengers
  9. 2 Samuel 11:3 Or sought out
  10. 2 Samuel 11:7 Lit peace
  11. 2 Samuel 11:7 Lit peace
  12. 2 Samuel 11:7 Lit peace
  13. 2 Samuel 11:11 Temporary shelters
  14. 2 Samuel 11:12 Lit morrow
  15. 2 Samuel 11:15 Lit Give
  16. 2 Samuel 11:15 Lit strong
  17. 2 Samuel 11:23 Lit were upon
  18. 2 Samuel 11:25 Lit pull
  19. 2 Samuel 12:1 Lit said to him
  20. 2 Samuel 12:4 Lit spared
  21. 2 Samuel 12:5 Lit is a son of death
  22. 2 Samuel 12:8 Lit bosom
  23. 2 Samuel 12:13 Lit caused your sin to pass away
  24. 2 Samuel 12:21 Lit On account of
  25. 2 Samuel 12:24 Some mss she
  26. 2 Samuel 12:25 Lit beloved of Yahweh
  27. 2 Samuel 12:30 Or Malcam, cf. Zeph 1:5
  28. 2 Samuel 12:30 A talent was approx. 75 lb. or 34 kg
  29. 2 Samuel 12:30 Or were precious stones
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