2 Samuel 12
New King James Version
Nathan’s Parable and David’s Confession
12 Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And (A)he came to him, and (B)said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this [a]shall surely die! 6 And he shall restore (C)fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I (D)anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 9 (E)Why have you (F)despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? (G)You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 10 Now therefore, (H)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 the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will (I)take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, (J)but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”
13 (K)So David said to Nathan, (L)“I have sinned against the Lord.”
And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has (M)put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord (N)to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.” 15 Then Nathan departed to his house.
The Death of David’s Son
And the (O)Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill. 16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and (P)lay all night on the ground. 17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”
And they said, “He is dead.”
20 So David arose from the ground, washed and (Q)anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and (R)worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22 And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; (S)for I said, ‘Who can tell whether [b]the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go (T)to him, but (U)he shall not return to me.”
Solomon Is Born
24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So (V)she bore a son, and (W)he[c] called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, 25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So [d]he called his name [e]Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
Rabbah Is Captured(X)
26 Now (Y)Joab fought against (Z)Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply. 28 Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. 30 (AA)Then he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the [f]spoil of the city in great abundance. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 12:5 deserves to die, lit. is a son of death
- 2 Samuel 12:22 Heb. mss., Syr. God
- 2 Samuel 12:24 So with Kt., LXX, Vg.; Qr., a few Heb. mss., Syr., Tg. she
- 2 Samuel 12:25 Qr., some Heb. mss., Syr., Tg. she
- 2 Samuel 12:25 Lit. Beloved of the Lord
- 2 Samuel 12:30 plunder
2 Samuel 12
King James Version
12 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.
29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 12
Louis Segond
12 L'Éternel envoya Nathan vers David. Et Nathan vint à lui, et lui dit: Il y avait dans une ville deux hommes, l'un riche et l'autre pauvre.
2 Le riche avait des brebis et des boeufs en très grand nombre.
3 Le pauvre n'avait rien du tout qu'une petite brebis, qu'il avait achetée; il la nourrissait, et elle grandissait chez lui avec ses enfants; elle mangeait de son pain, buvait dans sa coupe, dormait sur son sein, et il la regardait comme sa fille.
4 Un voyageur arriva chez l'homme riche. Et le riche n'a pas voulu toucher à ses brebis ou à ses boeufs, pour préparer un repas au voyageur qui était venu chez lui; il a pris la brebis du pauvre, et l'a apprêtée pour l'homme qui était venu chez lui.
5 La colère de David s'enflamma violemment contre cet homme, et il dit à Nathan: L'Éternel est vivant! L'homme qui a fait cela mérite la mort.
6 Et il rendra quatre brebis, pour avoir commis cette action et pour avoir été sans pitié.
7 Et Nathan dit à David: Tu es cet homme-là! Ainsi parle l'Éternel, le Dieu d'Israël: Je t'ai oint pour roi sur Israël, et je t'ai délivré de la main de Saül;
8 je t'ai mis en possession de la maison de ton maître, j'ai placé dans ton sein les femmes de ton maître, et je t'ai donné la maison d'Israël et de Juda. Et si cela eût été peu, j'y aurais encore ajouté.
9 Pourquoi donc as-tu méprisé la parole de l'Éternel, en faisant ce qui est mal à ses yeux? Tu as frappé de l'épée Urie, le Héthien; tu as pris sa femme pour en faire ta femme, et lui, tu l'as tué par l'épée des fils d'Ammon.
10 Maintenant, l'épée ne s'éloignera jamais de ta maison, parce que tu m'as méprisé, et parce que tu as pris la femme d'Urie, le Héthien, pour en faire ta femme.
11 Ainsi parle l'Éternel: Voici, je vais faire sortir de ta maison le malheur contre toi, et je vais prendre sous tes yeux tes propres femmes pour les donner à un autre, qui couchera avec elles à la vue de ce soleil.
12 Car tu as agi en secret; et moi, je ferai cela en présence de tout Israël et à la face du soleil.
13 David dit à Nathan: J'ai péché contre l'Éternel! Et Nathan dit à David: L'Éternel pardonne ton péché, tu ne mourras point.
14 Mais, parce que tu as fait blasphémer les ennemis de l'Éternel, en commettant cette action, le fils qui t'est né mourra.
15 Et Nathan s'en alla dans sa maison. L'Éternel frappa l'enfant que la femme d'Urie avait enfanté à David, et il fut dangereusement malade.
16 David pria Dieu pour l'enfant, et jeûna; et quand il rentra, il passa la nuit couché par terre.
17 Les anciens de sa maison insistèrent auprès de lui pour le faire lever de terre; mais il ne voulut point, et il ne mangea rien avec eux.
18 Le septième jour, l'enfant mourut. Les serviteurs de David craignaient de lui annoncer que l'enfant était mort. Car ils disaient: Voici, lorsque l'enfant vivait encore, nous lui avons parlé, et il ne nous a pas écoutés; comment oserons-nous lui dire: L'enfant est mort? Il s'affligera bien davantage.
19 David aperçut que ses serviteurs parlaient tout bas entre eux, et il comprit que l'enfant était mort. Il dit à ses serviteurs: L'enfant est-il mort? Et ils répondirent: Il est mort.
20 Alors David se leva de terre. Il se lava, s'oignit, et changea de vêtements; puis il alla dans la maison de l'Éternel, et se prosterna. De retour chez lui, il demanda qu'on lui servît à manger, et il mangea.
21 Ses serviteurs lui dirent: Que signifie ce que tu fais? Tandis que l'enfant vivait, tu jeûnais et tu pleurais; et maintenant que l'enfant est mort, tu te lèves et tu manges!
22 Il répondit: Lorsque l'enfant vivait encore, je jeûnais et je pleurais, car je disais: Qui sait si l'Éternel n'aura pas pitié de moi et si l'enfant ne vivra pas?
23 Maintenant qu'il est mort, pourquoi jeûnerais-je? Puis-je le faire revenir? J'irai vers lui, mais il ne reviendra pas vers moi.
24 David consola Bath Schéba, sa femme, et il alla auprès d'elle et coucha avec elle. Elle enfanta un fils qu'il appela Salomon, et qui fut aimé de l'Éternel.
25 Il le remit entre les mains de Nathan le prophète, et Nathan lui donna le nom de Jedidja, à cause de l'Éternel.
26 Joab, qui assiégeait Rabba des fils d'Ammon, s'empara de la ville royale,
27 et envoya des messagers à David pour lui dire: J'ai attaqué Rabba, et je me suis déjà emparé de la ville des eaux;
28 rassemble maintenant le reste du peuple, campe contre la ville, et prends-la, de peur que je ne la prenne moi-même et que la gloire ne m'en soit attribuée.
29 David rassembla tout le peuple, et marcha sur Rabba; il l'attaqua, et s'en rendit maître.
30 Il enleva la couronne de dessus la tête de son roi: elle pesait un talent d'or et était garnie de pierres précieuses. On la mit sur la tête de David, qui emporta de la ville un très grand butin.
31 Il fit sortir les habitants, et il les plaça sous des scies, des herses de fer et des haches de fer, et les fit passer par des fours à briques; il traita de même toutes les villes des fils d'Ammon. David retourna à Jérusalem avec tout le peuple.
2 Samuel 12
English Standard Version
Nathan Rebukes David
12 And the Lord sent (A)Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, (B)“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,[a] and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, (C)“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb (D)fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, (E)‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 (F)Why have you despised the word of the Lord, (G)to do what is evil in his sight? (H)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and (I)have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore 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 the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, (J)but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 (K)David said to Nathan, (L)“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, (M)“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly (N)scorned the Lord,[b] the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.
David's Child Dies
And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David (O)fasted and went in (P)and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day 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 yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth (Q)and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord (R)and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, 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 alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, (S)‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, (T)but he will not return to me.”
Solomon's Birth
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and (U)she bore a son, and he called his name (V)Solomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,[c] because of the Lord.
Rabbah Is Captured
26 (W)Now Joab (X)fought against (Y)Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent[d] of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at[e] the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 12:3 Hebrew bosom; also verse 8
- 2 Samuel 12:14 Masoretic Text the enemies of the Lord; Dead Sea Scroll the word of the Lord
- 2 Samuel 12:25 Jedidiah means beloved of the Lord
- 2 Samuel 12:30 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 12:31 Hebrew pass through
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
