¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne for David, and the child became sick. ¹⁶ David sought the Lord’s mercy for the child. David fasted and spent the night lying on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him to pick him up off the ground, but he was not willing, and he would not eat food with them.

¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. The servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, because they said, “Look! When the child was living, we spoke to David, but he did not listen to what we said. How will we speak to him now when the child is dead? He might do something harmful.”

¹⁹ When David saw that his servants were whispering together, he understood that the child was dead. So David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “Yes, he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground, washed, put on lotion, and changed his clothes. He went to the House of the Lord and worshipped. He then went back to his house and asked for food. So they prepared a meal for him, and he ate.

²¹ His servants said to him, “What are you doing? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept. But when the child died, you got up and ate food.”

²² He said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept because I said, ‘Who knows? Will the Lord be gracious to me and let my child live?’ ²³ Now he has died. Why should I fast? Am I able to return him to life again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴ David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. He went to her and lay down with her. She gave birth to a son. David called him Solomon. The Lord loved him, ²⁵ and the Lord sent a message by the hand of Nathan the prophet that he should be called Jedidiah^[a] because of the Lord.