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David i Bat Šeba

11 U proljeće je David poslao Joaba s vojnim zapovjednicima i cijelom izraelskom vojskom u pohod na Amonce. Zaposjeli su amonsku prijestolnicu Rabu.

No David je ostao u Jeruzalemu. Jedne je večeri, nakon popodnevnog odmora, ustao i šetao po krovu kraljevske palače. Opazio je ženu koja se kupala. Bila je vrlo lijepa. David je poslao da se netko raspita o njoj. Javili su mu: »To je Bat Šeba, Eliamova kći, žena Urije Hetita.«

Poslao je glasnike da je dovedu. Kad je došla, David je spavao s njom, i to baš kad se bila očistila od mjesečnice. Potom se vratila svojoj kući.

Kad je shvatila da je zatrudnjela, poručila je Davidu: »Trudna sam.«

Nato je David poslao poruku Joabu: »Pošalji mi Uriju Hetita.«

David pokušava sakriti svoj grijeh

Joab je poslao Uriju Davidu. Kad je Urija stigao, David se raspitivao kako su Joab i vojnici te kako se odvija rat.

Zatim mu je rekao: »Idi kući i opusti se sa svojom ženom.«

Za Urijom su iz palače poslali dar od kralja. No Urija nije otišao kući. Prespavao je na ulazu u palaču s drugim kraljevim slugama.

10 Davidu su javili da Urija nije bio kod kuće. David ga upita: »Upravo si došao s puta. Zašto nisi otišao kući?«

11 Urija odgovori: »Kovčeg saveza, Izrael i Juda borave u šatorima, a moj gospodar Joab i vojnici moga gospodara kralja borave na otvorenome. Kako onda da ja odem kući, jedem i pijem, i spavam sa svojom ženom? Zaklinjem se kraljem, nikad to ne bih mogao učiniti!«

12 Tada će David: »Ostani ovdje još danas, a sutra te šaljem natrag.«

Urija je toga dana ostao u Jeruzalemu, a sutradan ga je 13 David pozvao da s njim jede i pije. Napio ga je, ali Urija uvečer ipak nije otišao kući. Opet je ostao s kraljevim slugama spavati na prostirci.

David planira Urijinu smrt

14 Ujutro je David napisao pismo Joabu i poslao ga po Uriji. 15 Napisao je: »Stavi Uriju u prve redove gdje je borba najžešća. Neka tamo ostane sâm, da ga neprijatelj obori i ubije.«

16 Dok je Joab držao grad pod opsadom, stavio je Uriju na položaj gdje su bili najžešći neprijateljski ratnici Amonci. 17 Kad su vojnici izašli iz grada i sukobili se s Joabovom vojskom, poginuli su neki od Davidovih ljudi, a među njima i Urija Hetit.

18 Joab je poslao Davidu detaljan izvještaj o bitci. 19 Rekao je glasniku: »Kad kralju ispričaš sve što se dogodilo, 20 možda će se naljutiti i pitati: ‘Zašto ste se toliko primaknuli gradu? Zar niste mogli pretpostaviti da će vas zasuti strijelama sa zidina? 21 Tko je i kako ubio Abimeleka, Jerubaalovog[a] sina? Zar nije žena bacila na njega mlinski kamen sa zidina pa je poginuo u Tebesu? Zašto ste prišli tako blizu zidinama?’ Ako te tako bude pitao, reci mu: ‘Poginuo je i tvoj sluga Urija Hetit.’«

22 Glasnik ode k Davidu i ispriča sve kako mu je Joab rekao.

23 Pričao je: »Napali su nas na otvorenome, ali mi smo ih potisnuli prema ulazu u grad. 24 Tada su nas sa zidina zasuli strijelama. Poginulo je nekoliko kraljevih vojnika, a među njima i tvoj sluga Urija Hetit.«

25 Nato David reče glasniku: »Ovako reci Joabu: ‘Neka te ovaj poraz ne obeshrabri jer nikad se ne zna tko će stradati od mača. Navali na grad još žešće i uništi ga.’ Reci tako Joabu i ohrabri ga.«

David uzima Bat Šebu za ženu

26 Kad je Urijina žena Bat Šeba čula da joj je muž poginuo, žalila je za njim. 27 A kad je prošlo vrijeme žalovanja, David je poslao po nju. Doveli su je u kraljevsku palaču, gdje je postala kraljevom ženom i rodila mu sina.

BOG je vidio zločin koji je počinio David.

Footnotes

  1. 11,21 Jerubaal Prema starogrčkom i sirijskom tekstu (vidi Suci 6,32; 7,1). Hebrejski tekst navodi: »Jerubešet«.

11 In the springtime of the year, the season when most kings took their soldiers out to fight, David stayed in Jerusalem and sent Joab out as general in charge of David’s men and the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and put the city of Rabbah under siege.

Early one evening, David rose from his bed and was strolling on the palace roof when he saw a woman bathing on a roof below his. She was very beautiful. David sent someone to find out who the woman was, and the answer came back that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was one of David’s officers who had gone to war with the rest of David’s troops.

4-5 David couldn’t get her off his mind, so he sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. She came, and they had sexual relations. Soon after she returned home, Bathsheba realized she was pregnant, and she sent this news to David. Since their encounter occurred just after the purifying bath after her period, her husband Uriah could not have been the father. So David sent a message to his general Joab.

David: Send me Uriah the Hittite.

Joab sent Uriah back to David. There he was taken in front of the king; and David asked how Joab was doing, how the army was getting along, and how the campaign was progressing. When they finished discussing the news from the front, David suggested that Uriah go to his own house to clean up, relax, and visit his wife.

David: Since I’ve called you back here, why don’t you go down to your house?

David sent a gift after him when he left, but Uriah did not go down to his own house. Instead he spent the night at the entrance of the palace with all the king’s servants.

David is frustrated by this. If Uriah doesn’t have sexual relations with his wife, then everyone will know that Bathsheba has been unfaithful—and they might remember her secret trip to the palace.

Servants (to David): 10 Uriah did not go home last night.

David (to Uriah): You’ve just come home from a long trip. Why didn’t you spend the night in your own house?

Uriah: 11 The people of Israel and Judah and the covenant chest of the Lord are in tents; my general, Joab, and the king’s other servants are sleeping in the open fields. Do you think I would go to my home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife while everyone else suffers? As you live, good king, I will not do such a thing.

David: 12 Stay here with me today; tomorrow I will send you back to the battle.

Uriah remained in Jerusalem that whole day and the next day. 13 David invited him to eat and drink in the king’s royal company, and David got him drunk. After the party, Uriah fell asleep on a bed with the servants of the king, and again he did not return to his home.

14 So the next morning, realizing Uriah would not go home to be with Bathsheba, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it back to the front with Uriah.

David’s seduction of the beautiful Bathsheba and the plot to murder her husband, Uriah, represent low points in David’s life. Even when someone has a reputation for good character—and David must have one, since he is beloved of God—temptation can lead him to act totally against his own values. David takes Bathsheba because he wants her and because he has the power to do so; he orders her husband into battle to be killed because he is unable to cover his lustful advances.

David’s Letter: 15 Put Uriah at the front of the battle, in a place where the fighting is most intense. Then pull back and leave him in front of the line so that the enemy will strike him down and kill him.

16 After he received this message, Joab laid out his attack plans and assigned Uriah to a place where he knew the enemy had put strong warriors. 17 When the warriors of the city came out to fight against Joab’s forces, some of David’s servants were killed, and Uriah the Hittite was one of them.

18 Joab sent a messenger to David with news of the battle.

Joab (to the messenger): 19 Give the king all of this news about the battle. 20 If he gets angry and asks you, “Why did the army go so near the city to fight? Didn’t you realize that they would shoot from the walls? 21 Wasn’t Abimelech, Jerubbesheth’s son, killed by a woman who dropped a millstone on him from the wall at Thebez?[a] Why were you so close to the wall?” then tell him, “Your servant Uriah the Hittite was also killed in the fighting.”

22 So the messenger went and told David everything Joab had instructed him to say. But he did not wait for the king’s reaction before telling him Uriah had died.

Messenger: 23 Their soldiers came out against us into the field surrounding the city. At first they had the advantage over us, but we drove them back to their gate. 24 Then their archers fired on us from the wall; and some of your servants were killed, including your servant Uriah the Hittite.

David: 25 Take this reply back to Joab: “Don’t let this trouble you. The sword kills indiscriminately. Continue to push forward against the city, and capture it.” And give him my encouragement.

26 When Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, heard the news of his death, she went into mourning for seven days. 27 When her appointed time of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her into his household. He made her his wife, and in time she bore him a son.

But the Eternal One was displeased with what David had done.

Footnotes

  1. 11:21 Judges 9:53

David and Bathsheba

11 (A)(B)In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged (C)Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on (D)the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this (E)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of (F)Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. ((G)Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and (H)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 Uriah said to David, (I)“The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and (J)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? As you live, and (K)as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, (L)so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with (M)the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

14 In the morning David (N)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, (O)that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. 19 And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, 20 then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 (P)Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near 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 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and (Q)she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.