Chronological

11 And it was done, when the year turned again, in that time in which kings be wont to go forth to battles, David sent forth Joab, and with him his servants, and all Israel; and they destroyed the sons of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah; and David dwelled in Jerusalem. (And it was done, when the year turned again, at the time when kings be wont to go forth to battle, David sent out Joab, and with him his officers, and all of Israel’s army; and they destroyed the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah; but David stayed in Jerusalem.)

² While these things were done, it befelled, that David rose in a day from his bed after midday, and walked in the solar of the king’s house; and he saw a woman washing herself even against him upon her solar; and the woman was full fair. (While these things were done, it befell one day, that David rose from his bed after midday, and walked on the roof of his palace; and he saw a woman opposite him washing herself on her roof; and the woman was truly beautiful.)

³ Therefore the king sent, and inquired, what woman it was; and it was told to him that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and (that) she was the wife of Uriah (the) Hittite.

⁴ Then by messengers sent, David took her; and when she entered to him, he slept with her, and anon she was hallowed from her uncleanness^[a]. And she turned again into her house, (Then David sent messengers, who brought her to him; and after she came to him, he slept with her, and at once she was hallowed from her uncleanness. And she returned to her house,)

⁵ with a child conceived; and she sent, and told to David, and said, I have conceived.

⁶ And David sent to Joab, and said, Send thou Uriah (the) Hittite to me; and Joab sent Uriah to David.

⁷ And Uriah came to David; and David asked, how rightfully Joab did and the people, and how the battle was (ad)ministered, or served. (And Uriah came to David; and David asked him how well Joab and the men were doing, and how the battle was going.)

⁸ And David said to Uriah, Go into thine house, and wash thy feet. [And] Uriah went out from the house of the king, and the king’s meat followed him (and the king’s gift followed him home).

⁹ Soothly Uriah slept before the gate of the king’s house with other servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. (But Uriah slept by the palace gate with other servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.)

¹⁰ And it was told to David of men, saying, Uriah went not to his house (And it was told to David by men, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house). And David said to Uriah, Whether thou camest not from the way? why wentest thou not down into thine house?

¹¹ And Uriah said to David, The ark of God, [and] Israel, and Judah (all) dwell in tents, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord dwell upon the face of the earth, and shall I (then) go into mine house, to eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By thine health, and by the health of thy soul, I shall not do this thing.

¹² Therefore David said to Uriah, Dwell thou here also today, and tomorrow I shall deliver thee. Uriah dwelled in Jerusalem in that day, and the tother (And so Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day, and the next day as well).

¹³ And David called him, that he should eat and drink before him, and David made drunken Uriah (and David made Uriah drunk); and he went out in the eventide, and slept in his bed with the servants of his lord; and went not down into his house.

¹⁴ Therefore when the morrowtide was made, David wrote [an] epistle to Joab, and sent (it) by the hand of Uriah,

¹⁵ and wrote in the epistle, Put ye Uriah even against the battle, where the battle is strongest, that is, where the adversaries be (the) strong(est), and forsake ye him, that he be smitten and perish (and leave ye him there, so that he can be struck down and die).

¹⁶ Therefore when Joab besieged the city, he setted Uriah in the place where he knew that (the) strongest men were.

¹⁷ And [the] men went out of the city, and fought against Joab, and they killed of the people of the servants of David, and also Uriah (the) Hittite was dead there. (And the men came out of the city, and fought against Joab, and they killed some of David’s officers, and Uriah the Hittite was also killed.)

¹⁸ Therefore Joab sent, and told all the words of the battle; (And so Joab sent a message to David, telling him all about the battle;)

¹⁹ and he commanded to the messenger, and said, When thou hast fulfilled all the words of the battle to the king (When thou hast finished telling the king everything about the battle),

²⁰ if thou seest, that he is wroth, and saith, Why nighed ye to the wall to fight? whether ye knew not, that many darts, (or arrows,) (would) be sent out from the wall above?

²¹ who smote Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth? whether not a woman sent on him a gobbet of a millstone from the wall, and killed him in Thebez? why nighed ye beside the wall? thou shalt say, Also thy servant, Uriah (the) Hittite, died. (do ye not recall who struck down Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman send down a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall above, and killed him there in Thebez? why did ye go beside the wall? thou shalt say, And thy officer, Uriah the Hittite, also died.)

²² Therefore the messenger went, [and came] (to the king), and told to David all things which Joab had commanded to him.

²³ And the messenger said to David, [The] Men had the mastery against us, and they went out to us into the field; and with great fierceness we pursued them unto the gate of the city.

²⁴ And [the] archers sent (out) darts to thy servants from the wall above, and some of the king’s servants be dead; and also thy servant, Uriah (the) Hittite, is dead. (And their archers sent out arrows at thy servants, or thy officers, from the wall above, and some of the king’s servants were killed; and thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, also died.)

²⁵ And David said to the messenger, Thou shalt say these things to Joab, This thing break not thee; for the hap of battle is diverse, and sword wasteth now this man, [and] now that man; comfort thy fighters against the city, that thou destroy it, and excite thou them. (And David said to the messenger, Thou shalt say these things to Joab, Do not let this thing break thee; for the happenstance of battle is diverse, and the sword wasteth now this man, and now that one; make thy fighting men strong against the city, so that thou destroy it, yea, encourage thou them.)

²⁶ And the wife of Uriah heard, that Uriah her husband was dead, and she bewailed him.

²⁷ And when the mourning was passed, David sent, and brought her into his house; and she was made (a) wife to him, and she childed a son to him. And this word that David had done displeased before the Lord (But this thing that David had done greatly displeased the Lord).

12 Therefore the Lord sent Nathan to David; and when he had come to David, he said to him, Answer thou a doom to me (Give thou to me your judgement on this); two men were in one city; one man was rich, and the tother was poor.

² The rich man had full many sheep, and oxen;

³ and the poor man had utterly nothing, except one little sheep, which he had bought, and nourished, and which had waxed at him, (and) with his sons, and ate together (with them) of his bread, and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom; and it was as a daughter to him. (and the poor man had utterly nothing, except one little lamb, which he had bought, and nourished, and which had grown up with him, and with his sons, and together with them ate his food, and drank from his cup, and slept in his bosom; yea, it was like a daughter to him.)

⁴ But when a pilgrim came to this rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, that he should make a feast to that pilgrim, that came to him; and he took the sheep of the poor man, and prepared meats to the man that came to him. (But when a visitor came to the rich man, he would not take his own sheep and oxen to make a feast for that visitor, who came to him; but instead he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared food for the man who came to him.)

⁵ Certainly David was full wroth with indignation against that man, and he said to Nathan, (As) The Lord liveth, for the man that did this thing is the son of death, that is, is worthy of death, for the hideousness of the deed;

⁶ he shall yield the sheep into fourfold, for he did this word, and spared not. (he shall give him four sheep, for he did this thing, and yet could care less.)

⁷ And Nathan said to David, Thou art that man, that hast done this thing. The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I anointed thee into king on Israel (I anointed thee king upon Israel), and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul,

⁸ and I gave to thee the house of thy lord, and the wives of thy lord in(to) thy bosom, and I gave to thee the house of Israel, and of Judah; and if these things be little, I shall add to thee much greater things (and if these things were too little, I would have added much greater things for thee).

⁹ Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, that thou didest evils in my sight? Thou hast killed by sword Uriah (the) Hittite, and thou hast taken his wife into wife to thee, and thou hast slain him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. (And so why hast thou despised the word of the Lord, so that thou didest evils in my sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and thou hast taken his wife for thy wife, and thou hast killed him by the sword of the Ammonites.)

¹⁰ Wherefore a sword shall not go away from thine house till into without end; for thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah (the) Hittite, that she should be thy wife.

¹¹ Therefore the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall raise on thee evil (out) of thine house, and I shall take thy wives in thine eyes, and I shall give to thy neighbour, and he shall sleep with thy wives in the eyes of this sun. (And so the Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall raise up evil against thee from thy own house, and I shall take thy wives from before thee, and I shall give them to thy neighbour, or to another man, and he shall sleep with thy wives in broad daylight.)

¹² For thou hast done (thy sin) privily; forsooth I shall do this word in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of this sun. (Yea, thou hast done thy sin in secret; but I shall do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.)

¹³ And David said to Nathan, I have sinned to the Lord. And Nathan said to David, Also the Lord hath turned away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord hath turned away thy sin; thou shalt not die.)

¹⁴ Nevertheless for thou hast made [the] enemies to blaspheme the name of the Lord, for this word the child that is born to thee shall die by death (because of this, the child who is born to thee shall die).

¹⁵ And Nathan turned again into his house. And the Lord smote the little child, whom the wife of Uriah childed to David, and he despaired. (And Nathan returned to his house. And the Lord struck the young child, whom Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became very ill.)

¹⁶ And David prayed to the Lord for the little child; and David fasted by fasting, and entered asides half, and lay on the earth (and lay on the floor all night).

¹⁷ And the elder men of his house came, and constrained him, that he should rise up from the earth; and he would not, neither he ate meat with them. (And the older men of his household came, and compelled him to get up off the floor; but he would not, nor would he eat any food with them.)

¹⁸ And it befelled in the seventh day, that the young child died; and the servants of David dreaded to tell to him, that the little child was dead; for they said, Lo! while the little child lived yet, we spake to him, and he heard not our voice; how much more (now), if we say the child is dead, he shall torment himself? (And it befell that on the seventh day, the young child died; and David’s servants feared to tell him that the young child was dead; for they said, Lo! while the young child yet lived, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us; how much more now shall he torment himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?)

¹⁹ Therefore when David had heard his servants speaking privily, either muttering, he understood that the young child was dead; and he said to his servants, Whether the child is dead? (Is the child dead?) Which answered to him, He is dead.

²⁰ Therefore David rose up from the earth, and was washed, and anointed; and when he had changed his clothes, he entered into the house of the Lord, and worshipped, and came into his house; and he asked, that they should set bread to him, and he ate. (And so David got up off the floor, and washed, and anointed himself; and when he had changed his clothes, he went to the House of the Lord, and worshipped, and then came back to the palace; and he asked them to set food before him, and he ate it.)

²¹ And his servants said to him, What is the word that thou hast done? Thou hast fasted, and wept for the young child, while he lived yet; but when the child was dead, thou risedest/thou hast risen up, and atest bread? (And his servants said to him, What is this? Thou hast fasted, and wept for the young child, while yet he lived; but when the child was dead, thou hast risen up, and eaten food?)

²² And David said, I fasted and wept for the young child, when he lived yet; for I said, Who knoweth, if peradventure the Lord give him to me, and the young child live? (And David said, Yes, I fasted and wept for the young child, while yet he lived; for I said, Who knoweth, perhaps the Lord shall give him back to me, and the young child shall live.)

²³ But now for he is dead, why fast I? whether I shall be able to again-call him more? I shall go more to him, but he shall not turn again to me. (But now that he is dead, why should I fast? can I call him back again? One day, I shall go to him, but he shall never return to me.)

²⁴ And David comforted Bathsheba, his wife; and he entered [in] to her, and slept with her. And she engendered a son, and David called his name Solomon; and the Lord loved him.

²⁵ And he sent him in the hand of Nathan, the prophet; and he called his name Amiable to the Lord, for the Lord loved him. (And he sent word through Nathan, the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, that is, Beloved of the Lord, for the Lord loved him.)

²⁶ Then Joab fought against Rabbah, of the sons of Ammon, and he fought against the king’s city.

²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and the city of waters shall be taken (and I have taken the city’s water supply).

²⁸ Now therefore gather thou the tother part of the people, and besiege thou the city, and take thou it, lest when the city is wasted of me (lest when I have destroyed the city), the victory be areckoned to my name.

²⁹ Therefore David gathered together all the people, and he went forth against Rabbah; and when he had fought against that city, he took it.

³⁰ And he took the diadem of the king of them^[b] from his head, by weight [of] a talent of gold, (and) having precious pearls; and it was put on the head of David; but also David bare away full much prey of the city. (And he took the crown off the head of their king/And he took the crown off the head of their idol, which weighed a talent of gold, and was adorned with precious pearls; and it was put on David’s head; and David also took away a great deal of prey, or of spoils, from the city.)

³¹ And he led forth the people thereof, and sawed (them), and did about them iron instruments of torment, and parted (them) with knives, and led (them) over by the likeness of tilestones; so he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David turned again, and all his host, into Jerusalem (And then David, and all his army, returned to Jerusalem).

20 Forsooth it was done after the end of a year, in that time wherein kings be wont to go forth to battles, Joab gathered the host, and the strength of (the) chivalry, and he wasted the land of the sons of Ammon, and went, and besieged Rabbah; forsooth David dwelled in Jerusalem, when Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it. (And it was done after the end of the year, at that time when kings be wont to go forth to battle, Joab gathered the army, and the power of the cavalry, or the horsemen, and he wasted the land of the Ammonites, and went, and besieged Rabbah; but David stayed in Jerusalem, while Joab struck Rabbah, and destroyed it.)

² And David took the crown of Malcham from his head, and found therein the weight of gold (of) a talent, and most precious gems, and he made thereof a diadem to himself; also he took full many spoils of the city. (And David took the crown from the head of their idol Milcom, and found that it weighed a talent of gold, and had a most precious gemstone, and he made it his own crown; and he took full many spoils from the city.)

³ And he led out the people that was therein, and made brads, either instruments by which corns be broken, and sleds, and iron chariots, to pass (over) on them, so that all men were cut into diverse parts, and were all-broken; David did thus to all the cities of the sons of Ammon, and he turned again with all his people into Jerusalem. (And he led out the people who were there, and made brads, that is, instruments by which corn is broken, and sleds, and iron chariots, to pass over the top of them, so that all the people were cut into many parts, and were killed; and David did this to all the cities of the Ammonites, and then he returned with all of his people to Jerusalem.)

⁴ After these things, a battle was made in Gezer against (the) Philistines, wherein Sibbechai (the) Hushathite slew Sippai of the kin of Rephaim, that is, of the kind of giants, and he meeked them (and he made them low, or he humbled them).

⁵ Also another battle was done against the Philistines, in which a man given of God, the son of the forest, a man of Bethlehem, killed Goliath of Gath, the brother of giants, of whose shaft, or spear, the wood was as the beam of webs. (And another battle was made against the Philistines, in which Elhanan, the son of Jair, a man of Bethlehem, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath of Gath, and the wood of his shaft, or his spear, was like a weaver’s beam.)

⁶ But also another battle befelled in Gath, in which a full long man was, having six fingers (on each hand, and six toes on each foot), that is, altogether four and twenty, and he was (also) begotten of the generation of Rephaim; (And another battle befell in Gath, in which there was a very tall man, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, that is, twenty-four digits altogether, and he was also born of the descendants of the Rephaim, that is, of the giants;)

⁷ and he blasphemed Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimea, (the) brother of David, killed him.

⁸ These be the sons of Rephaim in Gath, that felled down in the hand of David, and of his servants. (These be the sons of the Rephaim in Gath, who fell at the hands of David, and his men.)