Historical

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).

13 And it was done after these things, that Amnon, the son of David, loved the fairest sister, Tamar by name, of Absalom, the son of David. (And it was done after these things, that Amnon, one of David’s sons, loved Tamar, the fairest sister of Amnon, and of Absalom, another of David’s sons.)

² And Amnon perished greatly for her, so that he was sick for her love. For since she was a virgin, it seemed hard to him, that he should do anything unhonestly with her. (And Amnon greatly burned for her, so that he was sick for her love. But since she was a virgin, it was hard for him to do anything dishonourable to her.)

³ But there was a friend to Amnon, Jonadab by name, the son of Shimeah, the brother of David; and Jonadab was a full prudent man, [(that is), a full sly man].

⁴ Which said to Amnon, Son of the king, why art thou made feeble so by leanness, by all days? why showest thou not to me? (And he said to Amnon, Son of the king, why art thou made so weak and thin, day after day? why not tellest thou to me?) And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.

⁵ And Jonadab answered to him, Lie thou on thy bed, and feign thou sickness; and when thy father cometh, that he visit thee, say thou to him, I pray, come Tamar, my sister, that she give meat to me, and make a stew, that I eat it of her hand. (And Jonadab answered to him, Do thou this. Lie thou on thy bed, and pretend to be sick; and when thy father cometh to visit thee, say thou to him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give food to me, yea, to make me a stew, and I shall eat it by her hand/and she shall serve it to me.)

⁶ Therefore Amnon lay down, and feigned to be sick. And when the king had come to visit him, Amnon said to the king, I beseech, come Tamar, my sister, that she make two suppings before my eyes, and that I take of her hand the meat made ready. (And so Amnon lay down, and pretended to be sick. And when the king had come to visit him, Amnon said to the king, I beseech thee, that my sister Tamar come, and make supper for me, and when the food is ready, I shall eat it by her hand/she shall serve it to me.)

⁷ Therefore David sent to the house of Tamar, and said, Come thou into the house of Amnon, thy brother, and make thou a stew to him. (And so David sent word to Tamar’s house, and said, Go thou to thy brother Amnon’s house, and make thou a stew for him.)

⁸ And Tamar came into the house of Amnon, her brother. And he lay down; and she took meal, and mixed (it) together, and made (it) moist before his eyes, and seethed [the] suppings (and boiled the supper);

⁹ and she took that, that she had sodden, and poured it out, and set it before him, and he would not eat (and she took what she had boiled, and poured it out, and set it before him, but he would not eat it). And Amnon said, Put ye out all men from me. And when they had put out all (the) men,

¹⁰ Amnon said to Tamar, Bear the meat into the (bed-)closet, that I eat of thine hand. Therefore Tamar took the suppings which she had made, and brought in to Amnon, her brother, in the (bed-)closet. (Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into the bed-chamber, so that I can eat it by thy hand/so that thou can serve it to me. And so Tamar took the supper which she had made, and brought it to her brother Amnon, in the bed-chamber.)

¹¹ And when she had proffered the meat to him, he took her, and said, Come thou, my sister, lie thou with me. (And when she offered him the food, he took hold of her, and said, Come thou, my sister, lie thou with me/sleep with me.)

¹² And she answered to him, My brother, do not thou, do not thou oppress me, for this is not leaveful in Israel (for this is not lawful in Israel); do not thou do this folly.

¹³ For I shall not be able to bear my shame, and thou shalt be as one of the unwise men, (or the fools,) in Israel; but rather speak thou to the king, and he shall not deny me to thee.

¹⁴ Soothly he would not assent to her prayers; but he was stronger in mights, and oppressed her, and lay with her.

¹⁵ And then (afterward,) with full great hatred Amnon hated her, so that the hatred was greater, by which he hated her, than the love by which he (had) loved her before. And Amnon said to her, Rise thou (up), and go.

¹⁶ And she answered to him, This evil is more which thou doest now against me, and puttest me out, than that, that thou didest before. And he would not hear her; (And she answered to him, This evil which thou now doest against me, by putting me out, is worse, than what thou didest before. But he would not listen to her;)

¹⁷ but when the servant was called, that ministered to him (who served him), he said, Put thou out this woman from me, and close thou the door after her.

¹⁸ And she was clothed with a coat down to the heel; for the king’s daughters (who were) virgins used such clothes. Then the servant of Amnon put her out, and closed the door after her.

¹⁹ And she sprinkled ashes (on)to her head, and when her long coat was rent, and her hands put on her head, she went entering [in] and crying.

²⁰ And Absalom, her brother, said to her, Whether Amnon, thy brother, hath lain with thee? But now, sister, be still; he is thy brother, and torment thou not thine heart for this thing. Therefore Tamar dwelled mourning in the house of Absalom, her brother (And so Tamar stayed in the house of her brother Absalom, and mourned her state).

²¹ Forsooth when king David had heard these words, he was full sorry, and he would not make sore the spirit of Amnon, his son (And when King David heard about this, he was very upset, but he would not punish his son Amnon); for he loved Amnon, for he was his first begotten son.

²² And Absalom spake not to Amnon, neither evil nor good; for Absalom hated Amnon, for he had defouled Tamar, his sister (for he had defiled his sister Tamar).

²³ And it was done after the time of two years, that the sheep of Absalom were shorn in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim. And Absalom called all the sons of the king (And Absalom invited all the king’s sons to be there).

²⁴ And he came to the king, and said to him, Lo! the sheep of thy servant be shorn; I pray (thee), come the king with his servants to his servant.

²⁵ And the king said to Absalom, Do not thou, my son, do not thou pray, that all we come, and charge thee. And when he constrained David, and he would not go, he blessed Absalom. (And the king said to Absalom, Do not thou, my son, do not thou pray, that we all come, and be a burden to thee. And when Absalom pressed David, he still would not go, but he blessed Absalom.)

²⁶ And Absalom said to David, If thou wilt not come, I beseech thee, come namely Amnon, my brother, with us (And Absalom said to David, If thou wilt not come, I beseech thee, then let my brother Amnon come with us). And the king said to him, It is no need, that he go with thee.

²⁷ Therefore Absalom constrained him; and he delivered with him Amnon, and all the sons of the king. (But Absalom pressed him; and so he let Amnon, and all his other sons, go with him.)

²⁸ And Absalom had made a feast as the feast of a king. And Absalom [had] commanded to his servants, and said, Espy ye, when Amnon is drunken of wine, and when I say to you, Smite ye, and slayeth him. Do not ye dread, for I am that command to you; be ye strengthened, and be ye strong men. (And Absalom made a feast like the feast of a king. And Absalom commanded to his servants, and said, Watch ye, so that when Amnon is drunk with wine, and I say to you, Strike ye him! that you kill him. Do not ye fear, for I am the one who command you to do this; be ye of good courage, and be ye strong men.)

²⁹ Therefore the servants of Absalom did against Amnon, as Absalom had commanded to them; and (then) all the sons of the king (swiftly) rose up, and ascended each upon his mule, and fled.

³⁰ And when they went yet in the way, (the) fame came thereof to the king, and it was said, Absalom hath slain all the sons of the king, and namely not one (is) left of them. (And when they were yet on the way, the report came to the king, and it was said, Absalom hath killed all of the king’s sons, and not one of them is left alive.)

³¹ Therefore the king rose up, and rent his clothes, and felled down on the earth (and fell down on the ground); and all his servants that stood nigh to him, rent their clothes.

³² But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, brother of David, answered and said, My lord the king, guess thou not, that all the young men, and sons of the king, be slain; Amnon alone is dead, for he was set in hatred to Absalom, from the day in which he oppressed Tamar, his sister. (But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, My lord the king, think thou not, that all of the king’s sons be killed; no, only Amnon is dead, for Absalom hath hated him, from the day that he oppressed his sister Tamar.)

³³ Now therefore, my lord the king, set not this word on his heart, and say, All the sons of the king be slain; for Amnon alone is dead. (And so now, my lord the king, put not this thing upon thy heart, and say, All the king’s sons be killed; for only Amnon is dead.)

³⁴ Forsooth Absalom fled. And a young man, (an) espyer, raised [up] his eyes, and beheld, and lo! much people came by a way out of the common way, by the side of the hill. (And so Absalom fled away. And a young man, a watchman, raised up his eyes, and looked, and lo! a crowd of people came by the road, on the side of the hill behind him.)

³⁵ And Jonadab said to the king, Lo! the sons of the king come; after the word of thy servant, so it is done (yea, so it is done, just as thy servant hath said).

³⁶ And when he had ceased to speak, also the sons of the king appeared; and they entered, and raised up their voice, and wept; but also the king and all his servants wept with full great weeping.

³⁷ Forsooth Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. Therefore David bewailed his son Amnon in many days (And so David bewailed his son Amnon for many days).

³⁸ Forsooth Absalom, when he had fled, and had come into Geshur, was there (for) three years.

³⁹ And [king] David ceased to pursue Absalom, for he was comforted upon the death of Amnon. (And after King David resigned himself to Amnon’s death, he longed for his son Absalom.)