Historical

11 In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent out Yo’av, his servants who were with him and all Isra’el. They ravaged the people of ‘Amon and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim. ² Once, after his afternoon nap, David got up from his bed and went strolling on the roof of the king’s palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. ³ David made inquiries about the woman and was told that she was Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli‘am, the wife of Uriyah the Hitti. ⁴ David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he went to bed with her (for she had been purified from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived; and she sent a message to David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ David sent this order to Yo’av: “Send me Uriyah the Hitti.” Yo’av sent Uriyah to David. ⁷ When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo’av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriyah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriyah left the king’s palace and was followed by a present of food from the king. ⁹ But Uriyah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and didn’t go down to his house. ¹⁰ When they told David, “Uriyah didn’t go down to his house,” David said to Uriyah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?” ¹¹ Uriyah answered David, “The ark, Isra’el and Y’hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo’av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” ¹² David said to Uriyah, “Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave.” So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day. ¹³ David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord’s servants and did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’av and sent it with Uriyah. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriyah on the front lines of the fiercest fighting; then pull back from him, so that he will be wounded and killed.” ¹⁶ So while Yo’av had the city under siege, he assigned Uriyah to the place where he knew the toughest defenders were. ¹⁷ The men of the city went out and fought Yo’av; a number of people fell, including some of David’s servants, with Uriyah the Hitti among the dead.

¹⁸ Yo’av sent a message to David reporting all the news concerning the war, ¹⁹ and he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling the king all the news about the war, ²⁰ he may become angry and ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Didn’t you think about the person who struck Avimelekh the son of Yerubeshet, that a woman threw an upper millstone down on him from the wall, so that he died at Tevetz? Why did you go so near the wall?’ If he says this, tell him, ‘Your servant Uriyah is dead also.’” ²² So the messenger left, and on arrival he told David all that Yo’av had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men were overpowering us and came out after us into the countryside. But we chased them back all the way to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ The archers shot at your servants from the wall; some of the king’s servants are dead; also your servant Uriyah the Hitti is dead.” ²⁵ David said to the messenger, “Tell Yo’av, ‘Don’t let this matter get you down — the sword devours in one way or another. Intensify your battle against the city, and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

²⁶ When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she mourned her husband. ²⁷ When the mourning was over, David sent and took her home to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

But Adonai saw what David had done as evil.

12 Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, “In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor. ² The rich man had vast flocks and herds; ³ but the poor man had nothing, except for one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and reared. It had grown up with him and his children; it ate from his plate, drank from his cup, lay on his chest — it was like a daughter to him. ⁴ One day a traveler visited the rich man, and instead of picking an animal from his own flock or herd to cook for his visitor, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵ David exploded with anger against the man and said to Natan, “As Adonai lives, the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶ For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity.”

⁷ Natan said to David, “You are the man.

“Here is what Adonai, the God of Isra’el says: ‘I anointed you king over Isra’el. I rescued you from the power of Sha’ul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra’el and the house of Y’hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.

⁹ “‘So why have you shown such contempt for the word of Adonai and done what I see as evil? You murdered Uriyah the Hitti with the sword and taken his wife as your own wife; you put him to death with the sword of the people of ‘Amon. ¹⁰ Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house — because you have shown contempt for me and taken the wife of Uriyah the Hitti as your own wife.’ ¹¹ Here is what Adonai says: ‘I will generate evil against you out of your own household. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to your neighbor; he will go to bed with your wives, and everyone will know about it. ¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Isra’el in broad daylight.’”

¹³ David said to Natan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”

Natan said to David, “Adonai also has taken away your sin. You will not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this act you have so greatly blasphemed Adonai, the child born to you must die.” ¹⁵ Then Natan returned to his house.

Adonai struck the child that Uriyah’s wife had borne to David, and it became very ill. ¹⁶ David prayed to God on behalf of the child; David fasted, then came and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷ The court officials got up and stood next to him trying to get him off the ground, but he refused, and he wouldn’t 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, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he didn’t listen to us; if we tell him now that the child is dead, he may do himself some harm.” ¹⁹ But when David saw his servants whispering to each other, he suspected that the child was dead. David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” and they answered, “He is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up off the ground, washed, anointed himself and changed his clothes. He went into the house of Adonai and worshipped; then he went to his own palace; and when he asked for food, they served it to him; and he ate. ²¹ His servants asked him, “What are you doing? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat food!” ²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; because I thought, ‘Maybe Adonai will show his grace to me and let the child live.’ ²³ But now that he’s dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴ David comforted his wife Bat-Sheva, came to her and went to bed with her; she gave birth to a son and named him Shlomo. Adonai loved him ²⁵ and sent through Natan the prophet to have him named Y’didyah [loved by God], for Adonai’s sake.

²⁶ Yo’av fought against Rabbah of the people of ‘Amon and took the royal city. ²⁷ Yo’av sent people to David with this message: “I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply. ²⁸ Therefore, assemble the rest of the people; lay siege to the city; and capture it. Otherwise, I will capture the city; and it will be named after me!” ²⁹ David assembled all the people, went to Rabbah, fought against it and captured it. ³⁰ He took the crown off Malkam’s head; it weighed sixty-six pounds, with its gold and precious stones; and it was placed on David’s head. He carried off great quantities of spoil from the city. ³¹ In addition, he expelled the people who were in it and set them to work with saws, iron harrows and iron axes, or had them cross over to work in the brick factory. This is what he did to all the cities of the people of ‘Amon. Then David and all the people returned to Yerushalayim.

13 Now Avshalom the son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Some time after the previous events, Amnon the son of David fell in love with her. ² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he became ill, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it would be impossible to approach her. ³ But Amnon had a friend named Yonadav the son of Shim‘ah David’s brother; and Yonadav was a very shrewd fellow. ⁴ He asked him, “Why, son of the king, are you growing thinner every day? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon answered him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Avshalom’s sister.” ⁵ Yonadav said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend you’re sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food to eat, and have her prepare the food where I can watch. I’ll eat what she serves me.” ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes here where I can watch, and I’ll eat what she serves me.” ⁷ David sent this instruction home to Tamar: “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare him some food.” ⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes. ⁹ Then she took the pan and turned them out in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Have everyone leave me”; and everyone left him. ¹⁰ Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the room, so that I can have you serve me. Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ But when she brought them near, so that he could eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come to bed with me, my sister.” ¹² “No, my brother,” she answered him, “don’t force me! Things like this aren’t done in Isra’el; don’t behave so disgracefully! ¹³ Where could I go with such shame? And as for you, you will be regarded as one of Isra’el’s vulgar brutes. Now therefore, please! Speak to the king, because he won’t keep me from you.” ¹⁴ However, he wouldn’t listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he overpowered her and raped her. ¹⁵ But then he was filled with utter revulsion for her — his hatred of her was even greater than the love he had had for her before. Amnon said to her, “Get up, and get out of here!” ¹⁶ “No,” she objected, “because throwing me out like this is an even worse thing than what you’ve already done to me!” But he wouldn’t listen to her; ¹⁷ he called his personal servant and said, “Get rid of this woman for me! Throw her out, and lock the door after her!” ¹⁸ She was wearing a long-sleeved robe (this was how they used to dress the king’s daughters who were virgins). His servant took her out and locked the door after her. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head, tore her long-sleeved robe that she was wearing, laid her hand on her head and went off, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ Avshalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now, my sister, keep quiet; because he’s your brother. Don’t take the matter to heart.” But Tamar remained desolate in her brother Avshalom’s house.

²¹ When King David heard about all these things, he became very angry. ²² As for Avshalom, he refused to say a word to Amnon, either good or bad; for Avshalom hated Amnon for having raped his sister Tamar.

²³ Two years later, when Avshalom had sheep-shearers in Ba‘al-Hatzor, near Efrayim, Avshalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴ Avshalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has sheep-shearers; please let the king and his servants come along with your servant.” ²⁵ The king replied to Avshalom, “No, my son, let’s not all go — we don’t want to be a burden to you.” Avshalom pressed him, but he wouldn’t go; however he gave him his blessing. ²⁶ Then Avshalom said, “If you won’t go, then please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Avshalom kept pressing him, so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ Avshalom ordered his servants, “Pay close attention: when Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine, and I say to you, ‘Kill Amnon,’ then strike him down. Don’t be afraid — I’m the one ordering you to do it — but take courage, and be bold.” ²⁹ Avshalom’s servants did to Amnon as Avshalom had ordered. At this, all the king’s sons jumped up, mounted their mules and fled.

³⁰ While they were on their way, the news came to David that Avshalom had killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them was left alive. ³¹ The king got up, tore his clothes and lay on the ground, while all his servants stood by with their clothes torn too. ³² But then Yonadav, the son of Shim‘ah, David’s brother, spoke up; he said, “My lord shouldn’t think they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons. Only Amnon is dead; for Avshalom has meant to do this ever since the day he raped his sister Tamar. ³³ So my lord the king shouldn’t take it as seriously as if all the king’s sons are dead; only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴ However, Avshalom took flight. The young man keeping watch looked up and saw many people coming along the road behind him on the hillside. ³⁵ Yonadav said to the king, “Here, the king’s sons have come; it’s just as your servant said.” ³⁶ The moment he finished speaking, the king’s sons came, cried out and wept; and the king too, with all his servants, cried out in great pain. ³⁷ Avshalom fled and went to Talmai the son of ‘Ammihud, king of G’shur. David mourned for his son every day. ³⁸ So Avshalom fled, went to G’shur and stayed there three years. ³⁹ But as King David became reconciled to the death of his son Amnon, he was increasingly filled with longing to see Avshalom.