2 Samuel 12
12
Nathan Rebukes David
1Ch 20:1–3
1#1Ki 20:35–41The Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, “There were two men in a certain city. One was wealthy, but the other was poor. 2The wealthy man had a very large flock and herd, 3#2Sa 11:3but the poor man had nothing except a single small ewe lamb that he had acquired. He nourished it and raised it together with himself and his sons. From his crumbs, it would eat; from his cup, it would drink; and in his arms it would lie. It was like a daughter to him.
4“There came a visitor to the wealthy man, but he was unwilling to take from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wanderer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared food for the wanderer who had come to him.”
5#1Sa 26:16David became very angry because of this man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die. 6#Ex 22:1; Lk 19:8And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7#1Sa 16:13Then Nathan told David, “You are this man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave to you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Judah. If this were too little, I would have continued to do for you much more. 9#1Sa 15:19; 15:23Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and you took his wife as a wife for yourself. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10#2Sa 18:14–15Now the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11#Dt 28:30; 2Sa 16:21–22“Thus says the Lord: See, I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house. I will take your wives before your eyes and will give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12#2Sa 16:22Although you did it secretly, I will do this thing before all of Israel, and under the sun.”
13#2Sa 24:10; Lev 20:10Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14#Isa 52:5; Ro 2:24Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
15#1Sa 25:38Then Nathan went to his house. The Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had born for David, and he became sick. 16#2Sa 13:31David entreated God on behalf of the child. He fasted for a period, and he would go in and lie throughout the night on the ground. 17#2Sa 3:35The elders of his house stood beside him to rouse him from the ground, but he was not willing, nor would he consume food with them.
18The child died on the seventh day, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child had died. They said, “When the child was alive, we would speak to him, but he would not acknowledge our voices. Now how can we say to him, ‘The child is dead’? He may do harm.”
19When David noticed that his servants were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?”
They said, “He is dead.”
20#Job 1:20; Ru 3:3So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his garments. Then he entered the house of the Lord and worshipped. He then went in to his own house. When he asked, they set down food for him and ate.
21His servants said to him, “What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept for the sake of the living child, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22#Isa 38:1–3; 38:5He explained, “As long as the child was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, so that the child may live.’ 23#Ge 37:35; Job 7:8–10But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Am I able to bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
The Birth of Solomon
24#Mt 1:6Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. He went to her and lay with her, so that she conceived a son. They named him Solomon, and the Lord loved him. 25#Ne 13:26So He sent a word by way of the prophet Nathan that he should be named Jedidiah for the sake of the Lord.
26#Dt 3:11; 1Ch 20:1–3Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and assumed control of the royal city. 27So Joab sent messengers to David and reported, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have occupied the water supply of the city. 28Now gather the remainder of the people, lay siege to the city, and take it. Otherwise, I myself will capture the city, and it will be called by my name.”
29So David gathered all of the people and they went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. 30#1Ch 20:2David took the crown of their king from his head, and its weight was a talent#About 75 pounds, or 34 kilograms. of gold and precious stone. It was placed upon the head of David. He brought out large quantities of plunder from the city. 31#1Ch 20:3He brought out the people who were in it, and he put them to work with saws, and iron picks, and iron axes, and sent them to work in the brick kiln. Thus he did to all of the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all of the people returned to Jerusalem.
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2 Samuel 12: MEV
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Military Bible Association
2 Samuel 12
12
Nathan's Message and David's Repentance
1 #
Ps 51 (Title) The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, “There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had many cattle and sheep, 3while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it with some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him. 4One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to prepare a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and cooked a meal for his guest.”
5David was very angry with the rich man and said, “I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this ought to die! 6For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took.”
7“You are that man,” Nathan said to David. “And this is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. 8I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. 9Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife! 10Now, in every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah's wife. 11#2 Sam 16.22I swear to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble on you. You will see it when I take your wives from you and give them to another man; and he will have intercourse with them in broad daylight. 12You sinned in secret, but I will make this happen in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’ ”
13“I have sinned against the LORD,” David said.
Nathan replied, “The LORD forgives you; you will not die. 14But because you have shown such contempt for the LORD in doing this, your child will die.” 15Then Nathan went home.
David's Son Dies
The LORD caused the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David to become very ill. 16David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor. 17His court officials went to him and tried to make him get up, but he refused and would not eat anything with them. 18A week later the child died, and David's officials were afraid to tell him the news. They said, “While the child was living, David wouldn't answer us when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that his child is dead? He might do himself some harm!”
19When David noticed them whispering to each other, he realized that the child had died. So he asked them, “Is the child dead?”
“Yes, he is,” they answered.
20David got up from the floor, had a bath, combed his hair, and changed his clothes. Then he went and worshipped in the house of the LORD. When he returned to the palace, he asked for food and ate it as soon as it was served. 21“We don't understand this,” his officials said to him. “While the child was alive, you wept for him and would not eat; but as soon as he died, you got up and ate!”
22“Yes,” David answered, “I did fast and weep while he was still alive. I thought that the LORD might be merciful to me and not let the child die. 23But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Could I bring the child back to life? I will some day go to where he is, but he can never come back to me.”
Solomon is Born
24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He had intercourse with her, and she bore a son, whom David named Solomon. The LORD loved the boy 25and commanded the prophet Nathan to name the boy Jedidiah,#12.25 Jedidiah: This name in Hebrew means “Beloved of the LORD”. because the LORD loved him.
David Captures Rabbah
(1 Chr 20.1–3)
26Meanwhile Joab continued his campaign against Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, and was about to capture it. 27He sent messengers to David to report: “I have attacked Rabbah and have captured its water supply. 28Now gather the rest of your forces, attack the city and take it yourself. I don't want to get the credit for capturing it.” 29So David gathered his forces, went to Rabbah, attacked it, and conquered it. 30From the head of the idol of the Ammonite god Molech#12.30 idol of the Ammonite god Molech; or Ammonite king. David took a gold crown which weighed about 35 kilogrammes and had a jewel in it. David took the jewel and put it in his own crown.#12.30 jewel… crown; or crown and put it on his own head. He also took a large amount of loot from the city 31and put its people to work with saws, iron hoes, and iron axes, and forced them to work at#12.31 Probable text (see 1 Chr 20.3) work at; Hebrew pass through. making bricks. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.