2 Samuel 12
12
1 #
Ps 51 Title. and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:
A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. 2The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.
4One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's lamb and served it instead.
5David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! 6And because he didn't have pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth.”
7Then Nathan told David:
You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: “I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul 8and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. 9Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by letting the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.
10“Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. 11#2 S 16.22. Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. 12What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.”
13-14David said, “I have disobeyed the Lord.”
“Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn't care what the Lord wanted.#12.13,14 what … wanted: One manuscript of one ancient translation; one Hebrew manuscript “what the Lord had said”; most Hebrew manuscripts “what the enemies of the Lord would think.” He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will.” 15Then Nathan went back home.
David's Young Son Dies
The Lord made David's young son very sick.
16So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor. 17His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them.
18After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, “Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!”
19David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. “Did my son die?” he asked his servants.
“Yes, he did,” they answered.
20David got up off the floor; he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the Lord's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it.
21His officials said, “What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating.”
22David answered:
While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, “Who knows? Maybe the Lord will have pity on me and let the child live.” 23But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.
Solomon Is Born
24David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. Later on, she gave birth to another son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon 25and sent Nathan the prophet to tell David, “The Lord will call him Jedidiah.”#12.25 Jedidiah: In Hebrew this name means “Loved by the Lord.”
The End of the War with Ammon
(1 Chronicles 20.1b-3)
26Meanwhile, Joab had been in the country of Ammon, attacking the city of Rabbah. He captured the royal fortress 27and sent a messenger to tell David:
I have attacked Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding the city water supply. 28Call the rest of the army together. Then surround the city, and capture it yourself. If you don't, everyone will remember that I captured the city.
29David called the rest of the army together and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city 30and took the crown from the statue of their god Milcom.#12.30 the statue of their god Milcom: Or “their king.” The crown was made of about 35 kilograms of gold, and there was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown.#12.30 David … crown: Or “and David wore the crown.” He also carried off everything else of value. 31David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls#12.31 tear … walls: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. with iron picks and axes, and then he put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities.
David went back to Jerusalem, and the people of Israel returned to their homes.
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2 Samuel 12: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
2 Samuel 12
12
Nathan Confronts David
1Then Adonai sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said to him, “There were two men in the same city—one was rich and the other poor.
2The rich man had an exceedingly huge flock and herd,
3but the poor man had nothing at all, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his own morsel and drank from his own cup, and nestled in his bosom, and it was to him like a daughter.
4Now a traveler came to the rich man, but he was unwilling to take one from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Rather, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man that had come to him.”
5Then David’s anger blazed hot against the man and he said to Nathan, “As Adonai lives, the man that did this deserves to die!
6So he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.”
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says Adonai, God of Israel: It is I who anointed you king over Israel, and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. Now if that were too little, then I would have added to you so much more.
9Why then have you despised the word of Adonai by doing such evil in My eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to be your wife, and him you have slain with the sword of the children of Ammon
10So now 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“Thus says Adonai: Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12Indeed you have done it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun.”
13Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Adonai.” Nathan replied to David, “Adonai also has made your sin pass away—you will not die.
14However, because by this deed you have made the enemies of Adonai greatly blaspheme, so even the child born to you will surely die.”
15Then Nathan went to his house. Then Adonai struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David and he became very sick.
16David therefore sought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the floor.
17The elders of his household stood beside him in order to get him up from the floor but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.
18Then it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he didn’t listen to our voice. So how can we tell him that the child is dead? He might do something terrible!”
19But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” “He is dead,” they said.
20Then David got up from the floor, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the House of Adonai and worshipped. When he came back to his own palace, he asked for food, so they set food before him and he ate.
21His servants asked him, “What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept while the child was still alive, but as soon as the child died, you got up and ate food.”
22He replied, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought, ‘Who knows? Adonai might be gracious to me and let the child live.’
23But now that he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? It is I who will be going to him, but he will never return to me.”
24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son and called his name Solomon. Adonai loved him,
25and He sent word by the hand of the prophet Nathan. So he called his name Jedidiah, for Adonai’s sake.
26Now Joab attacked Rabbah of the children of Ammon and captured the royal city.
27So Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have attacked Rabbah and captured the city’s water supply.
28So now gather the rest of the troops together, camp against the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city myself and it will be named after me.”
29So David gathered all the troops, went to Rabbah, attacked it and captured it.
30Then he took the crown of their king from off his head—its weight was a talent of gold and in it was a precious stone—and then it was placed on David’s head. He also brought a vast amount of spoils out of the city.
31Then he brought out the people who were there and put them to work under saws, iron threshing boards and iron axes, and assigned them to brick making; and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.
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