2 Samuel 11
11
David Commits Adultery and Murder
1Now it came to pass at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his officials with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
2One evening David rose from his bed and strolled on the roof of the royal palace. Then from the roof he saw a woman washing—a very beautiful woman.
3So David sent someone to inquire about the woman, and he reported, “Isn’t this Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4Then David sent messengers and took her when she came to him, and he lay with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house.
5The woman conceived and sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”
6So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David.
7When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the troops fared, and how the war was going.
8Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” When Uriah left the royal palace, a present from the king followed him.
9But Uriah slept at the door of the royal palace with all his master’s servants, and did not go down to his house.
10When they informed David saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”
11But Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
12Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day,
13David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk. But in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his master’s servants, but did not go down to his house.
14So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah’s hand.
15In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die.”
16So it came to pass, when Joab was besieging the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.
17Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the troops of David’s officers fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18When Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war,
19he charged the messenger saying, “When you finish reporting all the events of the war to the king,
20if it happens that the king’s wrath flares up and he says to you, ‘Why did you come so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?
21Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you come so close to the wall?’ Then you will say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead, too.’”
22So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to report.
23The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.
24Then the archers shot at your troops from the wall, and some of the king’s officers fell dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite died, too.”
25Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Don’t let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Press your attack against the city and overthrow it!’ So tell him, chazak!”
26Now when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, she mourned over her husband.
27When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone who brought her to his palace. So she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done was evil in Adonai’s eyes.
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
2 Samuel 11
11
David and Bathsheba
1In the spring the kings would go out to war. So in the spring David sent out Joab, his servants and all the Israelites. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. 2One evening David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof# In Bible times houses were built with flat roofs. The roof was used for drying things such as flax and fruit. And it was used as an extra room, as a place for worship and as a place to sleep in the summer. of his palace. While he was on the roof, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. 3So David sent his servants to find out who she was. A servant answered, “That woman is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he had physical relations with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her monthly period.) Then she went back to her house. 5But Bathsheba became pregnant. She sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
6So David sent this message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7Uriah came to David. And David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8Then David said to Uriah, “Go home and rest.”
So Uriah left the palace. The king also sent a gift to him. 9But Uriah did not go home. He slept outside the door of the palace. He slept there as all the king’s officers did.
10The officers told David, “Uriah did not go home.”
Then David said to Uriah, “You came from a long trip. Why didn’t you go home?”
11Uriah said to him, “The Ark of the Covenant and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn’t right for me to go home to eat and drink and have intimate relations with my wife!”
12David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. Tomorrow I’ll send you back to the battle.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13Then David called Uriah to come to see him. Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah went to sleep with the king’s officers outside the king’s door.
14The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. 15In the letter David wrote, “Put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is worst. Then leave him there alone. Let him be killed in battle.”
16Joab watched the city and saw where its strongest defenders were. He put Uriah there. 17The men of the city came out to fight against Joab. Some of David’s men were killed. And Uriah the Hittite was one of them.
18Then Joab sent a report to David about everything that had happened in the war. 19Joab told the messenger, “Tell King David what happened in the war. 20After you finish, the king may become angry. He may ask you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the city wall? 21Do you remember who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth?# Another name for Gideon. It was a woman on the city wall. She threw a large stone for grinding grain on Abimelech. She killed him there in Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?’ If King David asks that, you must answer, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”
22The messenger went in and told David everything Joab had told him to say. 23The messenger told David, “The men of Ammon were winning. They came out and attacked us in the field. But we fought them back to the city gate. 24The men on the city wall shot arrows at your servants. Some of your men were killed. Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.”
25David said to the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t be upset about this. The sword kills everyone the same. Make a stronger attack against the city and capture it.’ Encourage Joab with these words.”
26When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him. 27After she finished her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his house. She became David’s wife and gave birth to his son. But the Lord did not like what David had done.
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