2 Samuel 12
12
Nathan’s Parable and David’s Repentance
1So the Lord sent Nathan to David. # Ps 51 title When he arrived, he said to him:
There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had a large number of sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up, living with him and his children. It shared his meager food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest. # Lit for the man who had come to him
5David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.” # Ex 22:1; Lk 19:8
7Nathan replied to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, # 1Sm 16:13 and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms, # Lit bosom and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. 9Why then have you despised the command of the Lord by doing what I consider # Alt Hb tradition reads what He considers evil? # Nm 15:30-31; 1Sm 15:19 You struck down Uriah # Mt 1:6 the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife — you murdered him with the Ammonite’s sword. # 2Sm 11:14-17 10Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house # 2Sm 12:18; 13:28-29; 18:14-18; 1Kg 2:22-25; 2Kg 11:1 because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.’
11“This is what the Lord says, # 2Sm 16:21-22 ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another # Or to your neighbor before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them publicly. # Lit in the eyes of this sun 12You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.’ ” # Lit and before the sun
13David responded to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” # 2Sm 24:10; Ps 32:5; 51:4
Then Nathan replied to David, “The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. # Lv 20:10; 24:17; Ps 32:1-5; Pr 28:13 14However, because you treated # Ancient Jewish tradition, one LXX ms; MT reads treated the enemies of ; DSS read treated the word of the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.” # 2Sm 12:18 15Then Nathan went home.
The Death of Bathsheba’s Son
The Lord struck the baby that Uriah’s # Mt 1:6 wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground. # 2Sm 13:31; Jb 1:20 17The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
18On the seventh day the baby died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, “Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn’t listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate.”
19When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the baby dead? ”
“He is dead,” they replied.
20Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the Lord’s house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate.
21His servants asked him, “What did you just do? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food.”
22He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’ 23But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I’ll go to him, but he will never return to me.” # Jb 7:8-10
The Birth of Solomon
24Then David comforted # Gn 37:35; Ps 23:4; 119:76,82 his wife Bathsheba; he went and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named # Alt Hb tradition reads he named him Solomon. # In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like “peace.” # 1Ch 22:9 The Lord loved him, 25and He sent a message through Nathan the prophet, who named # Or prophet to name him Jedidiah, # = Beloved of the Lord because of the Lord.
Capture of the City of Rabbah
26Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites # 1Ch 20:1-3 and captured the royal fortress. 27Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have also captured the water supply. 28Now therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will be the one to capture the city, and it will be named after me.” 29So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; he fought against it and captured it. 30He took the crown from the head of their king, # LXX reads of Milcom ; some emend to Molech ; 1Kg 11:5,33 and it was placed on David’s head. The crown weighed 75 pounds # Lit a talent of gold, and it had a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city. 31He removed the people who were in the city and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to labor at brickmaking. # Ex 1:13-14 He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
Currently Selected:
2 Samuel 12: HCSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
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.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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.