Chapter 12
Nathan’s Parable. 1 The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David, and when Nathan arrived, he said to him: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich and the other was poor. 2 The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance, 3 but the poor man had nothing at all except for one little ewe lamb which he had bought. He cared for it, and the lamb grew up with him and with his children. It would share the little food he had and drink from his cup and sleep in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “On one occasion the rich man welcomed a traveler into his house, but he had no wish to take one animal from his flock or herd to provide a meal for his guest. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”
5 On hearing this, David flew into a rage against that man, and he said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. 6 He must make fourfold restitution[a] for the lamb, because he has done this without showing the least bit of pity.”
David’s Punishment. 7 Then Nathan said to David: “You are that man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king of Israel, and I rescued you from the clutches of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives as your own. I also gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And if that had not been sufficient, I would have given you even more.
9 “ ‘Why have you shown your lack of gratitude to the Lord by doing what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife to be your own after having killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, since you have shown contempt for me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11 “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will bring misfortune upon you from within your own house. Before your very eyes I shall take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You have done such deeds in secret, but I will do them in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’ ”
13 David’s Repentance. David said to Nathan: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied to David: “The Lord has decided to forgive your sin. You shall not die. 14 However, since you have shown your utter contempt for the Lord by this deed, the child born to you will die.”
15 After Nathan returned home, the Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it fell gravely ill. 16 David, therefore, pleaded with God for the child. He maintained a strict fast, and throughout the night he would lie on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood around him, urging him to rise from the ground. However, he refused to do so, nor would he take food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said: “While the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he refused to listen to us. How then can we inform him that the child is dead? He may do something desperate.” 19 However, David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves, and he realized that the child had died. He asked the servants: “Is the child dead?” They replied: “Yes, the child is dead.”
20 David, thereupon, rose from the ground, bathed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He then went into the house of the Lord and worshiped before he returned to his own house. When he requested food, they set it before him, and he ate. 21 His servants said to him: “Why are you acting in this way? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate food.”
22 David said: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought: ‘Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to me and allow the child to live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
24 [b]David then proceeded to console his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. As a result, she bore a son, whom they named Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and he sent a message to the prophet Nathan instructing him to name the child Jedidiah according to the Lord’s wish.
26 The Ammonite War Ends. Shortly thereafter, Joab attacked Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to inform David: “I have assaulted Rabbah and gained control of the water supply. 28 Therefore, assemble the rest of the soldiers, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I myself will capture the city, and then it will be named after me.”
29 Without delay, David assembled the rest of his soldiers and went to Rabbah, where he assaulted the city and captured it. 30 He took the crown of Milcom from his head. Weighing a talent of gold and encrusted with precious stones, it was placed on David’s head. He also carried out a tremendous amount of spoil from the city.
31 Furthermore, David led away the city’s inhabitants and set them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes or assigned them to toil at brickmaking. This was his regular procedure in regard to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and all of his soldiers returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 12:6 Fourfold restitution: although David doesn’t yet admit to his sinfulness, he will be burdened with the death of four of his sons, Bathsheba’s firstborn, and later Amnon, Absalom, and lastly Adonijah.
- 2 Samuel 12:24 The child’s two names signify God’s forgiveness. Solomon is connected with “shalom” (peace), and Jedidiah means “loved by God.”