2 Samuel 11

1And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth to war, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem.

1Now in the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent Joab and his servants and all Israel with him; and they made waste the land of the children of Ammon, and took up their position before Rabbah, shutting it in. But David was still at Jerusalem.

1And it cometh to pass, at the revolution of the year--at the time of the going out of the messengers--that David sendeth Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they destroy the Bene-Ammon, and lay siege against Rabbah. And David is dwelling in Jerusalem,

2In the mean time it happened that David arose from his bed after noon, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: And he saw from the roof of his house a woman washing herself, over against him: and the woman was very beautiful.

2Now one evening, David got up from his bed, and while he was walking on the roof of the king's house, he saw from there a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

2and it cometh to pass, at evening-time, that David riseth from off his couch, and walketh up and down on the roof of the king's house, and seeth from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman <FI>is<Fi> of very good appearance,

3And the king sent, and inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite.

3And David sent to get knowledge who the woman was. And one said, Is this not Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?

3and David sendeth and inquireth about the woman, and saith, `Is not this Bath-Sheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite?'

4And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in to him, and he slept with her: and presently she was purified from her uncleanness:

4And David sent and took her; and she came to him, and he took her to his bed: (for she had been made clean;) then she went back to her house.

4And David sendeth messengers, and taketh her, and she cometh unto him, and he lieth with her--and she is purifying herself from her uncleanness--and she turneth back unto her house;

5And she returned to her house having conceived. And she sent and told David, and said: I have conceived.

5And the woman became with child; and she sent word to David that she was with child.

5and the woman conceiveth, and sendeth, and declareth to David, and saith, `I <FI>am<Fi> conceiving.'

6And David sent to Joab, saying: Send me Urias the Hethite. And Joab sent Urias to David.

6And David sent to Joab saying, Send Uriah the Hittite to me. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

6And David sendeth unto Joab, `Send unto me Uriah the Hittite,' and Joab sendeth Uriah unto David;

7And Urias came to David. And David asked how Joab did, and the people, and how the war was carried on.

7And when Uriah came to him, David put questions to him about how Joab and the people were, and how the war was going.

7and Uriah cometh unto him, and David asketh of the prosperity of Joab, and of the prosperity of the people, and of the prosperity of the war.

8And David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet. And Urias went out from the king's house, and there went out after him a mess of meat from the king.

8And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and let your feet be washed. And Uriah went away from the king's house, and an offering from the king was sent after him.

8And David saith to Uriah, `Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet;' and Uriah goeth out of the king's house, and there goeth out after him a gift from the king,

9But Urias slept before the gate of the king's house, with the other servants of his lord, and went not down to his own house.

9But Uriah took his rest at the door of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

9and Uriah lieth down at the opening of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and hath not gone down unto his house.

10And it was told David by some that said: Urias went not to his house. And David said to Urias: Didst thou not come from thy journey? why didst thou not go down to thy house?

10And when word was given to David that Uriah had not gone down to his house, David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? why did you not go down to your house?

10And they declare to David, saying, `Uriah hath not gone down unto his house;' and David saith unto Uriah, `Hast thou not come from a journey? wherefore hast thou not gone down unto thy house?'

11And Urias said to David: The ark of God and Israel and Juda dwell in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide upon the face of the earth: and shall I go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to sleep with my wife? By thy welfare and by the welfare of thy soul I will not do this thing.

11And Uriah said to David, Israel and Judah with the ark are living in tents, and my lord Joab and the other servants of my lord are sleeping in the open field; and am I to go to my house and take food and drink, and go to bed with my wife? By the living Lord, and by the life of your soul, I will not do such a thing.

11And Uriah saith unto David, `The ark, and Israel, and Judah, are abiding in booths, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field are encamping; and I--I go in unto my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife! --thy life, and the life of thy soul--if I do this thing.'

12Then David said to Urias: Tarry here to day, and to morrow I will send thee away. Urias tarried in Jerusalem that day and the next.

12And David said to Uriah, Be here today, and after that I will let you go. So Uriah was in Jerusalem that day and the day after.

12And David saith unto Uriah, `Abide in this <FI>place<Fi> also to-day, and to-morrow I send thee away;' and Uriah abideth in Jerusalem, on that day, and on the morrow,

13And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.

13And when David sent for him, he took meat and drink with him, and David made him the worse for drink: and when evening came, he went to rest on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

13and David calleth for him, and he eateth before him, and drinketh, and he causeth him to drink, and he goeth out in the evening to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, and unto his house he hath not gone down.

14And when the morning was come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,

14Now in the morning, David gave Uriah a letter to take to Joab.

14And it cometh to pass in the morning, that David writeth a letter unto Joab, and sendeth by the hand of Uriah;

15Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.

15And in the letter he said, Take care to put Uriah in the very front of the line, where the fighting is most violent, and go back from him, so that he may be overcome and put to death.

15and he writeth in the letter, saying, `Place ye Uriah over-against the front of the severest battle, and ye have turned back from after him, and he hath been smitten, and hath died.'

16Wherefore as Joab was besieging the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the bravest men were.

16So while Joab was watching the town, he put Uriah in the place where it was clear to him the best fighters were.

16And it cometh to pass in Joab's watching of the city, that he appointeth Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men <FI>are<Fi> ;

17And the men coming out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Urias the Hethite was killed also.

17And the men of the town went out and had a fight with Joab: and a number of David's men came to their death in the fight, and with them Uriah the Hittite.

17and the men of the city go out and fight with Joab, and there fall <FI>some<Fi> of the people, of the servants of David; and there dieth also Uriah the Hittite.

18Then Joab sent, and told David all things concerning the battle.

18Then Joab sent David news of everything which had taken place in the war:

18And Joab sendeth and declareth to David all the matters of the war,

19And he charged the messenger, saying: When thou hast told all the words of the battle to the king,

19And he gave orders to the man who took the news, saying, After you have given the king all the news about the war,

19and commandeth the messenger, saying, `At thy finishing all the matters of the war to speak unto the king,

20If thou see him to be angry, and he shall say: Why did you approach so near to the wall to fight? knew you not that many darts are thrown from above off the wall?

20If the king is angry and says, Why did you go so near the town for the fight? was it not certain that their archers would be on the wall?

20then, it hath been, if the king's fury ascend, and he hath said to thee, Wherefore did ye draw nigh unto the city to fight? did ye not know that they shoot from off the wall?

21Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerobaal? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall and slew him in Thebes? Why did you go near the wall? Thou shalt say: Thy servant Urias the Hethite is also slain.

21Who put Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, to death? did not a woman send a great stone down on him from the wall, putting him to death at Thebez? why did you go so near the wall? Then say to him, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is among the dead.

21Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast on him a piece of a rider from the wall, and he dieth in Thebez? why drew ye nigh unto the wall? that thou hast said, Also thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'

22So the messenger departed, and came and told David all that Joab had commanded him.

22So the man went, and came to David, and gave him all the news which Joab had sent him to give; then David was angry with Joab and said, Why did you go so near the town for the fight? was it not certain that their archers would be on the wall? who put Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, to death? did not a woman send a great stone down on him from the wall, putting him to death at Thebez? why did you go so near the wall?

22And the messenger goeth, and cometh in, and declareth to David all that with which Joab sent him,

23And the messenger said to David: The men prevailed against us, and they came out to us into the field: and we vigorously charged and pursued them even to the gate of the city.

23And the man said to David, Truly the men got the better of us, and came out against us into the open country, but we sent them back to the very doors of the town.

23and the messenger saith unto David, `Surely the men have been mighty against us, and come out unto us into the field, and we are upon them unto the opening of the gate,

24And the archers shot their arrows at thy servants from off the wall above: and some of the king's servants are slain, and thy servant Urias the Hethite is also dead.

24And the archers sent their arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's servants are dead, and among them is your servant Uriah the Hittite.

24and those shooting shoot at thy servants from off the wall, and <FI>some<Fi> of the servants of the king are dead, and also, thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.

25And David said to the messenger: Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing discourage thee: for various is the event of war: and sometimes one, sometimes another is consumed by the sword: encourage thy warriors against the city, and exhort them that thou mayest overthrow it.

25Then David said to the man, Go and say to Joab, Do not let this be a grief to you; for one man may come to his death by the sword like another: put up an even stronger fight against the town, and take it: and do you put heart into him.

25And David saith unto the messenger, `Thus dost thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing be evil in thine eyes; for thus and thus doth the sword devour; strengthen thy warfare against the city, and throw it down--and strengthen thou him.'

26And the wife of Urias heard that Urias her husband was dead, and she mourned for him.

26And when the wife of Uriah had news that her husband was dead, she gave herself up to weeping for him.

26And the wife of Uriah heareth that Uriah her husband <FI>is<Fi> dead, and lamenteth for her lord;

27And the mourning being over, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore him a son: and this thing which David had done, was displeasing to the Lord.

27And when the days of weeping were past, David sent for her, and took her into his house, and she became his wife and gave him a son. But the Lord was not pleased with the thing David had done.

27and the mourning passeth by, and David sendeth and gathereth her unto his house, and she is to him for a wife, and beareth to him a son; and the thing which David hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah.