2 Samuel 12–13

Nathan Reproves David

12So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, “Two men were in a certain city; one was rich and the other was poor. ²The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³but the poor man had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him. ⁴And a visitor came to the rich man, but he was reluctant^a to take from his flocks or from his herds to prepare a meal for the traveler when he came to him. So he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵Then the anger of David was kindled^b against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives,^c the man who has done this deserves to die!^{d 6}He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity.” ⁷Then Nathan said to him, “You are the man! Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I gave you the household of your master and the women of your master into your lap. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah; if that had been too little, I would have added to you much more.^{e 9}Why have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in his eyes?^f Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to yourself as wife! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites!^{g 10}So then, a sword will not turn away from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife!’ ¹¹Thus says Yahweh, ‘Look, I am going to raise up evil against you from within your house, and I will take your women before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor, and he shall sleep with your wives in broad daylight.^{h 12}Though you did this in secret, I will do this thing before all of Israel in broad daylight!’ ”ⁱ

David Repents, But the Child Dies

¹³Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh!”^j Nathan said to David, “Yahweh has also forgiven your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴But because you have utterly scorned^k Yahweh in this matter, the son born for you will certainly die.”^{l 15}Then Nathan went to his house, and Yahweh struck the child that the wife of Uriah bore for David, and he became ill. ¹⁶David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his household stood over him to lift him up from the ground, but he was not willing, and he did not eat any food with them. ¹⁸It happened on the seventh day that the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, when the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he would not listen to our voice. How can we tell him, ‘The child is dead’? He may do something evil.” ¹⁹When David saw that his servants were whispering together, he realized that the child was dead. Then David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” ²⁰David stood up from the ground and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothing. Then he went to the house of Yahweh and worshiped, and he went to his own house. He asked, so they served him food, and he ate. ²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; now that the child has died, you get up and eat food!” ²²He said, “When the child was still alive, I fasted and I wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? Yahweh may have mercy on me that the child will live.’ ²³But now he is dead. Why should I be fasting? Am I able to return him again? I am going to him, but he cannot return to me.” ²⁴David consoled Bathsheba his wife, and he went to her and slept with her. She bore a son, and he called^m him Solomon, and Yahweh loved him. ²⁵He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet, so he called him Jedidiahⁿ because of Yahweh.

Battle with the Ammonites

²⁶And Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites,^o and he captured the royal city.^{p 27}Then Joab sent messengers to David and said, “We have fought against Rabbah, and we captured the city of the waters. ²⁸So then, gather the remainder of the army and encamp against the city and capture it, lest I capture the city and my name be proclaimed over it.” ²⁹So David gathered all of the army, and he went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. ³⁰He took the crown of their king from his head. (Now its weight was a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it and it was put on David’s head.) He brought out the plunder of the city in great abundance.^{q 31}He also brought out the people who were in it and put them to the saws and to the iron picks and to the iron axes, and he sent them to the place of the brickmakers. Thus he used to do to all the cities of the Ammonites,^r and he and all of the army returned to Jerusalem.

Amnon Assaults His Sister Tamar

13It happened afterwards that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David fell in love with her. ²And Amnon was so frustrated that he felt ill^a because of Tamar his sister, because she was a virgin, and it was too difficult in Amnon’s eyes to do anything with her. ³Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David. (Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.) ⁴And he said to him, “Why are you so sullen every morning,^b O son of the king? Will you not tell me?” And Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.” ⁵Then Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and appear ill. If your father comes to see you, you shall say to him, ‘Please let Tamar my sister come and give me food to eat, and let her prepare the food before my eyes, in order that I may see it and eat from her hand.’ ” ⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill, and the king came to see him. Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come, and let her bake two cakes before my eyes that I may eat from her hand.” ⁷So David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare food for him.” ⁸Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother. Now he was lying down, and she took the dough and kneaded it and made cakes before his eyes, and she baked the cakes. ⁹Then she took the pan and poured it out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, “Let all the men go out from me.” So all the men went out from him. ¹⁰Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food to the private room that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them to Amnon her brother in^c the private room. ¹¹When she brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister!” ¹²Then Tamar said to him, “No, my brother! Do not force me, for such a thing has not been done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! ¹³As for me, where should I take my disgrace? You will be as one of the fools in Israel. So please, speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴But he was not willing to listen to her voice. He was stronger than she, and he forced her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon hated her very deeply,^d for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. So Amnon said to her, “Get up and go.” ¹⁶She said to him, “No, because this evil in sending me away is greater than the other you have done to me.” But he was not willing to listen to her. ¹⁷Then he called his young man who was serving him and said, “Please send this woman from me to the outside, and bolt the door behind her!” ¹⁸Now there was a long-sleeved robe on her, for so they clothed the daughters of the king who were virgins, in robes. His servant put her outside, and he bolted the door behind her. ¹⁹Tamar put ashes on her head, and she tore the long-sleeved robe which was on her. She put her hand on her head, and she went away, crying out as she went.^{e 20}Absalom her brother said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? But now, my sister, be quiet; he is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.”^f So Tamar remained a desolate woman in the house of Absalom her brother.

Absalom Kills Amnon

²¹Now King David heard all these things, and he became very angry.^{g 22}Absalom did not speak with Amnon either bad or good,^h for Absalom hated Amnon over the matter whenⁱ he raped Tamar his sister. ²³About two full years later,^j Absalom’s shearers were in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom summoned all the sons of the king. ²⁴Then Absalom went to the king and said, “Look, here are your servant’s shearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant. ²⁵The king said to Absalom, “No my son, not all of us shall go, so that we not be a burden to you.” And he urged him, but he was not willing to go, but he blessed him. ²⁶So Absalom said, “But will you not let Amnon my brother go with us?” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Absalom pressed him, so he sent Amnon with him and all of the sons of the king. ²⁸Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “Please watch. At the moment the heart of Amnon is tipsy^k with wine, then I shall say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ and you shall kill him! Don’t be afraid. Is it not I myself who has commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant!^{l 29}So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon just as Absalom commanded, and all the sons of the king got up, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were on the way,^m the message came to David, “Absalom has killed all the sons of the king, and not one of them was left.” ³¹Then the king rose and tore his garments, and he lay on the ground, and all his servants standing by were tearing their garments.…