2 Samuel 12:16–23

¹⁶David therefore sought God about the boy; and David ^afasted and went and ^bspent the night lying on the ground.

^17aAnd the elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them.

¹⁸Then it 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, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child has died? He might do himself harm!”

¹⁹And David saw that his servants were whispering together, so David discerned that the child had died; so David said to his servants, “Has the child died?” And they said, “He has died.”

²⁰So David arose from the ground, ^awashed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of Yahweh and ^bworshiped. Then he came to his own house, and he asked, and they set food before him, and he ate.

²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? ¹While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”

²²Then he said, “While the child was still alive, ^aI fasted and wept; for I said, ‘^bWho knows, Yahweh may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’

²³“But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? ^aI will go to him, but ^bhe will not return to me.”