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¹ It happened, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out [to battle], that David sent Yo'av, and his servants with him, and all Yisra'el; and they destroyed the children of `Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Yerushalayim. <sup>2</sup> It happened at evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look on. <sup>3</sup> David send and inquired after the woman. One said, Is not this Bat-Sheva, the daughter of Eli`am, the wife of Uriyah the Hittite? ⁴ David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

⁶ David sent to Yo'av, [saying], Send me Uriyah the Hittite. Yo'av sent Uriyah to David. ⁷ When Uriyah was come to him, David asked of him how Yo'av did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. ⁸ David said to Uriyah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. Uriyah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess [of food] from the king. ⁹ But Uriyah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and didn't go down to his house. ¹⁰ When they had told David, saying, Uriyah didn't go down to his house, David said to Uriyah, Haven't you come from a journey? why did you not go down to your house? ¹¹ Uriyah said to David, The ark, and Yisra'el, and Yehudah, abide in booths; and my lord Yo'av, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing. ¹² David said to Uriyah, Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart. So Uriyah abode in Yerushalayim that day, and the next day. ¹³ When David had called him, he ate and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn't go down to his house.

¹⁴ It happened in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Yo'av, and sent it by the hand of Uriyah. ¹⁵ He wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriyah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire you from him, that he may be struck, and die. ¹⁶ It happened, when Yo'av kept watch on the city, that he assigned Uriyah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. ¹⁷ The men of the city went out, and fought with Yo'av: and there fell some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriyah the Hittite died also. ¹⁸ Then Yo'av sent and told David all the things concerning the war; ¹⁹ and he charged the messenger, saying, "When you have made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the king, ²⁰ it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he tells you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn't you know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ who struck Avimelekh the son of Yerubeshet? Didn't a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Tevetz? Why did you go so near the wall?' then shall you say, 'Your servant Uriyah the Hittite is dead also.'" ²² So the messenger went, and came and shown David all that Yo'av had sent him for. ²³ The messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us, and came out to us into the field, and we were on them even to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ The shooters shot at your servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriyah the Hittite is dead also. ²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you tell Yo'av, Don't let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage you him. ²⁶ When the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband. ²⁷ When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.