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¹ And it happened at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they destroyed the sons of Ammon, and lay siege to Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.² And it happened at evening time, David rose up from his bed and walked up and down on the roof of the king's house. And he saw from the roof a woman bathing. And the woman was very good of form.³ And David sent and asked about the woman. And one said, Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?⁴ And David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him, and he lay with her. And she purified herself from uncleanness, and she returned to her house.⁵ And the woman conceived, and sent, and told David. And she said, I am with child.

⁶ And David sent to Joab, Send Uriah the Hittite to me. And Joab sent Uriah to David.⁷ And Uriah came to him. And David asked the peace of Joab, and the peace of the people, and of the success of the war.⁸ And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and wash your feet. And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a gift from the king went out after him.⁹ Uriah lay down at the entrance of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord. And he did not go down to his house.¹⁰ And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house. And David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?¹¹ And Uriah said to David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah dwell in booths. And my lord Joab, and my lord's servants are camping on the face of the field. And I, shall I 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 And David said to Uriah, Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you away. And Uriah remained in Jerusalem on that day, and on the next day.¹³ And David called for him, and he ate and drank before him. And he made him drunk, and he went out in the evening to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord. And he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ And it happened in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, Place Uriah in the front of the strongest battle, and withdraw from him, that he may be struck, and die.¹⁶ And it happened, as Joab watched the city, that he sent Uriah to the place where he knew there would be mighty men.¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab, and some of the people fell of David's servants. And Uriah the Hittite also died.¹⁸ And Joab sent and told David all the matters of the war.¹⁹ And he commanded the messenger, saying, As you finish all the matters of the war, speaking to the king,²⁰ then it shall be, if the king's fury rises, and he says to you, Why did you draw near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from off the wall?²¹ Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerub-besheth? Did not a woman throw a piece of a riding millstone on him from the wall, and he died in Thebez? Why did you draw near to the wall? Then you shall say, Also your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.²² And the messenger went and came and told David all that which Joab had sent him to tell ,²³ and the messenger said to David, Surely the men have been mighty against us, and came out to us into the field. And we were on them to the entrance of the gate.²⁴ And those shooting shot at your servants from off the wall, and some of the servants of the king are dead. And also your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.²⁵ And David said to the messenger, You shall say to Joab, Do not let this thing be evil in your eyes. For the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle stronger against the city, and overthrow it. And make him strong.²⁶ And Uriah's wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead. And she mourned for her husband.²⁷ And the mourning time passed by. And David sent and gathered her to his house; and she became his wife, and bore a son to him. And the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah.