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¹ And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.² The rich one had flocks and very many herds.³ But the poor one had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished. And it grew up with him, and with his sons together, and it ate of his morsel, and it drank from his cup,and it lay in his bosom. And it was like adaughter to him.⁴ And a traveler came to the rich one, and he spared to take of his own flock, and of his own herd, to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. And he took the ewe lamb of the poor man, and prepared it for the man who had come to him.⁵ And David's anger glowed greatly against the man. And he said to Nathan, As Jehovah lives, surely the man who did this is a son of death.⁶ And he shall repay fourfold for the ewe lamb, because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity.⁷ And Nathan said to David, You are the man! So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.⁸ And I gave you the house of your master, and your master's wives into your bosom. And I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if that were too little, then I would have added to you these and those things .⁹ Why have you despised the Word of Jehovah, to do the evil in His eyes? You have stricken Uriah the Hittite by the sword, and you have taken his wife to yourself for a wife. And you have killed him by the sword of the sons of Ammon.¹⁰ And now the sword shall not turn aside from your house continually, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be a wife to you.¹¹ So says Jehovah, Behold, I shall raise up evil against you out of your house, and shall take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun.¹² For you acted in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.¹³ And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah also has put away your sin; you shall not die.¹⁴ Only, because you have made the enemies of Jehovah to scorn derisively by this thing, also the son who shall be born to you dying shall die.

¹⁵ And Nathan went to his house, and Jehovah struck the boy whom the former wife of Uriah had borne to David. And it became sick.¹⁶ And David sought God for the child. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.¹⁷ And the elders of his house rose up toward him, to raise him up from the earth. But he was not willing; and he ate no bread with them.¹⁸ And it happened on the seventh day, the boy died. And David's servants feared to tell him that the boy was dead, for they said, Behold, while the boy was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice. And how shall we say tohim, The boy is dead? Then he may do harm.¹⁹ And David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves. And David understood that the boy was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the boy dead? And they said, He is dead.²⁰ And David rose up from the earth, and bathed, and anointed. And he changed his clothing, and came into the house of Jehovah, and worshiped. And he came to his house, and commanded, and they brought bread for him; and he ate.²¹ And his servants said to him, What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept because of the living boy, yet when the boy is dead, you have risen up and have eaten food?²² And he said, While the boy was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who knows? Jehovah may be gracious to me and the boy may stay alive.²³ And now he has died. Why this, that I should fast? Am I able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.²⁴ And David comforted his wife Bathsheba. And he went in to her, and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him,²⁵ and sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jedidiah, because of Jehovah.

²⁶ And Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and captured the royal city.²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and I have captured the city of waters.²⁸ And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and take it; that I not take the city, and my name be called over it.²⁹ And David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.³⁰ And he took the crown of the kingdom off his head. And its weight was a talent of gold, and a precious stone was in it. And it was set on David's head. And he brought out the plunder of the city in great abundance.³¹ And he brought out the people in it, and put them to the saw, and to sharp tools of iron, and to axes of iron. And he caused them to go over into the brick kiln. And so he did to all the cities ofthe sons of Ammon. And David and all the peoplereturned to Jerusalem.