1
And it came to pass, after the year[H8141] was expired[H8666], at the time[H6256] when kings[H4428] go forth[H3318] to battle, that David[H1732]sent[H7971]Joab[H3097], and his servants[H5650] with him, and all Israel[H3478]; and they destroyed[H7843] the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], and besieged[H6696]Rabbah[H7237]. But David[H1732] tarried still[H3427] at Jerusalem[H3389].
2
And it came to pass in an eveningtide[H6153], that David[H1732]arose[H6965] from off his bed[H4904], and walked[H1980]upon[H4758] the roof[H1406] of the king's house[H1004]: and from the roof[H1406] he saw[H7200] a woman[H802]washing[H7364] herself; and the woman[H802] was very[H3966]beautiful[H2896] to look upon[H4758].
3
And David[H1732]sent[H7971] and enquired[H1875] after the woman[H802]. And one said[H559], Is not this Bathsheba[H1339], the daughter[H1323] of Eliam[H463], the wife[H802] of Uriah[H223] the Hittite?[H2850]
4
And David[H1732]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397], and took[H3947] her; and she came in[H935] unto him, and he lay[H7901] with her; for she was purified[H6942] from her uncleanness[H2932]: and she returned[H7725] unto her house[H1004].
5
And the woman[H802]conceived[H2029], and sent[H7971] and told[H5046]David[H1732], and said[H559], I am with child[H2030].
6
And David[H1732]sent[H7971] to Joab[H3097], saying, Send[H7971] me Uriah[H223] the Hittite[H2850]. And Joab[H3097]sent[H7971]Uriah[H223] to David[H1732].
7
And when Uriah[H223] was come[H935] unto him, David[H1732]demanded[H7592] of him how Joab[H3097]did[H7965], and how the people[H5971]did[H7965], and how the war[H4421]prospered[H7965].
8
And David[H1732]said[H559] to Uriah[H223], Go down[H3381] to thy house[H1004], and wash[H7364] thy feet[H7272]. And Uriah[H223] departed out[H3318] of the king[H4428]'s house[H1004], and there followed[H310] him a mess[H4864] of meat from the king[H4428].
9
But Uriah[H223]slept[H7901] at the door[H6607] of the king's house[H1004] with all the servants[H5650] of his lord[H113], and went not down[H3381] to his house[H1004].
10
And when they had told[H5046]David[H1732], saying[H559], Uriah[H223] went not down[H3381] unto his house[H1004], David[H1732]said[H559] unto Uriah[H223], Camest[H935] thou not from thy journey?[H1870] why then didst thou not go down[H3381] unto thine house?[H1004]
11
And Uriah[H223]said[H559] unto David[H1732], The ark[H727], and Israel[H3478], and Judah[H3063], abide[H3427] in tents[H5521]; and my lord[H113]Joab[H3097], and the servants[H5650] of my lord[H113], are encamped[H2583] in the open[H6440]fields[H7704]; shall I[H589] then go[H935] into mine house[H1004], to eat[H398] and to drink[H8354], and to lie[H7901] with my wife?[H802] as thou livest[H2416], and as thy soul[H5315]liveth[H2416], I[H589] will not do[H6213] this thing[H1697].
12
And David[H1732]said[H559] to Uriah[H223], Tarry[H3427] here to day[H3117] also, and to morrow[H4279] I will let thee depart[H7971]. So Uriah[H223]abode[H3427] in Jerusalem[H3389] that day[H3117], and the morrow[H4283].
13
And when David[H1732] had called[H7121] him, he did eat[H398] and drink[H8354]before[H6440] him; and he made him drunk[H7937]: and at even[H6153] he went out[H3318] to lie[H7901] on his bed[H4904] with the servants[H5650] of his lord[H113], but went not down[H3381] to his house[H1004].
14
And it came to pass in the morning[H1242], that David[H1732]wrote[H3789] a letter[H5612] to Joab[H3097], and sent[H7971] it by the hand[H3027] of Uriah[H223].
15
And he wrote[H3789] in the letter[H5612], saying[H559], Set[H3051] ye Uriah[H223] in the forefront[H6440] of the hottest[H2389]battle[H4421], and retire[H7725] ye from him[H310], that he may be smitten[H5221], and die[H4191].
16
And it came to pass, when Joab[H3097]observed[H8104] the city[H5892], that he assigned[H5414]Uriah[H223] unto a place[H4725] where he knew[H3045] that valiant[H2428]men[H582] were.
17
And the men[H582] of the city[H5892] went out[H3318], and fought[H3898] with Joab[H3097]: and there fell[H5307] some of the people[H5971] of the servants[H5650] of David[H1732]; and Uriah[H223] the Hittite[H2850]died[H4191] also.
18
Then Joab[H3097]sent[H7971] and told[H5046]David[H1732] all the things[H1697] concerning the war[H4421];
19
And charged[H6680] the messenger[H4397], saying[H559], When thou hast made an end[H3615] of telling[H1696] the matters[H1697] of the war[H4421] unto the king[H4428],
20
And if so be that the king's wrath[H2534]arise[H5927], and he say[H559] unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh[H5066] unto the city[H5892] when ye did fight?[H3898]knew[H3045] ye not that they would shoot[H3384] from the wall?[H2346]
21
Who smote[H5221]Abimelech[H40] the son[H1121] of Jerubbesheth?[H3380] did not a woman[H802]cast[H7993] a piece[H6400] of a millstone[H7393] upon him from the wall[H2346], that he died[H4191] in Thebez?[H8405] why went ye nigh[H5066] the wall?[H2346] then say[H559] thou, Thy servant[H5650]Uriah[H223] the Hittite[H2850] is dead[H4191] also.
22
So the messenger[H4397]went[H3212], and came[H935] and shewed[H5046]David[H1732] all that Joab[H3097] had sent[H7971] him for.
23
And the messenger[H4397]said[H559] unto David[H1732], Surely the men[H582]prevailed[H1396] against us, and came out[H3318] unto us into the field[H7704], and we were upon them even unto the entering[H6607] of the gate[H8179].
24
And the shooters[H3384]shot[H3384] from off the wall[H2346] upon thy servants[H5650]; and some of the king's servants[H5650] be dead[H4191], and thy servant[H5650]Uriah[H223] the Hittite[H2850] is dead[H4191] also.
25
Then David[H1732]said[H559] unto the messenger[H4397], Thus shalt thou say[H559] unto Joab[H3097], Let not this thing[H1697]displease[H3415] thee, for the sword[H2719]devoureth[H398] one as well as another[H2090]: make thy battle[H4421] more strong[H2388] against the city[H5892], and overthrow[H2040] it: and encourage[H2388] thou him.
26
And when the wife[H802] of Uriah[H223]heard[H8085] that Uriah[H223] her husband[H376] was dead[H4191], she mourned[H5594] for her husband[H1167].
27
And when the mourning[H60] was past[H5674], David[H1732]sent[H7971] and fetched[H622] her to his house[H1004], and she became his wife[H802], and bare[H3205] him a son[H1121]. But the thing[H1697] that David[H1732] had done[H6213]displeased[H3415] the LORD[H3068].