< Kings II 12 >

1 And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David; and he went in to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
Then the Lord sent Nathan vnto Dauid, who came to him, and sayd vnto him, There were two men in one citie, the one riche, and the other poore.
2 And the rich [man] had very many flocks and herds.
The rich man had exceeding many sheepe and oxen:
3 But the poor [man had] only one little ewe lamb, which he had purchased, and preserved, and reared; an it grew up with himself and his children in common; it ate of his bread and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.
But the poore had none at all, saue one litle sheepe which he had bought, and nourished vp: and it grew vp with him, and with his children also, and did eate of his owne morsels, and dranke of his owne cup, and slept in his bosome, and was vnto him as his daughter.
4 And a traveller came to the rich man, and he spared to take of his flocks and of his herds, to dress for the traveller that came to him; and he took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that came to him.
Now there came a stranger vnto the rich man, who refused to take of his owne sheepe, and of his owne oxen to dresse for the stranger that was come vnto him, but tooke the poore mans sheepe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David was greatly moved with anger against the man; and David said to Nathan, [As] the Lord lives, the man that did this thing shall surely die.
Then Dauid was exceeding wroth with the man, and sayde to Nathan, As the Lord liueth, the man that hath done this thing, shall surely dye,
6 And he shall restore the lamb sevenfold, because he has not spared.
And he shall restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thing, and had no pitie thereof.
7 And Nathan said to David, You are the man that has done this. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I anointed you to be king over Israel, and I rescued you out the hand of Saul;
Then Nathan sayd to Dauid, Thou art the man. Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, I anoynted thee King ouer Israel, and deliuered thee out of the hand of Saul,
8 and I gave you the house of your lord, and the wives of your lord into your bosom, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Juda; and if that had been little, I would have given you yet more.
And gaue thee thy lordes house, and thy lords wiues into thy bosome, and gaue thee the house of Israel, and of Iudah, and would moreouer (if that had bene too litle) haue giuen thee such and such things.
9 Why have you set at nothing the word of the Lord, to do that which is evil in his eyes? you have slain Urias the Chettite with the sword, and you have taken his wife to be your wife, and you have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord, to doe euill in his sight? thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with ye sworde, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slaine him with the sworde of the children of Ammon.
10 Now therefore the sword shall not depart from your house for ever, because you has set me at nothing, and you have taken the wife of Urias the Chettite, to be your wife.
Now therefore the sworde shall neuer depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Vriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against you evil out of your house, and I will take your wives before your eyes, and will give them to your neighbour, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
Thus sayth the Lord, Behold, I will rayse vp euil against thee out of thine owne house, and will take thy wiues before thine eyes, and giue them vnto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wiues in the sight of this sunne.
12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and before the sun.
For thou diddest it secretly: but I will doe this thing before all Israel, and before the sunne.
13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, And the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Then Dauid sayde vnto Nathan, I haue sinned against the Lord. And Nathan sayde vnto Dauid, The Lord also hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not die.
14 Only because you have given great occasion of provocation to the enemies of the Lord by this thing, your son also that is born to you shall surely die.
Howbeit because by this deede thou hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the childe that is borne vnto thee shall surely die.
15 And Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child, which the wife of Urias the Chettite bore to David, and it was ill.
So Nathan departed vnto his house: and the Lord stroke the childe that Vriahs wife bare vnto Dauid, and it was sicke.
16 And David enquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose [and went] to him to raise him up from the ground, but he would not [rise], nor did he eat bread with them.
Then the Elders of his house arose to come vnto him, and to cause him to rise from the groud: but he would not, neither did he eate meate with them.
18 And it came to pass 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 yet alive we spoke to him, and he listened not to our voice; and you should we tell him that the child is dead?—so would he do [himself] harm.
So on the seuenth day the child dyed: and the seruants of Dauid feared to tell him that the childe was dead: for they sayde, Beholde, while the childe was aliue, we spake vnto him, and he woulde not hearken vnto our voyce: how then shall we say vnto him, The childe is dead, to vexe him more?
19 And David understood that his servants were whispering, and David perceived that the child was dead: and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? and they said, He is dead.
But when Dauid sawe that his seruantes whispered, Dauid perceiued that the childe was dead: therefore Dauid sayde vnto his seruants, Is the childe dead? And they sayd, He is dead.
20 Then David rose up from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his raiment, and went into the house of God, and worshipped him; and went into his own house, and called for bread to eat, and they set bread before him and he ate.
Then Dauid arose from the earth, and washed and anoynted himselfe, and changed his apparell, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped, and afterward came to his owne house, and bade that they should set bread before him, and he did eate.
21 And his servants said to him, What [is] this thing that you have done concerning the child? while it was yet living you did fast, and weep, and watch: and when the child was dead you did rise up, and did eat bread, and drink.
Then saide his seruants vnto him, What thing is this, that thou hast done? thou diddest fast and weepe for the childe while it was aliue, but when the childe was dead, thou diddest rise vp, and eate meate.
22 And David said, While the child yet lived, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows if the Lord will pity me, and the child live?
And he sayde, While the childe was yet aliue, I fasted, and wept: for I sayde, Who can tell whether God will haue mercy on me, that the childe may liue?
23 But now it is dead, why should I fast thus? shall I be able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
But now being dead, wherefore shoulde I now fast? Can I bring him againe any more? I shall goe to him, but he shall not returne to me.
24 And David comforted Bersabee his wife, and he went in to her, and lay with her; and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his named Solomon, and the Lord loved him.
And Dauid comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in vnto her, and lay with her, and she bare a sonne, and he called his name Salomon: also the Lord loued him.
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jeddedi, for the Lord's sake.
For the Lord had sent by Nathan the Prophet: therefore he called his name Iedidiah, because the Lord loued him.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
Then Ioab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and tooke the citie of the kingdome.
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbath, and taken the city of waters.
Therefore Ioab sent messengers to Dauid, saying, I haue fought against Rabbah, and haue taken the citie of waters.
28 And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, an take it beforehand; lest I take the city first, and my name be called upon it.
Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and besiege the city, that thou mayest take it, lest the victorie be attributed to me.
29 And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbath, and fought against it, and took it.
So Dauid gathered al the people together, and went against Rabbah, and besieged it, and tooke it.
30 And he took the crown of Molchom their king from off his head, and the weight of it was a talent of gold, with precious stones, and it was upon the head of David; and he carried forth very much spoil of the city.
And he tooke their Kings crowne from his head, (which weighed a talent of golde, with precious stones) and it was set on Dauids head: and he brought away the spoyle of the citie in exceeding great abundance.
31 And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under iron harrows, and axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
And he carryed away the people that was therein, and put them vnder sawes, and vnder yron harowes, and vnder axes of yron, and cast them into the tyle kylne: euen thus did he with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then Dauid and all the people returned vnto Ierusalem.

< Kings II 12 >