2 Samuel 11

1 It happened, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.

In the spring, at the time of year when kings go out to war, David sent out Joab and his officers and the whole Israelite army on an attack. They massacred the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. However, David remained behind in Jerusalem.

2 Now it happened one evening that David got up from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's palace; and he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful.

Late one afternoon, David got up from taking a nap and was walking on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hethite?"

David sent someone to find out about the woman. He was told, “It's Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

4 So David sent messengers to get her, and she came in to him, and he lay with her. (For she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house.

David sent messengers to fetch her. When she came to him, he had sex with her. (Now she had just purified herself from having her period.) Afterwards she went back home.

5 The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I'm pregnant."

Bathsheba became pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him, “I'm pregnant.”

6 Then David sent to Joab and said, "Send me Uriah the Hethite." So Joab sent Uriah to him.

So David sent a message to Joab, telling him, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” Joab sent him to David.

7 And Uriah came to him, and David asked about the prosperity of Joab, and of the prosperity of the people, and of the prosperity of the war. And he said, "Its well."

When Uriah came to see him, David asked him how Joab was doing, and how the army was doing, and how the war was going.

8 And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." So Uriah went out from the presence of the king, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

Then David told Uriah, “Go home now and have a rest.” Uriah left the palace, and the king sent him a gift after he'd gone.

9 But Uriah slept at the king's door with his master's servants, and did not go down to his house.

But Uriah didn't go home. He slept in the guardroom at the palace entrance with all the king's guards.

10 And it was reported to David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house." So David said to Uriah, "Haven't you come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"

David was told, “Uriah didn't go home,” so he asked Uriah, “Haven't you just got back from being away? Why didn't you go home?”

11 And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camped in the open field. Then how can I go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As the LORD lives, and as you live, I will not do this thing."

Uriah answered, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and my master Joab and his men are camped out in the open. How can I go home and eat and drink and sleep with my wife? On my life I won't do such a thing!”

12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day.

David told him, “Stay here today, and tomorrow I'll send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day, and the next.

13 And the next day David summoned him, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he became drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on a bed with his master's servants, and did not go down to his house.

David invited Uriah to dinner. Uriah ate and drank with him, and David got Uriah drunk. But in the evening he went to sleep on his mat with the king's guards, and didn't go home.

14 It happened in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

In the morning David wrote Joab a letter, and gave it to Uriah to take to him.

15 He wrote in the letter, saying, "Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die."

In the letter, David told Joab, “Put Uriah right in the front where the fighting is worst, and then pull back behind him so that he'll be attacked and killed.”

16 It happened, when Joab kept watch on the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.

As Joab besieged the town, he made Uriah take a place where he knew the strongest enemy men would be fighting.

17 The men of the city went out, and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hethite died also.

When the town's defenders came out and attacked Joab, some of David's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

Joab sent David a full report about the battle.

19 and he commanded the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king,

He ordered the messenger, saying, “When you've finished telling the king all about the battle,

20 if it happens that he becomes angry,

if the king's gets angry and asks you, ‘Why did you get so near to the town in the attack? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall?

21 then you are to say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead also.'"

Who killed Abimelech, son of Jerub-Besheth? Wasn't it a woman who dropped a millstone on him from the wall, killing him there in Thebez? Why on earth did you get so close to the wall?’ Just tell him, ‘In addition, your officer Uriah the Hittite was killed.’”

22 So the messenger of Joab went to the king in Jerusalem and reported to David everything that Joab had told him.

The messenger left, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had directed him to say.

23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us, and came out to us into the field, and when we drove them back to the entrance of the gate,

The messenger explained to David, “The defenders were stronger than us, and they came out at us in the open, but we forced them back to the entrance of the town gate.

24 then the arrows came down heavily on your servants from the wall, and some eighteen men of the king's servants died." And the messenger finished the words to the king about the report of the battle. Then David was very angry with Joab, and said to the messenger, "Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know you would be struck from the wall? Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal? Didn't a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near to the wall?" [Then the messenger said to the king, ] "Also your servant Uriah the Hethite is dead."

Their archers shot at us from the wall, and killed some of the king's men. Your officer Uriah the Hittite was also killed.”

25 Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall tell Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle stronger against the city, and overthrow it.' And encourage him."

Then David said to the messenger, “Tell Joab this: ‘Don't be upset about this, for the sword destroys people at random. Press on with your attack against the town and conquer it.’ Encourage him by telling him this.”

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.

When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.

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.

Once the period of mourning was over, David sent for her to be brought to his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But what David had done was evil in the Lord's sight.