2 Samuel 11

1 And it was to [the] return of the year to [the] time of - [the] going out of (messengers *LBH(a+C)*) and he sent David Joab and servants his with him and all Israel and they destroyed [the] people of Ammon and they laid siege on Rabbah and David [was] remaining in Jerusalem.

In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

2 And it was - to [the] time of the evening and he arose David from on bed his and he walked about on [the] roof of [the] house of the king and he saw a woman bathing from on the roof and the woman [was] good of appearance very.

One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

3 And he sent David and he enquired of the woman and he said ¿ not [is] this Bath-sheba [the] daughter of Eliam [the] wife of Uriah the Hittite.

So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

4 And he sent David messengers and he took her and she came to him and he lay with her and she [was] purifying herself from uncleanness her and she returned to house her.

Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.

5 And she conceived the woman and she sent and she told to David and she said [am] pregnant I.

And the woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

6 And he sent David to Joab send to me Uriah the Hittite and he sent Joab Uriah to David.

At this, David sent orders to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David.

7 And he came Uriah to him and he asked David to [the] welfare of Joab and to [the] welfare of the people and to [the] welfare of the battle.

When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the troops were doing with the war.

8 And he said David to Uriah go down to house your and wash feet your and he went out Uriah from [the] house of the king and it went out after him [the] gift of the king.

Then he said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king followed him.

9 And he lay down Uriah [the] entrance of [the] house of the king with all [the] servants of lord his and not he went down to house his.

But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master’s servants; he did not go down to his house.

10 And people told to David saying not he has gone down Uriah to house his and he said David to Uriah ¿ not from a journey [are] you coming why? not have you gone down to house your.

And David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey?” David asked Uriah. “Why didn’t you go home?”

11 And he said Uriah to David the ark and Israel and Judah [are] dwelling in booths and lord my Joab and [the] servants of lord my on [the] face of the open country [are] encamping and I will I go? to house my to eat and to drink and to lie with wife my [by] [the] life of you and [by] [the] life of self your if I will do the thing this.

Uriah answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camped in the open field. How can I go to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing!”

12 And he said David to Uriah remain in this [place] also this day and tomorrow I will let go you and he remained Uriah in Jerusalem on the day that and from [the] next day.

“Stay here one more day,” David said to Uriah, “and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

13 And he summoned him David and he ate before him and he drank and he made drunk him and he went out in the evening to lie down on bed his with [the] servants of lord his and to house his not he went down.

Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and he got Uriah drunk. And in the evening Uriah went out to lie down on his cot with his master’s servants, but he did not go home.

14 And it was in the morning and he wrote David a letter to Joab and he sent [it] by [the] hand of Uriah.

The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter saying set Uriah to [the] front of [the] face of the battle severe and you will turn back from after him and he will be struck down and he will die.

In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”

16 And it was when watched Joab against the city and he put Uriah to the place where he knew that men of strength [were] there.

So as Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he saw the strongest enemy soldiers.

17 And they went out [the] men of the city and they fought with Joab and it fell some of the people some of [the] servants of David and he died also Uriah the Hittite.

And when the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of David’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.

18 And he sent Joab and he told to David all [the] matters of the battle.

Joab sent to David a full account of the battle

19 And he commanded the messenger saying when finishing you all [the] matters of the battle to speak to the king.

and instructed the messenger, “When you have finished giving the king all the details of the battle,

20 And it will be if it will rise [the] anger of the king and he will say to you why? did you draw near to the city to fight ¿ not did you know this: they will shoot from on the wall.

if the king’s anger flares, he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Did you not realize they would shoot from atop the wall?

21 Who? did he strike down Abimelech [the] son of Jerub-Besheth ¿ not a woman did she throw on him a mill-stone an upper mill-stone from on the wall and he died in Thebez why? did you draw near to the wall and you will say also servant your Uriah the Hittite he has died.

Who was the one to strike Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If so, then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’”

22 And he went the messenger and he came and he told to David all that he had sent him Joab.

So the messenger set out and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to say.

23 And he said the messenger to David for they prevailed over us the men and they came out against us the open country and we were on them to [the] entrance of the gate.

The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.

24 (And they shot arrows *Q(K)*) (the archers *Q(k)*) to servants your from on the wall and they have died some of [the] servants of the king and also servant your Uriah the Hittite he has died.

Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s servants were killed. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.”

25 And he said David to the messenger thus you will say to Joab may not it be displeasing in view your the thing this that like this and like this it devours the sword strengthen battle your against the city and tear down it and encourage him.

Then David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city and demolish it.’ Encourage him with these words.”

26 And she heard [the] wife of Uriah that he had died Uriah husband her and she mourned on husband her.

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

27 And it passed the mourning and he sent David and he gathered her to house his and she became of him a wife and she bore to him a son and it was displeasing the thing which he had done David in [the] eyes of Yahweh.

And when the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD.