2 Samuel 12
1 Yahweh [told the prophet Nathan what David had done, and he] sent Nathan to tell [this story to] David: “[I heard about] two men [who] were living in a certain city. One was rich and the other was poor.
| וישלח יהוה את נתן אל דוד ויבא אליו ויאמר לו שני אנשים היו בעיר אחת אחד עשיר ואחד ראש |
2 The rich man owned a lot of cattle and sheep.
| לעשיר היה צאן ובקר--הרבה מאד |
3 But the poor man had only one little female lamb, which he had bought. He raised the lamb, and it grew up with his children. He would give the lamb some of his own food and let it drink from his cup. He let the lamb sleep in his arms. The lamb was like a daughter to him.
| ולרש אין כל כי אם כבשה אחת קטנה אשר קנה ויחיה ותגדל עמו ועם בניו יחדו מפתו תאכל ומכסו תשתה ובחיקו תשכב ותהי לו כבת |
4 [One day] a visitor came to [visit] the rich man. The rich man did not want to take one of his own animals [and kill it] to prepare a meal for the visitor. So instead, he stole the poor man’s lamb [and killed it] and prepared a meal for his visitor.”
| ויבא הלך לאיש העשיר ויחמל לקחת מצאנו ומבקרו לעשות לארח הבא לו ויקח את כבשת האיש הראש ויעשה לאיש הבא אליו |
5 [When] David [heard that, he] was very angry about [what] the rich man [had done]. He said to Nathan, “I solemnly declare that the man who did that should be executed!
| ויחר אף דוד באיש מאד ויאמר אל נתן חי יהוה כי בן מות האיש העשה זאת |
6 But before he is executed, he should pay back to the poor man four lambs for doing this, and for not having pity [on the poor man].”
| ואת הכבשה ישלם ארבעתים עקב אשר עשה את הדבר הזה ועל אשר לא חמל |
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man [I have been talking about]! And this is what Yahweh, the God we Israelis [worship], says to you: ‘I appointed you to be king of Israel, after having rescued you from Saul.
| ויאמר נתן אל דוד אתה האיש כה אמר יהוה אלהי ישראל אנכי משחתיך למלך על ישראל ואנכי הצלתיך מיד שאול |
8 I gave you his palace and his wives. I caused you to become the king to rule Israel and Judah. If [you had told me that] you were not content with what I gave you, I would have given you twice as much!
| ואתנה לך את בית אדניך ואת נשי אדניך בחיקך ואתנה לך את בית ישראל ויהודה ואם מעט--ואספה לך כהנה וכהנה |
9 So why have you despised my commandment [about not committing adultery]? You have done what I consider to be very evil! You have arranged for Uriah to be killed in a battle by the Ammon people-group’s soldiers, and you have taken his wife to be your wife!
| מדוע בזית את דבר יהוה לעשות הרע בעינו (בעיני) את אוריה החתי הכית בחרב ואת אשתו לקחת לך לאשה ואתו הרגת בחרב בני עמון |
10 You have despised me, and have taken Uriah’s wife to be your wife. So for many generations some of your descendants will die violently. [MTY, PRS]
| ועתה לא תסור חרב מביתך--עד עולם עקב כי בזתני ותקח את אשת אוריה החתי להיות לך לאשה |
11 I solemnly declare to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble to you. I will take your wives and give them to him, and he will have sexual relations with them in the daytime, where everyone can see it, and you will know all about it.
| כה אמר יהוה הנני מקים עליך רעה מביתך ולקחתי את נשיך לעיניך ונתתי לרעיך ושכב עם נשיך לעיני השמש הזאת |
12 What you did, you did secretly, but what I will cause to happen, everyone in Israel will be able to see it [or know about it]. [IDM]’”
| כי אתה עשית בסתר ואני אעשה את הדבר הזה נגד כל ישראל ונגד השמש |
13 David replied, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David, “Yahweh has forgiven you for your sin: You will not die [because of this sin].
| ויאמר דוד אל נתן חטאתי ליהוה ויאמר נתן אל דוד גם יהוה העביר חטאתך--לא תמות |
14 But, you have shown contempt for Yahweh by doing this. So, your baby will die.”
| אפס כי נאץ נאצת את איבי יהוה בדבר הזה גם הבן הילוד לך--מות ימות |
15 Then Nathan went home. Then Yahweh caused the baby t o become very sick, the one that Uriah’s wife had given birth to.
| וילך נתן אל ביתו ויגף יהוה את הילד אשר ילדה אשת אוריה לדוד--ויאנש |
16 So David prayed to God that the child [would not die]. He (fasted/abstained from food), and he went into [the room where he slept] and lay all night on the floor.
| ויבקש דוד את האלהים בעד הנער ויצם דוד צום ובא ולן ושכב ארצה |
17 [The next morning] his advisors stood around him and urged him to get up. But he would not get up, and he would not eat any food with them.
| ויקמו זקני ביתו עליו להקימו מן הארץ ולא אבה ולא ברא אתם לחם |
18 One week later the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell that to David. They said [to each other], “Hey, while the baby was still alive, we talked to him, but he would not answer us. Now, if we tell him that the baby is dead [RHQ], he may do something to harm himself!”
| ויהי ביום השביעי וימת הילד ויראו עבדי דוד להגיד לו כי מת הילד כי אמרו הנה בהיות הילד חי דברנו אליו ולא שמע בקולנו ואיך נאמר אליו מת הילד ועשה רעה |
19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering something to each other, he realized that the baby must be dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?” They replied, “Yes, he is dead.”
| וירא דוד כי עבדיו מתלחשים ויבן דוד כי מת הילד ויאמר דוד אל עבדיו המת הילד ויאמרו מת |
20 Then David got up from the floor. He bathed himself, put lotions on his body, and put on other clothes, Then he went into Yahweh’s Sacred Tent and worshiped Yahweh. Then he went home. He asked his servants for some food. They gave him some, and he ate it.
| ויקם דוד מהארץ וירחץ ויסך ויחלף שמלתו ויבא בית יהוה וישתחו ויבא אל ביתו וישאל וישימו לו לחם ויאכל |
21 Then his servants said to him, “We do not understand [RHQ] why you have done this! While the baby was still alive, you cried for him and refused to eat anything. But now that the baby has died, [you are not crying any more!] You got up and ate some food!”
| ויאמרו עבדיו אליו מה הדבר הזה אשר עשיתה בעבור הילד חי צמת ותבך וכאשר מת הילד קמת ותאכל לחם |
22 David replied, “While the baby was still alive, I fasted and cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Yahweh may be merciful to me and not allow the baby to die’.
| ויאמר--בעוד הילד חי צמתי ואבכה כי אמרתי מי יודע יחנני (וחנני) יהוה וחי הילד |
23 But now the baby is dead. So (there is no reason for me to (fast/abstain from eating food) any more./why should I (fast/abstain from eating food) any more?) [RHQ] (Can I bring him back to me?/I certainly cannot bring him back to me!) [RHQ] [Some day] I will go to where he is, but he will not return to me.”
| ועתה מת למה זה אני צם--האוכל להשיבו עוד אני הלך אליו והוא לא ישוב אלי |
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba. Then he (slept/had sexual relations) with her, and she [became pregnant again and] gave birth to another son. David named that son Solomon. Yahweh loved that little boy.
| וינחם דוד את בת שבע אשתו ויבא אליה וישכב עמה ותלד בן ויקרא (ותקרא) את שמו שלמה ויהוה אהבו |
25 He told the prophet Nathan to tell David to name the baby boy Jedediah [which means ‘loved by Yahweh’, ] because Yahweh loved him.
| וישלח ביד נתן הנביא ויקרא את שמו ידידיה--בעבור יהוה |
26 (Meanwhile/While all that was happening), Joab’s [soldiers] attacked Rabbah, [the capital city] of the Ammon people-group; and they captured the king’s fortress.
| וילחם יואב ברבת בני עמון וילכד את עיר המלוכה |
27 Then Joab sent messengers to David, to tell him this: “My troops are attacking Rabbah, and we have captured the city’s water supply.
| וישלח יואב מלאכים אל דוד ויאמר נלחמתי ברבה גם לכדתי את עיר המים |
28 Now gather your troops and come and surround the city and capture it. If you do not do that, my troops will capture the city and it will then be named ‘the City of Joab’.”
| ועתה אסף את יתר העם וחנה על העיר ולכדה פן אלכד אני את העיר ונקרא שמי עליה |
29 So David gathered all his troops. They went [with David] to Rabbah and attacked it and captured it.
| ויאסף דוד את כל העם וילך רבתה וילחם בה וילכדה |
30 Then David took the crown from the head of the king of Rabbah (OR, from the head of [Milcom] the god of Rabbah) and put it on his own head. It [was very heavy; it] weighed (75 pounds/34 kg.), and it had many very valuable stones fastened to it. His soldiers also took many other valuable things from the city.
| ויקח את עטרת מלכם מעל ראשו ומשקלה ככר זהב ואבן יקרה ותהי על ראש דוד ושלל העיר הוציא הרבה מאד |
31 Then they brought the people of Rabbah out of the city and forced them to [work for them] using saws and iron picks and axes. David’s troops also forced them to make bricks. David’s soldiers did this in all the towns of the Ammon people-group. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
| ואת העם אשר בה הוציא וישם במגרה ובחרצי הברזל ובמגזרת הברזל והעביר אותם במלכן (במלבן) וכן יעשה לכל ערי בני עמון וישב דוד וכל העם ירושלם |
