2 Samuel 11

1 Forsothe it was doon, whanne the yeer turnede ayen in that tyme wherynne kyngis ben wont to go forth to batels, Dauid sente Joab, and with hym hise seruauntis, and al Israel; and thei distrieden the sones of Amon, and bisegiden Rabath; forsothe Dauid dwellide in Jerusalem.

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.

2 While these thingis weren doon, it befelde, that Dauid roos in a dai fro his bed after mydday, and walkide in the soler of the kyngis hows; and he siy a womman waischynge hir silf euen ayens on hir soler; sotheli the womman was ful fair.

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.

3 Therfor the kyng sente, and enqueride, what womman it was; and it was teld to hym, that sche was Bersabee, the douytir of Heliam, and was the wijf of Vrye Ethei.

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?"

4 Therfor bi messangeris sent Dauid took hir; and whanne sche entride to hym, he slepte with hir, and anoon sche was halewid fro hir vnclenesse.

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.

5 And sche turnede ayen in to hir hows, with child conseyued; and sche sente, and telde to Dauid, and seide, Y haue conseyued.

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

6 Forsothe Dauid sente to Joab, and seide, Sende thou Vrye Ethei to me; and Joab sente Vrye to Dauid.

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

7 And Vrie cam to Dauid; and Dauid axide, hou riytfuli Joab dide and the puple, and hou the batel was mynystrid.

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."

8 And Dauid seide to Vrye, Go in to thin hows, and waische thi feet. Vrye yede out fro the hows of the kyng, and the kyngis mete suede hym.

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.

9 Sotheli Vrye slepte bifor the yate of the kyngis hows with othere seruauntis of his lord, and yede not doun to his hows.

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

10 And it was teld to Dauid of men, seiynge, Vrye `yede not to his hows. And Dauid seide to Vrye, Whether thou camest not fro the weye? whi yedist thou not doun in to thin hows?

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?"

11 And Vrie seide to Dauid, The arke of God, Israel and Juda dwellen in tentis, and my lord Joab, and the seruauntis of my lord dwellen on the face of erthe, and schal Y go in to myn hows, to ete and drynke, and slepe with my wijf? Bi thin helthe, and bi the helthe of thi soule, Y schal not do this thing.

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."

12 Therfor Dauid seide to Vrye, Dwelle thou here also to dai, and to morewe Y schal delyuere thee. Vrie dwellide in Jerusalem in that day and the tothir.

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

13 And Dauid clepide hym, that he schulde ete and drynke bifor hym, and Dauid made drunkun Vrye; and he yede out in the euentid, and slepte in his bed with the seruauntes of his lord; and yede not doun in to his hows.

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.

14 Therfor the morewtid was maad, and Dauid wroot epistle to Joab, and sente bi the hond of Vrye,

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

15 and wroot in the pistle, Sette ye Vrye euene ayens the batel, where the batel is strongeste, `that is, where the aduersaries ben stronge, and forsake ye hym, that he be smitun and perische.

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."

16 Therfor whanne Joab bisegide the citee, he settide Vrie in the place where he wiste that strongeste men weren.

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

17 And men yeden out of the citee, and fouyten ayens Joab, and thei killiden of the puple of seruauntis of Dauid, and also Vrye Ethei was deed.

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.

18 Therfor Joab sente, and telde alle the wordis of the batel;

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

19 and he comaundyde to the messanger, and seide, Whanne thou hast fillid alle wordis of the batel to the kyng,

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

20 if thou seest, that he is wrooth, and seith, Whi neiyiden ye to the wal to fiyte? whether ye wisten not, that many dartis ben sent `fro aboue fro the wal?

if it happens that he becomes angry,

21 who smoot Abymelech, sone of Gerobaal? whether not a womman sente on hym a gobet of a mylnestoon fro the wal, and killide hym in Thebes? whi neiyiden ye bisidis the wal? thou schalt seie, Also thi seruaunt, Vrye Ethei, diede.

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

22 Therfor the messanger yede, and telde to Dauid alle thingis whiche Joab hadde comaundid to hym.

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

23 And the messanger seide to Dauid, `Men hadden the maistri ayens us, and thei yeden out to vs in to the feeld; sotheli bi `fersnesse maad we pursueden hem `til to the yate of the citee.

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,

24 And archeris senten dartis to thi seruauntis fro the wal aboue, and summe of the `kyngis seruauntis ben deed; forsothe also thi seruaunt, Vrye Ethei, is deed.

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."

25 And Dauid seide to the messanger, Thou schalt seie these thingis to Joab, This thing breke not thee; for the bifallyng of batel is dyuerse, and swerd wastith now this man, now that man; coumforte thi fiyteris ayens the citee, that thou distrye it, and excite thou hem.

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."

26 Forsothe the wijf of Vrye herde, that Vrye hir hosebond was deed, and sche biweilide hym.

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

27 And whanne the morenyng was passid, Dauid sente, and brouyte hir in to his hows; and sche was maad wijf to hym, and sche childide a sone to hym. And this word which Dauid hadde do displeside bifor the Lord.

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.