Ii Samuelis 11
1 Factum est autem, vertente anno, eo tempore quo solent reges ad bella procedere, misit David Joab, et servos suos cum eo, et universum Israël, et vastaverunt filios Ammon, et obsederunt Rabba: David autem remansit in 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 Dum hæc agerentur, accidit ut surgeret David de strato suo post meridiem, et deambularet in solario domus regiæ: viditque mulierem se lavantem ex adverso super solarium suum: erat autem mulier pulchra valde.
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 Misit ergo rex, et requisivit quæ esset mulier. Nuntiatumque est ei quod ipsa esset Bethsabee filia Eliam, uxor Uriæ Hethæi.
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 Missis itaque David nuntiis, tulit eam: quæ cum ingressa esset ad illum, dormivit cum ea: statimque sanctificata est ab immunditia sua,
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 et reversa est domum suam concepto fœtu. Mittensque nuntiavit David, et ait: Concepi.
Bathsheba became pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him, “I'm pregnant.”
6 Misit autem David ad Joab, dicens: Mitte ad me Uriam Hethæum. Misitque Joab Uriam ad David.
So David sent a message to Joab, telling him, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” Joab sent him to David.
7 Et venit Urias ad David. Quæsivitque David quam recte ageret Joab et populus, et quomodo administraretur bellum.
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 Et dixit David ad Uriam: Vade in domum tuam, et lava pedes tuos. Et egressus est Urias de domo regis, secutusque est eum cibus regius.
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 Dormivit autem Urias ante portam domus regiæ cum aliis servis domini sui, et non descendit ad domum suam.
But Uriah didn't go home. He slept in the guardroom at the palace entrance with all the king's guards.
10 Nuntiatumque est David a dicentibus: Non ivit Urias in domum suam. Et ait David ad Uriam: Numquid non de via venisti? quare non descendisti in domum tuam?
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 Et ait Urias ad David: Arca Dei et Israël et Juda habitant in papilionibus, et dominus meus Joab et servi domini mei super faciem terræ manent: et ego ingrediar domum meam, ut comedam et bibam, et dormiam cum uxore mea? Per salutem tuam, et per salutem animæ tuæ, non faciam rem hanc.
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 Ait ergo David ad Uriam: Mane hic etiam hodie, et cras dimittam te. Mansit Urias in Jerusalem in die illa et altera:
David told him, “Stay here today, and tomorrow I'll send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day, and the next.
13 et vocavit eum David ut comederet coram se et biberet, et inebriavit eum: qui egressus vespere, dormivit in strato suo cum servis domini sui, et in domum suam non descendit.
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 Factum est ergo mane, et scripsit David epistolam ad Joab: misitque per manum Uriæ,
In the morning David wrote Joab a letter, and gave it to Uriah to take to him.
15 scribens in epistola: Ponite Uriam ex adverso belli, ubi fortissimum est prælium: et derelinquite eum, ut percussus intereat.
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 Igitur cum Joab obsideret urbem, posuit Uriam in loco ubi sciebat viros esse fortissimos.
As Joab besieged the town, he made Uriah take a place where he knew the strongest enemy men would be fighting.
17 Egressique viri de civitate, bellabant adversum Joab, et ceciderunt de populo servorum David, et mortuus est etiam Urias Hethæus.
When the town's defenders came out and attacked Joab, some of David's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.
18 Misit itaque Joab, et nuntiavit David omnia verba prælii:
Joab sent David a full report about the battle.
19 præcepitque nuntio, dicens: Cum compleveris universos sermones belli ad regem,
He ordered the messenger, saying, “When you've finished telling the king all about the battle,
20 si eum videris indignari, et dixerit: Quare accessistis ad murum, ut præliaremini? an ignorabatis quod multa desuper ex muro tela mittantur?
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 Quis percussit Abimelech filium Jerobaal? nonne mulier misit super eum fragmen molæ de muro, et interfecit eum in Thebes? quare juxta murum accessistis? dices: Etiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus occubuit.
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 Abiit ergo nuntius, et venit, et narravit David omnia quæ ei præceperat Joab.
The messenger left, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had directed him to say.
23 Et dixit nuntius ad David: Prævaluerunt adversum nos viri, et egressi sunt ad nos in agrum: nos autem facto impetu persecuti eos sumus usque ad portam civitatis.
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 Et direxerunt jacula sagittarii ad servos tuos ex muro desuper, mortuique sunt de servis regis: quin etiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus mortuus est.
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 Et dixit David ad nuntium: Hæc dices Joab: Non te frangat ista res: varius enim eventus est belli, nunc hunc, et nunc illum consumit gladius: conforta bellatores tuos adversus urbem ut destruas eam, et exhortare eos.
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 Audivit autem uxor Uriæ quod mortuus esset Urias vir suus, et planxit eum.
When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.
27 Transacto autem luctu, misit David, et introduxit eam in domum suam, et facta est ei uxor, peperitque ei filium: et displicuit verbum hoc quod fecerat David, coram Domino.
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.
