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Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had many sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing, except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He tended it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat of his food and drink from his cup and even sleep in his arms; it was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveller came to the rich man, and he was loathed to take anything from his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the guest who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 David was seething with anger against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must restore that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s palace, and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that was not enough, I would also have given you even more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in His eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword! You took his wife to be your own wife, and you had him murdered by the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Therefore the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite’.
11 “This is what the Lord says, ‘Behold, I am going to raise up adversity against you from within your own house: I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbour, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing before all Israel and in broad daylight’.”
13 Then David said to Nathan. “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied to David, “The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. 14 However, by this deed you have given cause for the enemies of the Lord to show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”
15 Then Nathan went home.
The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became very sick. 16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted, and laid on the ground each night. 17 The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell David that the child was dead; for they said, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to him but he would not listen to us. How then can we tell him that the child is dead? He might do something desperate!”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, he realised that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?”
“He is dead,” they answered.
20 Then David got up from the ground, and he washed and anointed himself. When he had put on his clothes, he went to the House of the Lord and worshipped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but now that he is dead, you got up and ate food.”
22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? Perhaps the Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live’. 23 But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will never return to me.”
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. And he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and He spoke to the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah because of the Lord.
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and captured the city’s water supply. 28 Now assemble the rest of the troops, besiege the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be called by my name.”
29 So David assembled all the troops together and went to Rabbah; and he attacked the city and captured it. 30 The crown was taken from the head of their king, it was placed on David’s head. Its weight was a talent of gold and it had precious stones set on it. He also carried off a vast amount of plunder from the city. 31 He brought out the people who were there, and set them to work with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.