1 O Senhor enviou Natã a Davi. Chegando Natã a Davi, disse-lhe: Havia numa cidade dois homens, um rico e outro pobre. 2 Tinha o rico ovelhas e gado em grande número; 3 mas o pobre não tinha coisa nenhuma, senão uma cordeirinha que comprara e criara, e que em sua casa crescera, junto com seus filhos; comia do seu bocado e do seu copo bebia; dormia nos seus braços, e a tinha como filha. 4 Vindo um viajante ao homem rico, não quis este tomar das suas ovelhas e do gado para dar de comer ao viajante que viera a ele; mas tomou a cordeirinha do homem pobre e a preparou para o homem que lhe havia chegado. 5 Então, o furor de Davi se acendeu sobremaneira contra aquele homem, e disse a Natã: Tão certo como vive o Senhor, o homem que fez isso deve ser morto. 6 E pela cordeirinha restituirá quatro vezes, porque fez tal coisa e porque não se compadeceu.
7 Então, disse Natã a Davi: Tu és o homem. Assim diz o Senhor, Deus de Israel: Eu te ungi rei sobre Israel e eu te livrei das mãos de Saul; 8 dei-te a casa de teu senhor e as mulheres de teu senhor em teus braços e também te dei a casa de Israel e de Judá; e, se isto fora pouco, eu teria acrescentado tais e tais coisas. 9 Por que, pois, desprezaste a palavra do Senhor, fazendo o que era mau perante ele? A Urias, o heteu, feriste à espada; e a sua mulher tomaste por mulher, depois de o matar com a espada dos filhos de Amom. 10 Agora, pois, não se apartará a espada jamais da tua casa, porquanto me desprezaste e tomaste a mulher de Urias, o heteu, para ser tua mulher. 11 Assim diz o Senhor: Eis que da tua própria casa suscitarei o mal sobre ti, e tomarei tuas mulheres à tua própria vista, e as darei a teu próximo, o qual se deitará com elas, em plena luz deste sol. 12 Porque tu o fizeste em oculto, mas eu farei isto perante todo o Israel e perante o sol. 13 Então, disse Davi a Natã: Pequei contra o Senhor. Disse Natã a Davi: Também o Senhor te perdoou o teu pecado; não morrerás. 14 Mas, posto que com isto deste motivo a que blasfemassem os inimigos do Senhor, também o filho que te nasceu morrerá. 15 Então, Natã foi para sua casa.
E o Senhor feriu a criança que a mulher de Urias dera à luz a Davi; e a criança adoeceu gravemente. 16 Buscou Davi a Deus pela criança; jejuou Davi e, vindo, passou a noite prostrado em terra. 17 Então, os anciãos da sua casa se achegaram a ele, para o levantar da terra; porém ele não quis e não comeu com eles. 18 Ao sétimo dia, morreu a criança; e temiam os servos de Davi informá-lo de que a criança era morta, porque diziam: Eis que, estando a criança ainda viva, lhe falávamos, porém não dava ouvidos à nossa voz; como, pois, lhe diremos que a criança é morta? Porque mais se afligirá. 19 Viu, porém, Davi que seus servos cochichavam uns com os outros e entendeu que a criança era morta, pelo que disse aos seus servos: É morta a criança? Eles responderam: Morreu. 20 Então, Davi se levantou da terra; lavou-se, ungiu-se, mudou de vestes, entrou na Casa do Senhor e adorou; depois, veio para sua casa e pediu pão; puseram-no diante dele, e ele comeu. 21 Disseram-lhe seus servos: Que é isto que fizeste? Pela criança viva jejuaste e choraste; porém, depois que ela morreu, te levantaste e comeste pão. 22 Respondeu ele: Vivendo ainda a criança, jejuei e chorei, porque dizia: Quem sabe se o Senhor se compadecerá de mim, e continuará viva a criança? 23 Porém, agora que é morta, por que jejuaria eu? Poderei eu fazê-la voltar? Eu irei a ela, porém ela não voltará para mim. 24 Então, Davi veio a Bate-Seba, consolou-a e se deitou com ela; teve ela um filho a quem Davi deu o nome de Salomão; e o Senhor o amou. 25 Davi o entregou nas mãos do profeta Natã, e este lhe chamou Jedidias, por amor do Senhor.
26 Entretanto, pelejou Joabe contra Rabá, dos filhos de Amom, e tomou a cidade real. 27 Então, mandou Joabe mensageiros a Davi e disse: Pelejei contra Rabá e tomei a cidade das águas. 28 Ajunta, pois, agora o resto do povo, e cerca a cidade, e toma-a, para não suceder que, tomando-a eu, se aclame sobre ela o meu nome. 29 Reuniu, pois, Davi a todo o povo, e marchou para Rabá, e pelejou contra ela, e a tomou. 30 Tirou a coroa da cabeça do seu rei; o peso da coroa era de um talento de ouro, e havia nela pedras preciosas, e foi posta na cabeça de Davi; e da cidade levou mui grande despojo. 31 Trazendo o povo que havia nela, fê-lo passar a serras, e a picaretas, e a machados de ferro, e em fornos de tijolos; e assim fez a todas as cidades dos filhos de Amom. Voltou Davi com todo o povo para Jerusalém.
1 And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. 4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. 5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to die: 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8 and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things. 9 Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said unto David, Jehovah also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. 15 And Nathan departed unto his house.
And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17 And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of Jehovah, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him; 25 and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, for Jehovah’s sake.
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah; yea, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called after my name. 29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from off his head; and the weight thereof was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. 31 And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die!
6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had 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 your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.
9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'
11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.
12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for "the LORD, the son born to you will die."
15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth "on the ground.
17 The elders of his household 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 attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, he wouldn't listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."
19 David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead."
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His attendants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.'
23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him;
25 and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. [^3]
26 Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel.
27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply.
28 Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me."
29 So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it.
30 David took the crown from their king's "head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent "of gold, and it was set with precious stones. David took a great quantity of plunder from the city
31 and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. "David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.