1 And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich had very many flocks and herds;
3 but the poor man had nothing at all, but one little ewe lamb which he had bought, and was nourishing; and it grew up with him, and together with his children: it ate of his morsel, and drank of his own cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that had come to him; and he took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that had come to him.
5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this thing is worthy of death;
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 moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah to do evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Urijah 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 Urijah 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 neighbour, 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 to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah has also 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, even the child that is born to thee shall certainly die.
15 And Nathan departed to his house. And Jehovah smote the child that Urijah's wife bore to David, and it became very sick.
16 And David besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose, {and went} to him, to raise him up from the earth; but he would not, and he ate no 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 spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice; and how shall we say to him, The child is dead? he may do some harm.
19 But David saw that his servants whispered, and David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to 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 clothing, and entered into the house of Jehovah and worshipped; then he came to his own house and required them to set bread before him, and he ate.
21 And his servants said to him, What thing is this which thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child alive; but as soon as the child is dead, thou dost rise and eat bread.
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, Who knows? {perhaps} Jehovah will be gracious to me, that the child may live.
23 But now he is dead, why 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 Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her; and she bore 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 And 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, and have taken the city of waters.
28 And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city and take it: lest I take the city and it be called by my name.
29 And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it.
30 And he took the crown of their king from off his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold with {the} precious stones; and it was {set} on David's head; and he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
31 And he brought out the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkilns. And so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
1 耶和华差派拿单去见大卫。于是拿单来到大卫那里， 对他说： "在一座城里有两个人， 一个富有， 一个贫穷。
2 那富有的有极多牛羊，
3 那贫穷的除了买来养的一只母羊羔以外， 什么也没有。那小羊在他家里和他的儿女一同长大， 小羊吃他的食物， 喝他杯中的饮料， 睡在他的怀里， 就像他的女儿一样。
4 有一个旅客来到富翁那里， 他舍不得从自己的牛群羊群中取一头出来， 款待到他那里来的旅客， 却取了那穷人的母羊羔， 款待到他那里来的客人。"
5 大卫就非常恼怒那人， 对拿单说： "我指着永活的耶和华起誓， 作这事的人该死。
6 他必须四倍赔偿这羊羔， 因为他作了这事， 又因他没有怜悯的心。"
7 拿单对大卫说： "你就是那人！ 耶和华以色列的 神这样说： ‘我膏立了你作以色列的王， 把你从扫罗的手里救了出来，
8 把你主人的家赐给你， 把你主人的妻妾交在你怀里， 又把以色列和犹大家赐给你。你若是还以为太少， 我还可以多多加给你。
9 你为什么藐视耶和华的话， 行他看为恶的事呢？你用刀击杀了赫人乌利亚， 娶了他的妻子作你的妻子， 你借着亚扪人的刀杀了乌利亚。
10 所以， 从今以后， 刀剑必不离开你的家， 因为你藐视了我， 娶了赫人乌利亚的妻子作你的妻子。’
11 耶和华这样说： ‘看哪！ 我必从你家中兴起祸患攻击你； 我要在你的眼前把你的妃嫔拿去赐给别人。他要在光天化日之下与她们同床。
12 你在暗中行了这事， 我却要在所有以色列人面前， 在光天化日之下行这事报应你。’"
13 大卫对拿单说： "我得罪了耶和华了。"拿单对大卫说： "耶和华已经除去了你的罪， 你必不至于死。
14 只是因为你作了这事， 使耶和华的仇敌大得亵渎的机会， 所以你所生的儿子必定死。"
15 于是拿单回自己的家去了。耶和华击打乌利亚的妻子给大卫所生的孩子， 他就害了重病。
16 大卫为那孩子恳求 神， 并且禁食。他进房里去， 终夜躺在地上。
17 他家中的老侍从站在他旁边， 要把他从地上扶起来， 他却不肯， 也不与他们一起吃饭。
18 到了第七天， 孩子死了。大卫的臣仆不敢告诉他孩子死了， 因为他们说： "看哪， 孩子还活着的时候， 我们劝他， 他尚且不听我们的话。现在我们怎么能告诉他孩子已经死了呢？他会伤心欲绝的。"
19 大卫看见他的臣仆彼此低声耳语， 就知道孩子已经死了。他问臣仆说： "孩子死了吗？"他们回答： "死了！ "
20 于是大卫从地上起来， 洗澡， 抹膏， 更换衣服， 进耶和华的殿去敬拜， 然后回到自己的宫里去， 吩咐人给他摆上饭， 他就吃了。
21 臣仆问他： "你为什么这样作呢？孩子还活着的时候， 你为他禁食哭泣； 孩子死了， 你倒起来吃饭！ "
22 他回答： "孩子还活着的时候， 我禁食哭泣， 因为我想： ‘也许耶和华怜悯我， 让孩子可以活着。’
23 现在他死了， 我为什么还要禁食呢？我还能使他回来吗？我要到他那里去， 他却不能回到我这里来。"
24 大卫安慰他的妻子拔示巴， 进到她那里去， 与她同睡。她生了一个儿子， 大卫给他起名叫所罗门； 耶和华也喜爱他，
25 就差派拿单先知去， 照着耶和华的吩咐， 给他起名叫耶底底亚。
26 那时， 约押正在攻打亚扪人的拉巴， 攻取了王城。
27 约押派遣使者去见大卫， 说： "我攻打拉巴， 已经攻取了水城。
28 现在， 请你聚集其余的人民， 安营攻打这城， 把城攻取； 免得我攻取了这城， 人就以我的名字来叫这城。"
29 于是大卫聚集所有的人民， 向拉巴进军； 攻打那城， 把它攻取了。
30 大卫从他们的王的头上夺取了王冠。王冠的金子重三十五公斤， 上面嵌有宝石， 人把这冠冕戴在大卫的头上。大卫又从这城里带走了许多战利品，
31 又把那城里的人民带出去， 使他们用锯子、铁耙、铁斧作工， 或使他们在砖窑服役。大卫对待亚扪各城的居民都是这样。后来， 大卫和众人都回耶路撒冷去了。