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 city31 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.

1 فارسل الرب ناثان الى داود. فجاء اليه وقال له. كان رجلان في مدينة واحدة واحد منهما غني والآخر فقير.2 وكان للغني غنم وبقر كثيرة جدا.3 واما الفقير فلم يكن له شيء الا نعجة واحدة صغيرة قد اقتناها وربّاها وكبرت معه ومع بنيه جميعا. تاكل من لقمته وتشرب من كاسه وتنام في حضنه وكانت له كابنة.4 فجاء ضيف الى الرجل الغني فعفا ان ياخذ من غنمه ومن بقره ليهيّئ للضيف الذي جاء اليه فاخذ نعجة الرجل الفقير وهيّأ للرجل الذي جاء اليه.5 فحمي غضب داود على الرجل جدا وقال لناثان حيّ هو الرب انه يقتل الرجل الفاعل ذلك6 ويرد النعجة اربعة اضعاف لانه فعل هذا الامر ولانه لم يشفق7 فقال ناثان لداود انت هو الرجل. هكذا قال الرب اله اسرائيل. انا مسحتك ملكا على اسرائيل وانقذتك من يد شاول8 واعطيتك بيت سيدك ونساء سيدك في حضنك واعطيتك بيت اسرائيل ويهوذا وان كان ذلك قليلا كنت ازيد لك كذا وكذا.9 لماذا احتقرت كلام الرب لتعمل الشر في عينيه. قد قتلت اوريا الحثّي بالسيف واخذت امرأته لك امرأة واياه قتلت بسيف بني عمون.10 والآن لا يفارق السيف بيتك الى الابد لانك احتقرتني واخذت امرأة اوريا الحثّي لتكون لك امرأة.11 هكذا قال الرب هانذا اقيم عليك الشر من بيتك وآخذ نساءك امام عينيك واعطيهنّ لقريبك فيضطجع مع نسائك في عين هذه الشمس.12 لانك انت فعلت بالسرّ وانا افعل هذا الأمر قدام جميع اسرائيل وقدام الشمس.13 فقال داود لناثان قد اخطأت الى الرب. فقال ناثان لداود. الرب ايضا قد نقل عنك خطيتك. لا تموت.14 غير انه من اجل انك قد جعلت بهذا الامر اعداء الرب يشمتون فالابن المولود لك يموت.15 وذهب ناثان الى بيته وضرب الرب الولد الذي ولدته امرأة اوريا لداود فثقل.16 فسأل داود الله من اجل الصبي وصام داود صوما ودخل وبات مضطجعا على الارض.17 فقام شيوخ بيته عليه ليقيموه عن الارض فلم يشأ ولم ياكل معهم خبزا.18 وكان في اليوم السابع ان الولد مات فخاف عبيد داود ان يخبروه بان الولد قد مات لانهم قالوا هوذا لما كان الولد حيّا كلمناه فلم يسمع لصوتنا. فكيف نقول له قد مات الولد. يعمل اشرّ.19 ورأى داود عبيده يتناجون ففطن داود ان الولد قد مات. فقال داود لعبيده هل مات الولد. فقالوا مات.20 فقام داود عن الارض واغتسل وادّهن وبدل ثيابه ودخل بيت الرب وسجد ثم جاء الى بيته وطلب فوضعوا له خبزا فأكل.21 فقال له عبيده ما هذا الأمر الذي فعلت. لما كان الولد حيّا صمت وبكيت ولما مات الولد قمت واكلت خبزا.22 فقال لما كان الولد حيّا صمت وبكيت لاني قلت من يعلم ربما يرحمني الرب ويحيا الولد.23 والآن قد مات فلماذا اصوم. هل اقدر ان ارده بعد. انا ذاهب اليه واما هو فلا يرجع اليّ24 وعزّى داود بثشبع امرأته ودخل اليها واضطجع معها فولدت ابنا فدعا اسمه سليمان والرب احبه25 وارسل بيد ناثان النبي ودعا اسمه يديديّا من اجل الرب26 وحارب يوآب ربّة بني عمون واخذ مدينة المملكة.27 وارسل يوآب رسلا الى داود يقول قد حاربت ربّة واخذت ايضا مدينة المياه.28 فالآن اجمع بقية الشعب وانزل على المدينة وخذها لئلا آخذ انا المدينة فيدعى باسمي عليها.29 فجمع داود كل الشعب وذهب الى ربّة وحاربها واخذها.30 واخذ تاج ملكهم عن راسه ووزنه وزنة من الذهب مع حجر كريم وكان على راس داود. واخرج غنيمة المدينة كثيرة جدا.31 واخرج الشعب الذي فيها ووضعهم تحت مناشير ونوارج حديد وفؤوس حديد وامرّهم في اتون الآجرّ وهكذا صنع بجميع مدن بني عمون. ثم رجع داود وجميع الشعب الى اورشليم