2 Samuel 11

₁It was in the spring time, the time when the kings went to start a war. David sent Joab and all the men of Israel and they defeated the Ammonites. They put up their tents around the city of Rabbah and besieged them, but David stayed in Jerusalem. ₂One evening he got up from his bed and walked on the roof of the palace. He saw a woman who was bathing. She was beautiful. ₃David sent someone to find out who the woman was. It was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. ₄She had just purified herself after her monthly_period. David sent messengers to the woman to tell her to come to him. She came to him and he had sex with her. ₅Bathsheba went back home and later she saw that she was pregnant and she told David that she was pregnant.

₆David told Joab to send Uriah, the Hittite, to him. ₇Joab did and when Uriah came to David, David asked him if Joab and the soldiers were well and how the men were fighting. ₈Then David said to Uriah: ‘Go home and wash your feet.’ When Uriah went out of the palace, the king sent him a gift. ₉But Uriah did not go to his home. He went to sleep in front of the palace with the men who worked for the king. ₁₀When they told David that Uriah had not gone to his home, he asked Uriah: ‘Why don't you go home? You have walked very far.’ ₁₁Uriah said to David: ‘No, the covenant box, the Israelites and people of Judah sleep in tents and my commander Joab and his men stay in tents in the field. It would be wrong for me to go home and eat and drink and sleep with my wife. No, as sure as you live, I will not go home.’

₁₂Then David said to Uriah: ‘Stay here today, and I will send you back tomorrow.’ Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day. ₁₃David called Uriah and he ate and drank with him and David made Uriah drunk. But Uriah did not go home. That night he slept on his mat with the servants who worked for the king. ₁₄The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and he sent it with Uriah. ₁₅In the letter David wrote: ‘You must let Uriah fight at a place where the enemies are fighting hard and then you must leave him alone so that the enemies can attack and kill him.’

₁₆Joab was attacking the city and he told Uriah to go and fight at a place where he knew the best Ammonite soldiers were fighting. ₁₇The enemies came out of the city and they started to fight against Joab and his men. Some of David's men died and Uriah, the Hittite, also died.

₁₈Joab sent David a message and he told David everything that had happened in the war. ₁₉Joab told the messenger: ‘When you have told the king everything that has happened in the war, he will get angry and ask you: ₂₀“Why did you go so near the city to fight? You know that the enemy is on top of the wall and they shoot from there. ₂₁It was a woman on top of the wall who killed Abimelek, son of Jerub-Besheth, when she threw a grinding-stone on him. That is how Abimelek died in Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?” Then you must say to King David: “Uriah, the Hittite, has also died.” ’

₂₂The messenger went and he told David everything that Joab had said to him. ₂₃The messenger said to David: ‘Those men were stronger than we were. They came out and attacked us in the field and we were fighting them near the gate of the city. ₂₄The men on top of the wall then started shooting at us with their arrows and some of the king's men died. Uriah, the Hittite, is also dead.’

₂₅David said to the messenger: ‘You must tell Joab: “Do not feel bad about this, because this is what happens in war. You must fight hard and destroy the city.” You must tell Joab to be strong.’

₂₆When they told Uriah's wife that her husband had died, she mourned for her husband. ₂₇When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone to bring Bathsheba to his house. She became David's wife and she had a son. But the Lord was angry because of what David had done.