1And Yehovah 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. 2The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3but the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it ate of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter. 4And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the wayfaring man who had come to him, but took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him. 5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Yehovah lives, the man who has done this is worthy to die: 6and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. 7And Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says Yehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; 8and I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you such and such things. 9Why have you despised the word of Yehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? you have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 11Thus says Yehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12For you did it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Yehovah. And Nathan said to David, Yehovah also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of Yehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die. 15And Nathan departed to his house. And Yehovah struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick. 16David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. 17And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, nor did he eat bread with them. 18And it happened 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 still alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice: how will he then harm himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! 19But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. 20Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothing; and he came into the house of Yehovah, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he asked, they set bread before him, and he ate. 21Then his servants said to him, What thing is this that you have done? you fasted and wept for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, you rose and ate bread. 22And he said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether Yehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23But 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. 24And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Yehovah loved him; 25and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, for Yehovah’s sake. 26Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. 27And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah; yes, I have taken the city of waters. 28Now 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. 29And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it. 30And he took the crown of their king from his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, very much. 31And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.