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2 Samuel 12
Contemporary English Version
2 Samuel 12
Contemporary English Version
12 1 (A) and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:
A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. 2 The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.
4 One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's lamb and served it instead.
5 David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! 6 And because he didn't have pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth.”
7 Then Nathan told David:
You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: “I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul 8 and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. 9 Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by letting the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.
10 “Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. 11 (B) Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. 12 What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.”
13-14 David said, “I have disobeyed the Lord.”
“Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn't care what the Lord wanted.[a] He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will.” 15 Then Nathan went back home.
David's Young Son Dies
The Lord made David's young son very sick.
16 So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor. 17 His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them.
18 After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, “Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!”
19 David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. “Did my son die?” he asked his servants.
“Yes, he did,” they answered.
20 David got up off the floor; he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the Lord's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it.
21 His officials said, “What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating.”
22 David answered:
While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, “Who knows? Maybe the Lord will have pity on me and let the child live.” 23 But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.
Solomon Is Born
24 David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. Later on, she gave birth to another son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon 25 and sent Nathan the prophet to tell David, “The Lord will call him Jedidiah.”[b]
The End of the War with Ammon
(1 Chronicles 20.1b-3)
26 Meanwhile, Joab had been in the country of Ammon, attacking the city of Rabbah. He captured the royal fortress 27 and sent a messenger to tell David:
I have attacked Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding the city water supply. 28 Call the rest of the army together. Then surround the city, and capture it yourself. If you don't, everyone will remember that I captured the city.
29 David called the rest of the army together and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city 30 and took the crown from the statue of their god Milcom.[c] The crown was made of about 35 kilograms of gold, and there was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown.[d] He also carried off everything else of value. 31 David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls[e] with iron picks and axes, and then he put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities.
David went back to Jerusalem, and the people of Israel returned to their homes.
Footnotes
- 12.13,14 what … wanted: One manuscript of one ancient translation; one Hebrew manuscript “what the Lord had said”; most Hebrew manuscripts “what the enemies of the Lord would think.”
- 12.25 Jedidiah: In Hebrew this name means “Loved by the Lord.”
- 12.30 the statue of their god Milcom: Or “their king.”
- 12.30 David … crown: Or “and David wore the crown.”
- 12.31 tear … walls: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2 Samuel 12
New International Version
2 Samuel 12
New International Version
Nathan Rebukes David(A)
12 The Lord sent Nathan(B) to David.(C) When he came to him,(D) 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(E) burned with anger(F) against the man(G) and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives,(H) the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over,(I) because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!(J) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed(K) you(L) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you,(M) 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(N) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down(O) Uriah(P) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed(Q) him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword(R) 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(S) I am going to bring calamity on you.(T) 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.(U) 12 You did it in secret,(V) but I will do this thing in broad daylight(W) before all Israel.’”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned(X) against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away(Y) your sin.(Z) You are not going to die.(AA) 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the Lord,(AB) the son born to you will die.”
15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck(AC) 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(AD) in sackcloth[b] on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,(AE) and he would not eat any food with them.(AF)
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,(AG) put on lotions and changed his clothes,(AH) 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,(AI) 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?(AJ) The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’(AK) 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him,(AL) but he will not return to me.”(AM)
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba,(AN) and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.(AO) The Lord loved him; 25 and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.[c](AP)
26 Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah(AQ) 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(AR) from their king’s[d] head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent[e] 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.[f] David did this to all the Ammonite(AS) towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 12:14 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text for the enemies of
- 2 Samuel 12:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have in sackcloth.
- 2 Samuel 12:25 Jedidiah means loved by the Lord.
- 2 Samuel 12:30 Or from Milkom’s (that is, Molek’s)
- 2 Samuel 12:30 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 12:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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