Wars Against the Philistines^(A)

¹⁵ Once again there was a battle between the Philistines^(B) and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. ¹⁶ And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels^[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai^(C) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp^(D) of Israel will not be extinguished.^(E)”

¹⁸ In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai^(F) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

¹⁹ In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair^[b] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of^[c] Goliath the Gittite,^(G) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.^(H)

²⁰ In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. ²¹ When he taunted^(I) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,^(J) David’s brother, killed him.

²² These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

David’s Victories^(A)

18 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.

David Defeats the Ammonites^(A)

19 In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites^(B) died, and his son succeeded him as king. ² David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, ³ the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out^(C) the country and overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious^(D) to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents^[a] of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim,^[b] Aram Maakah and Zobah.^{(E) 7} They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba,^(F) while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

⁸ On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. ⁹ The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹¹ He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai^(G) his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites. ¹² Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. ¹³ Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

¹⁴ Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷ When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel^(H) and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. ¹⁸ But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army.

¹⁹ When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him.

So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

Psalm 60^[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A miktam^[b] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim^[c] and Aram Zobah,^[d] and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.^(B)

² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof^(A) of the palace. From the roof he saw^(B) a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, ³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba,^(C) the daughter of Eliam^(D) and the wife of Uriah^(E) the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her.^(F) She came to him, and he slept^(G) with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.)^(H) Then she went back home. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah^(I) the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”^(J) So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

¹⁰ David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”

¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark^(K) and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,^[a] and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love^(L) to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

¹² Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter^(M) to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵ In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down^(N) and die.^(O)”

¹⁶ So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

¹⁸ Joab sent David a full account of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, ²⁰ the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek^(P) son of Jerub-Besheth^[b]? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall,^(Q) so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

²² The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

²⁵ David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

²⁶ When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ After the time of mourning^(R) was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased^(S) the Lord.

Nathan Rebukes David^(T)

12 The Lord sent Nathan^(U) to David.^(V) When he came to him,^(W) 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^(X) burned with anger^(Y) against the man^(Z) and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives,^(AA) the man who did this must die! ⁶ He must pay for that lamb four times over,^(AB) because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!^(AC) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed^(AD) you^(AE) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you,^(AF) 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^(AG) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down^(AH) Uriah^(AI) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed^(AJ) him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword^(AK) 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^(AL) I am going to bring calamity on you.^(AM) 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.^{(AN) 12} You did it in secret,^(AO) but I will do this thing in broad daylight^(AP) before all Israel.’”

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned^(AQ) against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away^(AR) your sin.^(AS) You are not going to die.^{(AT) 14} But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for^[c] the Lord,^(AU) the son born to you will die.”

¹⁵ After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck^(AV) 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^(AW) in sackcloth^[d] on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused,^(AX) and he would not eat any food with them.^(AY)

Psalm 51^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.^(A)