2 Samuel 11:2-12:13 And it happened at evening-tide, that David arose from off his couch, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and he saw from the roof a woman bathing herself; and the woman was of a very beautiful appearance.

Leeser⁽ⁱ⁾ ² And it happened at evening-tide, that David arose from off his couch, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and he saw from the roof a woman bathing herself; and the woman was of a very beautiful appearance. ³ And David sent and inquired after the woman; and some one said, Behold, this is Beth-sheba’, the daughter of Eli’am, the wife of Uriyah the Hittite. ⁴ And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her, and she had just purified herself from her uncleanness; and she returned unto her house. ⁵ And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child. ⁶ And David sent to Joab, Send unto me Uriyah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriyah to David. ⁷ And when Uriyah was come unto him, David asked after the well-being of Joab, and after the well-being of the people, and how the war prospered. ⁸ And David said to Uriyah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriyah went forth out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. ⁹ But Uriyah laid himself down at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. ¹⁰ And they told David, saying, Uriyah is not gone down unto his house: and David said unto Uriyah, Art thou not come from a journey? why then art thou not gone down unto thy own house? ¹¹ Then said Uriyah unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah abide in booths; and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are encamped in the open field: and should I alone go unto my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. ¹² And David said unto Uriyah, Tarry here also this day, and tomorrow will I send thee off. So Uriyah remained in Jerusalem on that day and the following. ¹³ And David invited him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunken; and he went out in the evening to lie down on his resting-place with the servants of his lord; but to his house he did not go down. ¹⁴ And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriyah. ¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriyah in front, opposite to the hottest fight, and then withdraw from behind him, that he may be smitten and die. ¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Joab was enclosing the city, that he placed Uriyah toward the spot of which he knew that valiant men were there. ¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab; and there fell some of the people, of the servants of David, and there died also Uriyah the Hittite. ¹⁸ Then did Joab send, and told unto David all the events of the war. ¹⁹ And he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast finished telling all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ And it happen that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore did you approach unto the city to fight? knew ye not, that they would shoot down from off the wall? ²¹ Who smote Abimelech the son of Yerubbesheth? did not a woman throw down upon him a piece of an upper mill-stone from off the wall so that he died at Thebez? why did ye approach unto the wall? then must thou say, Also thy servant Uriyah the Hittite is dead. ²² And the messenger went, and came and told unto David all for which Joab had sent him. ²³ And the messenger said unto David, Because the men overpowered us and came out against us into the field; but we set upon them, as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ And the archers then shot at thy servants from off the wall; and there died some of the servants of the king, and also thy servant Uriyah the Hittite is dead. ²⁵ Then said David to the messenger, Thus shalt thou say to Joab, Let this thing not be displeasing in thy eyes; for at times this, at other times the other will the sword devour; continue firmly in thy war against the city, and overthrow it: and thus do thou encourage him. ²⁶ And when the wife of Uriyah heard that Uriyah her husband had died, she mourned for her lord. ²⁷ And when the time of mourning was past, David sent and took her to his house, and she became his wife; and she bore him a son. But the thing which David had done was displeasing in the eyes of the Lord. ¹² ¹ And the Lord sent Nathan unto David, and he came unto him and said to him, Two men were once in one city, the one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had flocks and herds, in great abundance. ³ But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe, which he had bought; and he nourished it, and it grew up with him and with his children together; of his bread it used to eat, and out of his cup it used to drink, and in his bosom it used to lie, and it was to him as a daughter. ⁴ And there came a traveler unto the rich man; and he felt compunction to take from his own flocks and from his own herds to dress for the wayfarer that was come to him; but he took the ewe of the poor man, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. ⁵ And the anger of David was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, surely the man that hath done this deserveth to die; ⁶ And the ewe he shall pay fourfold, for punishment that he hath done this thing, and because he had no compassion. ⁷ Then said Nathan to David, Thou art the man! Thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, It is I who anointed thee as king over Israel, and it is I who delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; ⁸ And I gave unto thee the house of thy master, and put the wives of thy master into thy bosom, and gave unto thee the house of Israel and Judah: and if this be too little, I could bestow on thee yet many more like these things. ⁹ Wherefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord to do what is evil in his eyes? Uriyah the Hittite hast thou smitten with the sword, and his wife hast thou taken unto thee for wife; but him hast thou slain with the sword of the children of ‘Ammon. ¹⁰ And now, the sword shall not depart from thy house for ever; for the reason that thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriyah the Hittite to be thy wife. ¹¹ Thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against thee evil out of thy own house, and I will take away thy wives before thy eyes, and I will give them unto thy neighbor; and he shall lie with thy wives before the face of this sun. ¹² For thou hast done it in secret; but I will surely do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. ¹³ Then said David unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, Also the Lord hath caused thy sin to pass away: thou shalt not die.