sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river, and brought in their force: and Shobach the captain of Hadarezer’s host went before them.

And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians armed themselves against David to fight with him.

And the Syrians fled before Israel: and David slew of the Syrians seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen: and he smote Shobach the captain of the host, and he died there.

And when the kings that were under Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and became subject unto them. And the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon more.
(2 Samuel)
Chapter 11
David’s adultery and manslaughter.

And it came to pass, when the year was expired, at the time that kings go forth, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, to destroy the children of Ammon, and to
occupy Rabbah: but David abode at Jerusalem.

And it came to pass about even, that David arose from his couch, and went up to the roof of the king’s house, and saw a woman washing herself from the roof: and the woman was very beautiful in form.

And David sent and asked for the woman, saying, Is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

And David sent messengers, and fetched her. And when she was come in unto him, he slept with her. And she purged herself from her uncleanness, and returned unto her house.

And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, saying, I am with child.

And David sent unto Joab, saying, Send unto me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah unto David.

And when Uriah came to him, David asked if it were well with Joab, and with the people, and with the battle.

And David said unto Uriah, Go down to thine house, and wash thy feet. And when Uriah was gone out to the king’s house, he followed him after the king’s present.

And Uriah lay down to sleep at the door of the king’s house, where all the servants of his lord lay, and went not down into his house.

And it was told David, saying, Uriah went not down to his house: and David said unto him, Didst thou not come over the field? Why wentest thou not down to thine own house?

And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, dwell in tents; and Joab my lord, and my lord’s servants, lie in the field: and shall I go into mine house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do it.

And David said unto Uriah, Stay here this day, and tomorrow I will send thee away. So Uriah abode at Jerusalem by day, and by night.

And David invited him to eat and drink before him, and made him drunken. And it came to pass in the evening, that he went out to lie down in his bed with his master’s servants, and went not down to his house.

In the morning David wrote a letter unto Joab, and sent it by Uriah.

And he wrote thus in the epistle, Set Uriah in the battle, where it is hardest, and turn aside behind him, that he may be slain and die.

And it came to pass, when Joab was round about the city, that he set Uriah in the place where he knew that there were men of war.

And when the men of the city came out, and fought against Joab, some of the people of David’s servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite died also.

And Joab sent, and told David all the bargain of the battle.

And he commanded the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of all the bargain of the battle with the king

And behold, the king is wroth, and saith unto thee, Why have ye come so nigh unto the city to battle? know ye not how to shoot from the wall?

Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a mill upon him from the wall, and he died in Thebez? Wherefore have ye come nigh unto the wall? then shalt thou say, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

And the messenger went and came, and told David all things, wherefore Joab had sent him.

And the messenger said unto David, The men rose up against us, and fell out unto us into the field: and we were with them unto the gate of the gate.

And the archers shot from the wall at thy servants, and slew some of the king’s servants: and Uriah thy servant the Hittite is dead also.

And David said unto the messenger: Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing offend thee: for now the sword devoureth this, now that. Stop the battle against the city, that thou mayest break it; and be of good cheer.

And when Uriah’s wife heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her landlord.

And when she had mourned, David sent and took her into his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the deed which David did displeased the LORD.
(2 Samuel)
Chapter 12
Nathan’s sermon on repentance.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And when he was come unto him, he said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.

the rich man had a great many sheep and oxen;

But the poor man had nothing, save one little lamb, which he had bought: and he nourished it, and it waxed great with him, and with his children at the same time; it did eat of his meat, and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom; and he kept it as a daughter.

And when a stranger came to the rich man, he spared to take of his flocks and of his herds, to dress for the stranger that came to him: and he took the poor man’s sheep, and dressed them for the man that came to him.

And David was wroth with great wrath against the man, and said unto Nathan, As the LORD
liveth, the man that hath done this is the child of death.

And he shall pay the sheep fourfold, because he hath done this thing, and hath not spared it.

And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over Israel, and have delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8. And I have given thee the house of thy master, and his wives into thy bosom; and I have given thee the house of Israel and Judah: and if that be not enough, I will add this and that.

Wherefore then hast thou despised the word of the LORD, to do this evil in his sight? Thou hast slain Uriah the Hittite with the sword; thou hast taken his wife to wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sword shall not depart from thine house for ever, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and will take thy wives before thine eyes, and will give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall sleep with thy wives in the bright sun.

For thou hast done it secretly: but I will do it before all Israel, and before the sun.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, So hath the LORD taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

But because thou hast blasphemed the enemies of the LORD by this thing, the son that is born unto thee shall surely die.

And Nathan went home. And the LORD smote the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, that he died.

And David besought GOD for the babe, and fasted; and went in, and lay upon the ground all night.

And the elders of his house arose, and would have lifted him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat with them.

And on the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they thought: Behold, when the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: how much more shall it hurt him, if we say, The child is dead?

And when David saw that his servants spake softly, and perceived that the child was dead, he said unto his servants: Is the child dead? And they said: Yes.

And David arose from the earth, and washed himself, and anointed himself, and put on other raiment, and went into the house of the LORD, and worshipped. And when he was come home again, he set him bread, and did eat.

And his servants said unto him, What is this thing that thou doest? When the child was alive, thou fastedst and wept; but now that he is dead, risest thou and eatest?

And he said, For the child I fasted, and wept when he was alive: for I thought: Who knoweth whether the LORD will have mercy on me, that the child may live?

But now that it is dead, what shall I fast? Can I fetch it again? I will go to him, but he will not come to me again.

And when David had comforted Bathsheba