David and Bathsheba
1In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman washing. The woman was very beautiful, 3and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, ‘She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ 4Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant.’
6So David sent this word to Joab: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent him to David. 7When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and wash your feet.’ So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.
10David 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?’
11Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,11:11 Or staying at Sukkoth 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 to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!’
12Then 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. 13At 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.
14In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15In it he wrote, ‘Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and die.’
16So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17When 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.
18Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19He instructed the messenger: ‘When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20the 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? 21Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth11:21 Also known as Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon)? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, 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.” ’
22The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23The 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. 24Then 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.’
25David 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.’
26When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27After the time of mourning 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 the Lord.
Davids forhold til Batsheba
1Næste forår omkring den tid, hvor kongerne sædvanligvis drager i krig, sendte David Joab og Israels hær af sted til kamp. De besejrede den ammonitiske hær og belejrede Rabba.11,1 Ammons hovedstad, svarende til det nuværende Amman i Jordan. Men David selv blev hjemme i Jerusalem.
2En dag ved aftenstid, efter at David havde rejst sig fra sit eftermiddagshvil, spadserede han rundt på paladsets flade tag. Derfra fik han øje på en kvinde, der var i færd med at tage bad. Hun var usædvanlig smuk. 3Han forhørte sig om, hvem hun var, og fik at vide, at hun hed Batsheba og var en datter af Eliam. Hun var gift med hittitten Urias. 4David sendte bud efter hende, og det endte med, at han gik i seng med hende. (Hun var netop færdig med det ugelange renselsesritual efter sin menstruation.) Bagefter gik hun hjem. 5Da Batsheba senere opdagede, at hun var gravid, gav hun David besked om det.
David skaffer Urias af vejen
6David sendte nu bud til Joab og bad ham om at sende hittitten Urias hjem til Jerusalem. 7Da Urias havde meldt sin ankomst i paladset, kaldte David ham ind og spurgte, hvordan det gik med Joab og hæren, og hvordan det gik med krigen. 8Derefter bad han ham om at gå hjem og få sig et velfortjent hvil. Så gik Urias sin vej, og kongen sørgede for at sende en gave hjem til ham. 9Men Urias gik ikke hjem. I stedet overnattede han i paladsets portrum sammen med andre af kongens folk.
10Da David næste dag fik at vide, at Urias ikke var taget hjem, kaldte han ham til sig og spurgte: „Hvorfor gik du ikke hjem til din kone i går aftes? Du har jo været væk hjemmefra meget længe!”
11Urias svarede: „Alle andre må nøjes med at sove i telt eller på den bare jord, både Joab og hærens officerer, Herrens Ark, og alle Israels og Judas krigere. Skulle jeg så tage hjem til mit komfortable hus for at spise og drikke og sove hos min kone? Jeg sværger på, at sådan ville jeg aldrig opføre mig.”
12„Godt,” sagde David. „Men bliv nu her i byen en dag mere. I morgen kan du tage tilbage til hæren.” Det accepterede Urias, 13og senere på dagen inviterede David ham til middag, hvor han sørgede for, at han blev beruset. Men også den nat overnattede Urias i portrummet i stedet for at gå hjem.
14Næste morgen skrev David et brev, som han bad Urias aflevere til Joab. 15I brevet blev Joab beordret til at placere Urias helt fremme i fronten, på den mest udsatte post. På et passende tidspunkt skulle Joab så trække hovedstyrken tilbage, så Urias blev ladt i stikken og dræbt. 16Joab placerede derfor Urias i frontlinien op mod bymuren, hvor han vidste, at fjendens bedste krigere befandt sig, 17og Urias faldt på sin post sammen med adskillige andre israelitiske soldater.
18-20I sin næste rapport til David gjorde Joab rede for slagets gang, og til sendebudet, som skulle overbringe den, sagde han: „Det kan godt være, at kongen bliver vred og spørger: ‚Hvorfor i alverden kom I så tæt på bymuren? Vidste I ikke, at I der ville blive skudt fra muren? 21Har I glemt Abimelek, der i sin tid blev dræbt ved Tebetz, fordi en kvinde smed en møllesten ned fra muren?’ Hvis kongen siger noget i den retning, skal du sige: ‚Urias blev også dræbt!’ ”
22Så kom sendebudet til Jerusalem, hvor han aflagde rapport for David. 23„Fjenden gjorde et udfald imod os,” forklarede han, „og det lykkedes os at tvinge dem tilbage til byporten. 24Men mændene på muren sendte en regn af pile ned over os, så flere af vores folk blev dræbt. Også Urias mistede livet!”
25„Sig til Joab, at han ikke skal tage det så tungt,” svarede David. „Soldater falder nu engang i krig. Sig til ham, at han ikke må opgive angrebet, før byen er indtaget.”
26Da Batsheba fik at vide, at hendes mand var død, sørgede hun over ham i adskillige dage. 27Da sørgetiden var omme, sendte David bud efter hende og giftede sig med hende. Og inden længe fødte hun en søn.
Men Herren blev vred over Davids onde handlemåde.
