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 bathing. 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 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.
大卫犯罪
1第二年春天，诸王又要发动战争。大卫差遣约押率领众将领和以色列大军出征，自己却留在耶路撒冷。他们打败了亚扪人之后又围攻拉巴。 2一天黄昏，大卫从床上起来在王宫顶上散步，看见一个长得非常漂亮的女人在沐浴。 3大卫就派人去打听这个女人是谁，得知她是以连的女儿、赫人乌利亚的妻子拔示巴。 4大卫派使者把她接来，她来了，大卫就与她同寝，那时她的月经刚洁净。事后，她便回家去了。 5拔示巴怀孕了，就派人去告诉大卫。
6大卫便传信给约押，说：“你派赫人乌利亚来见我。”约押就派乌利亚去见大卫。 7乌利亚来了，大卫问他有关约押、士兵和战争的情况， 8然后吩咐他回家休息。乌利亚离开王宫后，收到王送的一份礼物。 9但他跟王的其他仆人一同睡在王宫门口，没有回家。 10大卫得知乌利亚没有回家，便对他说：“你远道而来，为什么不回家休息呢？” 11乌利亚答道：“约柜、以色列人和犹大人都在帐篷里，而我主约押及其军队也在田间扎营，我怎么可以回家吃喝，与妻子同房呢？我以王的性命起誓，我决不做这样的事！” 12大卫对乌利亚说：“你再住一天，明天我会派你回去。”于是乌利亚那日就留在耶路撒冷。 13第二天，大卫邀请他一同吃饭，把他灌醉了。可是到了晚上，乌利亚还是不肯回家，仍然跟王的其他士兵一同住宿。
14第二天早上，大卫给约押写了一封信，要乌利亚带去。 15大卫在信上吩咐约押：“你把乌利亚派到前线最险恶的地方，到时其他人都要撤退，好让敌人杀死他。” 16于是约押围攻城池时，便派乌利亚到他知道的最强悍的敌人那里。 17敌人出来迎战约押，大卫的军中有几位阵亡，赫人乌利亚也死了。 18约押就派人去向大卫禀告战争的详情， 19并叮嘱信使：“你向王禀告战情后， 20他若发怒责问你，‘为什么还冒死逼近城池呢？你们难道不知道敌人会从城墙上射箭吗？ 21难道你们不知道耶路·比设11:21 “耶路·比设”又名“耶路·巴力”，参见士师记6:32。的儿子亚比米勒是谁杀的吗？一个妇人从城墙上扔下一块磨石，把他砸死在提备斯。你们为什么还要逼近城墙呢？’你就对王说，‘你的仆人赫人乌利亚也死了。’”
22于是，信使前来见大卫，照约押的吩咐向大卫禀告。 23他说：“敌军势力强大，在城外跟我们交战，但我们把他们追到城门口。 24敌军的弓箭手从城墙上射死了王的几个士兵，赫人乌利亚也死了。” 25大卫便对信使说：“你去告诉约押不要为这事难过，因为刀剑无情。让他只管竭力攻陷城池。要这样勉励约押。”
26拔示巴听到丈夫乌利亚的死讯之后就为他哭丧。 27丧期过后，大卫便派人把她接进宫里，她就做了大卫的妻子，并给他生了个儿子。然而，大卫的所作所为令耶和华十分不悦。
