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.
大衛犯罪
1第二年春天，諸王又要發動戰爭。大衛差遣約押率領眾將領和以色列大軍出征，自己卻留在耶路撒冷。他們打敗了亞捫人之後又圍攻拉巴。 2一天黃昏，大衛從床上起來在王宮頂上散步，看見一個長得非常漂亮的女人在沐浴。 3大衛就派人去打聽這個女人是誰，得知她是以連的女兒、赫人烏利亞的妻子拔示巴。 4大衛派使者把她接來，她來了，大衛就與她同寢，那時她的月經剛潔淨。事後，她便回家去了。 5拔示巴懷孕了，就派人去告訴大衛。
6大衛便傳信給約押，說：「你派赫人烏利亞來見我。」約押就派烏利亞去見大衛。 7烏利亞來了，大衛問他有關約押、士兵和戰爭的情況， 8然後吩咐他回家休息。烏利亞離開王宮後，收到王送的一份禮物。 9但他跟王的其他僕人一同睡在王宮門口，沒有回家。 10大衛得知烏利亞沒有回家，便對他說：「你遠道而來，為什麼不回家休息呢？」 11烏利亞答道：「約櫃、以色列人和猶大人都在帳篷裡，而我主約押及其軍隊也在田間紮營，我怎麼可以回家吃喝，與妻子同房呢？我以王的性命起誓，我決不做這樣的事！」 12大衛對烏利亞說：「你再住一天，明天我會派你回去。」於是烏利亞那日就留在耶路撒冷。 13第二天，大衛邀請他一同吃飯，把他灌醉了。可是到了晚上，烏利亞還是不肯回家，仍然跟王的其他士兵一同住宿。
14第二天早上，大衛給約押寫了一封信，要烏利亞帶去。 15大衛在信上吩咐約押：「你把烏利亞派到前線最險惡的地方，到時其他人都要撤退，好讓敵人殺死他。」 16於是約押圍攻城池時，便派烏利亞到他知道的最強悍的敵人那裡。 17敵人出來迎戰約押，大衛的軍中有幾位陣亡，赫人烏利亞也死了。 18約押就派人去向大衛稟告戰爭的詳情， 19並叮囑信使：「你向王稟告戰情後， 20他若發怒責問你，『為什麼還冒死逼近城池呢？你們難道不知道敵人會從城牆上射箭嗎？ 21難道你們不知道耶路·比設11·21 「耶路·比設」又名「耶路·巴力」，參見士師記6·32。的兒子亞比米勒是誰殺的嗎？一個婦人從城牆上扔下一塊磨石，把他砸死在提備斯。你們為什麼還要逼近城牆呢？』你就對王說，『你的僕人赫人烏利亞也死了。』」
22於是，信使前來見大衛，照約押的吩咐向大衛稟告。 23他說：「敵軍勢力強大，在城外跟我們交戰，但我們把他們追到城門口。 24敵軍的弓箭手從城牆上射死了王的幾個士兵，赫人烏利亞也死了。」 25大衛便對信使說：「你去告訴約押不要為這事難過，因為刀劍無情。讓他只管竭力攻陷城池。要這樣勉勵約押。」
26拔示巴聽到丈夫烏利亞的死訊之後就為他哭喪。 27喪期過後，大衛便派人把她接進宮裡，她就做了大衛的妻子，並給他生了個兒子。然而，大衛的所作所為令耶和華十分不悅。
