1The LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, one rich and one poor."2The rich man had a very large flock and herd.3The poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and kept alive. And it grew up with him and with his children together. From his bread she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his bosom she would lie. And she became to him like a daughter.4And a traveler came to the rich man, and he spared to take from his own flock and from his livestock to prepare for the guest who had come to him. And he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.5And David's anger burned greatly, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die."6He shall repay the ewe lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.7And Nathan said to David, "You are the man. This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.'"8I have given you your lord's house and your lord's wives into your arms, and I have given you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that is too little, I will add such and such to you.9Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in my eyes? You have struck Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and you have taken his woman for yourself as a wife, and you have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.10Now, the sword will not depart from your house forever, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.11This is what the LORD says: Behold, I am raising up calamity against you from your house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives before the eyes of this sun.12For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel and in the sight of the sun.13David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan said to David, "The LORD has also passed over your sin; you will not die."14However—for you have despised the enemies of the LORD in this matter; also the son born to you shall die.15Nathan went to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill.16And David sought God for the boy. And David fasted, and he went in and spent the night lying on the ground.17The elders of his house stood over him to raise him from the ground, but he was not willing and did not eat their bread.18And it came on the seventh day, and the child died. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child had died. For they had said, "Look, when the child was alive we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we say to him, 'The child has died,' and he will do evil?"19David saw that his servants were whispering together, and David understood that the child was dead. David said to his servants, "The child is dead." And they said, "Dead."20David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the house of the LORD, bowed down, came to his house, asked for food, and they set bread before him and he ate.21His servants said to him, "What is this thing you did for the child while he was alive—you fasted and wept—and when the child died you arose and ate bread?"22And he said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may show me favor and the child will live.'"23And now he has died. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back by eating? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.24David comforted Bathsheba his wife, went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son and called his name Solomon, and the LORD loved him.25He sent through Nathan the prophet and called his name Jedidiah because of the LORD.26Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city.27Joab sent messengers to David and said, "I have fought against Rabbah; indeed, I have captured the city of waters."28Now gather the rest of the people, encamp against the city, and capture it, lest I capture the city and my name be called upon it.29David gathered all the people, went to Rabbah, fought against it, and captured it.30He took the crown of their king from his head, and its weight was a talent of gold with a precious stone. And it was set upon David's head. He brought out the spoil of the city—very much.31And he brought out the people who were in it and put them under saws and iron threshing sledges and iron saws, and he made them pass through the brick kiln. And in this way he would do to all the cities of the sons of Amon. And David returned, and all the people with him, to Jerusalem.