Two Weeks on the Old Testament
Reading #8: 2 Samuel 12- Nathan's rebuke of the king
1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said,
"There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the
other poor.
2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had
bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children.
It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms.
It was like a daughter to him.
4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man
refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a
meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the
ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the
one who had come to him."
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan,
"As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves
to die!
6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such
a thing and had no pity."
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what
the LORD, the God of Israel, says: `I anointed you king over
Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into
your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all
this had been too little, I would have given you even more.
9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil
in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and
took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of
the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house,
because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to
be your own.'
11 "This is what the LORD says: `Out of your own household I
am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will
take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he
will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad
daylight before all Israel.'"
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the
LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your
sin. You are not going to die.
14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the
LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."
15 After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that
Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into
his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.
17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up
from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food
with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were
afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought,
"While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he
would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He
may do something desperate."
19 David noticed that his servants were whispering among
themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child
dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is
dead."
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on
lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the
LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his
request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way?
While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the
child is dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted
and wept. I thought, `Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me
and let the child live.'
23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him
back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her
and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him
Solomon. The LORD loved him;
25 and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan
the prophet to name him Jedidiah.
26 Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and
captured the royal citadel.
27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have
fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply.
28 Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and
capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named
after me."
29 So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and
attacked and captured it.
30 He took the crown from the head of their king--its weight was
a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones--and it was
placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of plunder from
the city
31 and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to
labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them
work at brickmaking. He did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then
David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.