David's Confession to Nathan
2 Kingdoms 12, verse 1. And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David. And he came to him and said to him, “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 2. The rich man had very many flocks and herds. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 3. But the poor man had nothing but one little lamb he had bought and nourished and reared; and it grew up together with him and with his sons. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 4. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare for the foreign traveler who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 5. So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and David said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this shall surely die! 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 6. And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this and because he had no pity.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 7. Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man who did this! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘I am the one who anointed you king over Israel, and I am the one who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 8. I have given you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms, and have given you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 9. Why did you despise the word of the Lord and do evil in His sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife to be your wife, and you killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 10. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house forever, because you scorned Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 11. Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sunlight. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 12. For you did it secretly, but I will do this before all Israel in the sunlight.’” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 13. So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin. You shall not die. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 14. However, because by this deed you have greatly provoked the enemies of the Lord, your son who is born to you shall surely die.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 15. Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord made feeble the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill.
The Death of David's Son
2 Kingdoms 12, verse 16. David therefore sought after God for the child, and he fasted and went in and lay on the ground in sackcloth. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 17. So the elders of his house arose and went to him to raise him up from the ground. But he did not want to do so, nor did he eat food with them. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 18. Then on the seventh day the child died. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, because they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 19. When David became aware his servants were whispering, he perceived the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 20. So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of God and worshiped Him. Then he went to his own house. And when he requested food to eat, they set food before him and he ate. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 21. Then his servants said to him, “What have you done? You fasted and wept and lay awake for the child while he was alive, but when the child died you arose and ate food and drank.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 22. And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be merciful to me, so that the child may live?’ 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 23. But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
The Birth of Solomon
2 Kingdoms 12, verse 24. Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife and went in to her and lay with her. So she conceived and bore a son, and he called him Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 25. and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet. So he called him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
The Capture of Rabbah
2 Kingdoms 12, verse 26. Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and took the royal city. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 27. And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I fought against Rabbah, and I took the city's water supply. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 28. Now gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, or I will take the city and it will be named after me.” 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 29. So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 30. Then he took the crown of Melchol their king from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. 2 Kingdoms 12, verse 31. And leading out the people who were in it, he put them to work with saws and iron threshing machines and made them work as brick-makers. He did the same to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.