And after this the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.

And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. And David sent word through his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he sent some men to you to comfort you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to search out the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it?

So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half their beards and cut away half their garments at the buttocks, and he sent them away.

Now when they told this to David, he sent some to meet them, for the men were very ashamed. And the king said, Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, then return.

And when the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.

And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of mighty men.

And the children of Ammon went forth and set the battle in array at the entrance of the gate; but the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and of Maacah were alone in the field.

Now when Joab saw that there were battle lines against him before and behind, he chose some of the choice men in Israel and set them in array against the Syrians.

And the rest of the people he put under the charge of Abishai his brother and set them in array against the children of Ammon.

And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; and if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.

Be strong and let us be bold for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God, and may Jehovah do what seems good in His sight.

So Joab and the people who were with him approached the battle against the Syrians, and  ¹the Syrians fled before him.

And the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians fled, and they fled from before Abishai and entered the city. And Joab returned from the children of Ammon and entered Jerusalem.

Now when the Syrians saw that they had been routed before Israel, they gathered themselves together.

And Hadadezer sent word and brought forth the Syrians who were beyond the  ¹River. And they came to Helem, and Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer was before them.

And it was told David, and he gathered all Israel together and passed over the Jordan and came to Helem. And the Syrians set themselves in array to meet David, and they fought with him.

And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew seven hundred charioteers of the Syrians and forty thousand horsemen; and he struck Shobach the captain of their army, and he died there.

And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.

And at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent out Joab and his servants with him and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

And late one afternoon David rose from his bed and went for a walk on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at.

And David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, This is none other than Bath-sheba the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite.

And David sent messengers and took her; and she came to him, and he  ¹lay with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house.

And the woman conceived; and she sent word and told David and said, I am pregnant.

Then David sent word to Joab: Send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent Uriah to David.

And Uriah came to him, and David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the battle was going.

And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. And Uriah went forth from the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king.

But Uriah lay down at the entrance to the king's house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house.

And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house. Then David said to Uriah, Have you not just come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?

And Uriah said to David, The Ark and Israel and Judah dwell in huts, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live and your soul lives, I shall by no means do this thing!

And David said to Uriah, Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the following.

Then David invited him to eat and drink in his presence, and he made him drunk. Then in the evening he went forth to lie down on his bed with the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his house.

Then in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Put Uriah in the forefront of the hardest battle, and withdraw from him that he may be struck down and die.

So when Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew the valiant men were.

And the men of the city went forth and fought with Joab; and some of the people, some of the servants of David, fell. And Uriah the Hittite died also.

And Joab sent a messenger to tell David all the things concerning the battle;

And he commanded the messenger, saying, When you have finished telling the king all the things concerning the battle,

If the king's anger rises up and he says to you, Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone upon him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall? Then you shall say, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.

So the messenger went, and he came and told David all that Joab had sent him for.

And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.

Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's servants died. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.

Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you say to Joab, Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your fighting against the city and overthrow it. And encourage him.

And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.

And when the mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his house; and she became his wife and bore a son to him. But the thing that David did displeased Jehovah.

Then Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he went to him and said to him, Two men lived in a city, one rich and the other poor.

The rich man had very many flocks and herds,

But the poor man had nothing but one small ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he nourished it, and it grew up together with him and his children; it ate of the morsels of his food and drank out of his own cup and lay on his bosom; indeed it was like a daughter to him.

And there came a traveler to the rich man. But  ¹the rich man refused to take something from his own flock and herd to dress for the wayfarer who had come to him; but he took the poor man's ewe lamb and dressed it for the man who had come to him.

And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, As Jehovah lives, the man who has done this is worthy of death;

And he shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing and because he had no pity.

Then Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul;

And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if this were too little, I would have added to you such and such things.

Why have you despised the word of Jehovah by doing what is evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife as your wife and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the  ¹sword will not depart from your house forever because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

Thus says Jehovah, I will now raise up trouble against you from within your house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and will give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

For you did this secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and even before the sun.

And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah has also put away your sin; you will not die.

Nevertheless, because you have given the enemies of Jehovah much occasion to blaspheme Him because of this thing, the son who is born to you shall also surely die.

Then Nathan went to his house.

And Jehovah struck the child whom Uriah's wife bore to David, and he was very sick.

And David besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and spent all night lying on the ground.

And the elders of his house stood over him to raise him from the ground; but he did not want to, nor would he eat food with them.

And on the seventh day the child died. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, While the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice; how then can we tell him that the child is dead? He will do himself some harm.

And David saw that his servants were whispering, and David perceived that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

Then David rose up from the ground and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went to the house of Jehovah and worshipped. Then he went to his house; and when he requested it, they set food before him, and he ate.

And his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but as soon as the child died, you rose up and ate bread.

And he said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, Who knows? Jehovah may be gracious to me, and the child may live.

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 come back to me.

And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife and went in unto her and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name  ¹Solomon. And Jehovah loved him;

And He sent word through Nathan the prophet and called his name  ¹Jedidiah for Jehovah's sake.

Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon and took the royal city.

And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah; indeed I have taken the city of water.

Now therefore gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and take it; otherwise I myself will take the city, and it will be called by my name.

So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.

And he took the crown of their king from off his head. And the weight of it was a talent of gold, and it had precious stones; and it was put upon David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount.

And he brought out the people who were in it and set them under saws and iron cutting tools and iron axes and made them pass through the brick kilns; and thus did he do to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.