David and Bathsheba
(1 Chronicles 20.1a)1 It was now spring, the time when kings go to war. David sent out the whole Israelite army under the command of Joab and his officers. They destroyed the Ammonite army and surrounded the capital city of Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.
2-4 Late one afternoon, David got up from a nap and was walking around on the flat roof of his palace. A beautiful young woman was down below in her courtyard, bathing as her religion required. David happened to see her, and he sent one of his servants to find out who she was.
The servant came back and told David, “Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
David sent some messengers to bring her to his palace. She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she returned home. 5 But later, when she found out that she was going to have a baby, she sent someone to David with this message: “I'm pregnant!”
6 David sent a message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.”
Joab sent Uriah 7 to David's palace, and David asked him, “Is Joab well? How is the army doing? And how about the war?” 8 Then David told Uriah, “Go home and clean up.” Uriah left the king's palace, and David had dinner sent to Uriah's house. 9 But Uriah didn't go home. Instead, he slept outside the entrance to the royal palace, where the king's guards slept.
10 Someone told David that Uriah had not gone home. So the next morning David asked him, “Why didn't you go home? Haven't you been away for a long time?”
11 Uriah answered, “The sacred chest and the armies of Israel and Judah are camping out somewhere in the fields with our commander Joab and his officers and troops. Do you really think I would go home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? I swear by your life that I would not!”
12 Then David said, “Stay here in Jerusalem today, and I will send you back tomorrow.”
Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. Then the next day, 13 David invited him for dinner. Uriah ate with David, who gave him so much to drink that he got drunk. But Uriah still did not go home. He went out and slept on his mat near the palace guards. 14 Early the next morning, David wrote a letter and told Uriah to deliver it to Joab. 15 The letter said: “Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the worst. Then pull the troops back from him, so that he will be wounded and die.”
16 Joab had been carefully watching the city of Rabbah, and he put Uriah in a place where he knew there were some of the enemy's best soldiers. 17 When the men of the city came out, they fought and killed some of David's soldiers—Uriah the Hittite was one of them.
18 Joab sent a messenger to tell David everything that was happening in the war. 19 He gave the messenger these orders:
When you finish telling the king everything that has happened, 20 he may get angry and ask, “Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Don't you know how Abimelech the son of Gideon was killed at Thebez? Didn't a woman kill him by dropping a large rock from the top of the city wall? Why did you go so close to the city walls?”
Then tell him, “One of your soldiers who was killed was Uriah the Hittite.”
22 The messenger went to David and reported everything Joab had told him. 23 He added, “The enemy chased us from the wall and out into the open fields. But we pushed them back as far as the city gate. 24 Then they shot arrows at us from the top of the wall. Some of your soldiers were killed, and one of them was Uriah the Hittite.”
25 David replied, “Tell Joab to cheer up and not to be upset about what happened. You never know who will be killed in a war. Tell him to strengthen his attack against the city and break through its walls.”
26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 Then after the time for mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to the palace. She became David's wife, and they had a son.
The Lord's Message for David
The Lord was angry because of what David had done,
Dāvida grēks ar Batšebu
1 Gadu mijā, laikā, kad ķēniņi parasti iziet karā, Dāvids sūtīja Joābu un kopā ar viņu savus ļaudis un visu Israēlu, un tie sakāva amoniešus un aplenca Rabu. Dāvids pats palika Jeruzālemē.
2 Kādu vakaru Dāvids, piecēlies no gultas, pastaigājās pa ķēniņa nama jumtu, un no jumta viņš ieraudzīja kādu sievu mazgājamies – šī sieva bija ļoti glīta no skata. 3 Dāvids lika ievākt ziņas par šo sievu, un viņam pastāstīja: “Tā taču Batšeba, Elīāma meita, hetieša Ūrijas sieva!” 4 Dāvids sūtīja vēstnešus viņu atvest, un tā nāca pie viņa, un viņš ar to gulēja – viņa tikko bija šķīstījusies no savas nešķīstības –, pēc tam viņa atgriezās mājās. 5 Un šī sieva kļuva grūta un sūtīja vēsti Dāvidam: “Esmu kļuvusi grūta.” 6 Tad Dāvids sūtīja ziņu Joābam: “Atsūti pie manis hetieti Ūriju!” Un Joābs sūtīja Ūriju pie Dāvida. 7 Kad Ūrija atnāca, Dāvids iztaujāja, kā klājas Joābam un kā ļaudīm un kā sokas karā. 8 Tad Dāvids teica: “Noej savā namā un mazgā kājas.” Ūrija iznāca no ķēniņa nama, un viņam pakaļ nesa ķēniņa dāvanas. 9 Taču Ūrija apgūlās pie ķēniņa nama ieejas kopā ar visiem sava kunga kalpiem un negāja uz savu namu. 10 Dāvidam pastāstīja: “Ūrija nav aizgājis uz savām mājām!” Dāvids jautāja Ūrijam: “Vai tad tu neesi nupat no ceļa? Kādēļ tu neej mājās?” 11 Ūrija atbildēja Dāvidam: “Dieva šķirsts, Israēls un Jūda mīt teltīs, tāpat mans kungs Joābs un mana kunga ļaudis ir nometnē uz lauka – kā lai es eju savā namā ēst, dzert un gulēt ar savu sievu?! Zvēru pie tevis un tavas dzīvības, ka es tā nedarīšu!” 12 Dāvids teica Ūrijam: “Šodien vēl paliec te, rīt es tevi atlaidīšu.” Tā Ūrija palika Jeruzālemē līdz nākamajai dienai. 13 Dāvids viņu aicināja, un viņš pie tā ēda un dzēra, un Dāvids viņu piedzirdīja. Bet vakarā, izgājis ārā, viņš atgūlās pie sava kunga kalpiem un neaizgāja uz savām mājām.
Dāvids sūta Ūriju nāvē
14 No rīta Dāvids rakstīja vēstuli Joābam un nosūtīja to ar Ūriju. 15 Vēstulē viņš rakstīja: “Nolieciet Ūriju priekšā, kur sīvākā kauja, un atkāpieties no viņa, lai viņš tiek nokauts un mirst.”
16 Un, aplencot pilsētu, Joābs nolika Ūriju tādā vietā, par kuru viņš zināja, ka tur ir spēcīgi karotāji. 17 Kad pilsētas vīri iznāca karot pret Joābu, vairāki no Dāvida ļaudīm krita, un arī hetietis Ūrija bija pagalam. 18 Joābs sūtīja ziņu Dāvidam par kara notikumiem. 19 Un viņš pavēlēja ziņnesim: “Kad būsi pastāstījis ķēniņam kara notikumus, 20 ja ķēniņš aizsvilsies dusmās un teiks tev: kādēļ gājāt cīnīties tik tuvu pilsētai, vai tad nezinājāt, ka viņi no mūra šaus?! 21 Kas nokāva Abīmelehu, Jerūbešeta dēlu? Vai ne sieva, kas no mūra uzmeta viņam augšējo dzirnakmeni, ka viņš nomira Tēbēcā? Kāpēc gājāt tik tuvu mūrim? – tad saki: arī tavs kalps hetietis Ūrija ir miris.” 22 Ziņnesis devās ceļā, atnāca pie Dāvida un vēstīja visu, ko Joābs bija licis teikt. 23 Ziņnesis sacīja Dāvidam: “Tā kā tie vīri mūs pārspēja un iznāca laukā pret mums, mēs tos atspiedām līdz vārtu ieejai. 24 Strēlnieki no mūra šāva uz taviem kalpiem, un vairāki ķēniņa kalpi krita, arī tavs kalps hetietis Ūrija ir miris.”
25 Dāvids teica ziņnesim: “Tā saki Joābam: neraizējies, jo zobens rij te še, te tur. Cīnies vēl stiprāk pret šo pilsētu un noposti to – uzmundrini viņu!” 26 Ūrijas sieva dzirdēja, ka viņas vīrs Ūrija ir miris, un apraudāja savu kungu. 27 Kad sēru laiks bija pagājis, Dāvids sūtīja pārvest to uz savu namu. Viņa kļuva tam par sievu un dzemdēja dēlu. Bet Kungam nepatika tas, ko Dāvids bija darījis.
