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,
1 Un, kad gads bija pagājis, ap to laiku, kad ķēniņi mēdz iziet, lai karotu, tad Dāvids sūtīja Joābu un viņam līdzi savus kalpus un visu Israēla karaspēku, un tie postīja Amona zemi un apmetās pret Rabu, to ielenkdami; bet Dāvids pats palika Jeruzālemē. 2 Un tad kādā vakarā notika, ka Dāvids piecēlās no savas guļasvietas un pastaigājās šurpu turpu pa ķēniņa nama jumtu, un viņš ieraudzīja no nama jumta zemāk lejā kādu sievu mazgājamies; šī sieva bija neparasti skaista izskata. 3 Un Dāvids nosūtīja ļaudis un lika tiem apvaicāties, kā sieva viņa ir; un viņam tika pateikts, ka tā ir Batseba, Ēliāma meita, hetieša Ūrijas sieva. 4 Tad Dāvids sūtīja vēstnešus un lika to atvest, un tā nāca pie viņa, un viņš pie tās gulēja, un, kad tā bija no savas nešķīstības nomazgājusies, tad viņa atgriezās atpakaļ savā namā. 5 Kad šī sieva kļuva grūta, tad tā sūtīja Dāvidam ziņu, sacīdama: "Es esmu grūta." 6 Tad Dāvids deva ziņu Joābam, sacīdams: "Atsūti hetieti Ūriju pie manis!" Un Joābs atsūtīja Ūriju pie Dāvida. 7 Kad Ūrija pie viņa atnāca, tad Dāvids jautāja: "Kā klājas Joābam, kā klājas karavīriem, un kā veicas karā?" 8 Un Dāvids sacīja Ūrijam: "Noej lejā savā namā un mazgā savas kājas!" Un, kad Ūrija izgāja ārā no ķēniņa nama, tad ķēniņa dāvanas tika nestas aiz viņa. 9 Bet Ūrija apgūlās ķēniņa nama durvju priekšā kopā ar visiem sava kunga kalpiem, un savā namā viņš neiegāja. 10 Kad tas tika pateikts ķēniņam, ka Ūrija nav gājis savā namā, tad Dāvids sacīja Ūrijam: "Vai tu nenāc no ceļa? Kādēļ tu neej savā namā?" 11 Bet Ūrija atbildēja Dāvidam: "Gan Dieva šķirsts, gan Israēls, gan Jūda mīt teltīs, un mans kungs, karavadonis Joābs, un mana kunga kalpi mīt atklātā laukā teltīs; kā tad lai es ietu savā namā, lai ēstu un dzertu un lai gulētu pie savas sievas? Tik tiešām, ka Tas Kungs dzīvo un tu pats dzīvo, to gan es nedarīšu!" 12 Tad Dāvids sacīja Ūrijam: "Paliec vēl šodien šeit, tad rīt es tevi atlaidīšu." Tā Ūrija palika to dienu un arī vēl nākamo dienu Jeruzālemē. 13 Nākamā dienā Dāvids to ataicināja, lai tas kopā ar viņu ēstu un dzertu, un viņš to piedzirdīja; taču vakarā Ūrija nogāja, lai apgultos savā guļasvietā kopā ar sava kunga kalpiem, un viņš nenogāja lejā savā namā. 14 Tad otrā rītā Dāvids rakstīja Joābam vēstuli, un viņš to nosūtīja ar Ūriju. 15 Savā vēstulē viņš bija Joābam tā rakstījis: "Noliec Ūriju pirmajās rindās, kur viskarstākā kaušanās, un novērsieties no viņa, tā ka viņš tiek pārvarēts un mirst!" 16 Un notika, kad Joābs aplenca pilsētu, tad viņš nolika Ūriju tādā vietā, kur, kā viņš zināja, atrodas stipri pretinieki. 17 Kad pilsētas karavīri devās uzbrukumā un iesāka kauju ar Joābu, tad dažs labs no Dāvida kalpiem karotāju pulkā krita, un arī hetietis Ūrija dabūja galu. 18 Kad Joābs Dāvidam nosūtīja ziņu par visiem notikumiem, kas vien bija karalaukā norisinājušies, 19 tad viņš pavēlēja savam vēstnesim, sacīdams: "Kad tu būsi izstāstījis ķēniņam visus kara notikumus 20 un kad ķēniņš iedegsies dusmās un viņš tev jautās: kāpēc jūs bijāt tik tuvu pie pilsētas nostājušies, lai uzbruktu un to iekarotu? Vai jūs nezinājāt, ka no mūra šaus? 21 Kas Abimelehu, Jerubošeta dēlu, ir nogalinājis? Vai ne sieva, kas no mūra viņam virsū uzgāza virsējo dzirnu akmeni, ka tas Tebecā nomira? Kāpēc jūs esat gājuši tik tuvu mūrim? - tikai tad saki: arī tavs kalps, hetietis Ūrija, ir kritis." 22 Tad vēstnesis devās ceļā, un viņš nonāca un paziņoja visu Dāvidam, ko Joābs bija viņam uzdevis. 23 Un vēstnesis sacīja ķēniņam: "Tāpēc ka ienaidnieki bija stiprāki nekā mēs, tie mums uzbruka, izlauzdamies laukā, bet mēs tiem turējāmies pretī un atspiedām tos atpakaļ līdz pilsētas vārtu ieejai. 24 Tad strēlnieki sāka šaut no mūriem uz taviem kalpiem, un daži no ķēniņa kalpiem krita; arī tavs kalps, hetietis Ūrija, ir dabūjis galu." 25 Tad Dāvids sacīja vēstnesim: "Saki tā Joābam: lai tava sirds neēdas šī notikuma dēļ! Jo zobens rij te šo, te citu. Pastiprini cīņas sparu pret pilsētu un izposti to! - Un tā iedrošini viņu!" 26 Kad Ūrijas sieva dzirdēja, ka viņas vīrs Ūrija bija miris, tad tā sēroja par savu laulāto draugu. 27 Un, kad sēru laiks bija pagājis, tad Dāvids lika to atvest savā namā, un viņa kļuva tā sieva un dzemdēja viņam dēlu. Bet šī lieta, ko Dāvids bija darījis, gan nepatika Tam Kungam.
