1Yahweh sent Nathan to David. Nathan came to David and said, “There were two men in one city, one rich and one poor.
2The rich man owned many flocks and herds,
3but the poor man owned nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children. It ate from his food, drank from his cup, and slept in his arms; it was like a daughter to him.
4A traveler came to visit the rich man. The rich man didn’t want to use any of his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the visitor. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him.”
5David became furious with the man and said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
6He must pay back four times the value of the lamb, because he did this and because he showed no pity!”
7Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I appointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul.
8I gave you your master’s house and his wives. I gave you the people of Israel and Judah. And if that wasn’t enough, I would have given you even more.
9Why have you ignored Yahweh’s word by doing what he considers evil? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, took his wife to be your own, and had him killed by the Ammonites.
10Now, because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, the sword will never leave your family.’
11“This is what Yahweh says: ‘Look, I will bring trouble on you from your own household. I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.
12For you acted in secret, but I will do this in front of all Israel and in front of the sun.’”
13David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan replied to David, “Yahweh has also taken away your sin. You will not die.
14However, because by this act you have given Yahweh’s enemies a great reason to insult him, the child born to you will surely die.”
15Nathan went home. Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife had with David, and the child became very ill.
16So David pleaded with God for the child. David fasted, went inside, and lay on the ground all night.
17His household elders stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he refused and would not eat with them.
18On the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he didn’t listen to us. How much worse will he harm himself if we tell him the child is dead?”
19But when David saw his servants whispering together, David realized the child was dead. David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” They replied, “He is dead.”
20Then David got up from the ground, washed, put on olive oil, and changed his clothes. He went into Yahweh’s house and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and when he asked, they served him food, and he ate.
21Then his servants said to him, “What is this you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate food.”
22He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, because I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe Yahweh will be gracious to me and let the child live.’
23But 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.”
24David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. She gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. Yahweh loved him;
25and Yahweh sent word through Nathan the prophet to name the child Jedidiah, because Yahweh loved him.
26Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, a city of the Ammonites, and captured the royal city.
27Joab sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah. Yes, I have captured the city’s water supply.
28Now, gather the rest of the troops, set up camp against the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I will capture the city, and it will be named after me.”
29So David gathered all the troops, went to Rabbah, fought against it, and captured it.
30He took the crown from their king’s head. It weighed a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. He also brought out a large amount of loot from the city.
31He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brick kiln. He did this to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.