| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. | 1so the LORD sent Nathan to David. Nathan approached David and said, "There are two men in the city. One is rich and one is poor. |
| 2The rich man had a large number of sheep and cattle, | 2The rich man has many flocks and herds, |
| 3but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up, living with him and his children. It shared his meager food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. | 3but the poor man had nothing except for one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to share his food and drink from his own cup. It even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. |
| 4Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guest. | 4A traveler arrived to visit the rich man. Because he was unwilling to take an animal from one of his own flocks or herds to prepare for the guest who had come to visit him, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him." |
| 5David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: "As the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! | 5David flew into a rage at the man and told Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! |
| 6Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb." | 6He will restore the lamb four times its value, because he did this thing, and because he did it without compassion." |
| 7Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. | 7But Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: "'I anointed you king—and you became king over Israel. "'I delivered you from Saul's control. |
| 8I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more. | 8"'I gave you your former master's household. "'I placed your former master's wives right in your arms. "'I gave you Israel and Judah. "'And if this had been too little, I would have added much more than that to you! |
| 9Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing what I consider evil? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife as your own wife--you murdered him with the Ammonite's sword. | 9"'Why did you despise what the LORD has promised by doing what is detestable in his sight? "'You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a battle sword. "'You took his wife to be your own. "'You killed him with the sword of the Ammonite army. |
| 10Now therefore, the sword will never leave your house because you despised Me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.'" | 10"'Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.' |
| 11This is what the LORD says, 'I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them publicly. | 11"This is what the LORD says: "'Listen very carefully! "'I'm raising up evil against you right out of your own household. "'I'm going to take your wives away from you right before your eyes. "'Then I'll give them to your neighbor. "'And then he's going to have sex with your wives in broad daylight! |
| 12You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.'" | 12"'What you did in secret I'm going to do right in front of all Israel and in broad daylight as well!'" |
| 13David responded to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Then Nathan replied to David, "The LORD has taken away your sin; you will not die. | 13At this point, David told Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan responded to David, "There's one other thing: the LORD has forgiven your sin. You won't die. |
| 14However, because you treated the LORD with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die." | 14Nevertheless, because you have despised the LORD's enemies with utter contempt, the son born to you will most certainly die." |
| 15Then Nathan went home. The LORD struck the baby that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. | 15Then Nathan went home. After this, the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife had born to David, and the child became very ill. |
| 16David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground. | 16David begged God on behalf of the youngster. He fasted, went inside, and spent the night lying on the ground. |
| 17The elders of his house stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them. | 17His closest advisors at the palace got up, remained with him, and tried to help him get up from the ground, but he would not do so. He also wouldn't eat with them. |
| 18On the seventh day the baby died. But David's servants were afraid to tell him the baby was dead. They said, "Look, while the baby was alive, we spoke to him, and he wouldn't listen to us. So how can we tell him the baby is dead? He may do something desperate." | 18A week later, the child died, and David's staff was afraid to tell him that the child had died. They were telling themselves, "Look, when the child was still alive, we talked to him but he wouldn't listen to what we said. Now what kind of trouble will he bring on himself if we tell him that the child has died?" |
| 19When David saw that his servants were whispering to each other, he guessed that the baby was dead. So he asked his servants, "Is the baby dead?"" He is dead," they replied. | 19But as David observed his staff whispering together, he perceived that the child had died, so he asked his staff, "Is the child dead?" They replied, "He has died." |
| 20Then David got up from the ground. He washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, went to the LORD's house, and worshiped. Then he went home and requested something to eat. So they served him food, and he ate. | 20At this, David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the LORD's tent to worship. Then he went back to his palace where, at his request, they served him food and he ate. |
| 21His servants asked him, "What did you just do? While the baby was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate food." | 21His staff asked him, "What's this about? When the child was alive, you fasted and cried. Now that the child has died, you get up and eat!" |
| 22He answered, "While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.' | 22He answered, "When the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I asked myself, 'Who knows? Maybe the LORD will show grace to me and the child will live.' |
| 23But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I'll go to him, but he will never return to me." | 23But now that he has died, what's the point of fasting? Can I bring him back again? I'll be going to be with him, but he won't be returning to me." |
| 24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba; he went and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. The LORD loved him, | 24Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went in and had sex with her, and she bore a son whom he named Solomon. The LORD loved him, |
| 25and He sent a message through Nathan the prophet, who named him Jedidiah, because of the LORD. | 25and sent a message written by Nathan the prophet to call his name Jedidiah, for the Lord's sake. |
| 26Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal fortress. | 26Meanwhile, Joab attacked the Ammonite city of Rabbah and captured its stronghold. |
| 27Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, "I have fought against Rabbah and have also captured the water supply. | 27Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, "I just attacked Rabbah and captured its municipal water supply, |
| 28Now therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will be the one to capture the city, and it will be named after me." | 28so call out the rest of the army, attack the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I'll take the city myself and name it after me." |
| 29So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; he fought against it and captured it. | 29So David mustered his entire army and marched on Rabbah, attacked it, and captured it. |
| 30He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. The crown weighed 75 pounds of gold, and it had a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city. | 30He confiscated the crown of their king from his head—it weighed one talent in gold and was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David's head. He confiscated a great amount of war booty that had been plundered from the city, |
| 31He removed the people who were in the city and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to labor at brickmaking. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem. | 31brought back the people who had lived in it, placing them under conscripted labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. He did this to every Ammonite city, and then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem. |
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