Nathan Rebukes David (Psalm 51:1–19)
1 UST Yahweh told the prophet Nathan what David had done, and he sent Nathan to correct David. Nathan came and told him a story{ to help him recognize that he had done was very wrong}. He said,“Once there were two men in a certain city. One man was rich and the other was poor. BSB BSB: Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
2 UST The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle. BSB BSB: The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,
3 UST But the poor man had only one little female lamb, which he had bought. He raised the lamb, and it grew up with his own children. He would give the lamb some of his own food and let it drink from his cup. He let the lamb sleep as he held it next to him. The lamb was like a daughter to him. BSB BSB: but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.
4 UST One day a visitor came to see the rich man. The rich man did not want to take one of his own sheep or cattle and kill it to prepare a meal for his guest. Instead, he sent men to take the poor man’ s lamb. Then he had someone kill it and prepare it as a meal for his guest.” BSB BSB: Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking 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.”
5 UST When David heard that, he became very angry with the rich man. He told Nathan,“I swear by Yahweh that I want to execute the man who did that! BSB BSB: David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
6 UST { I cannot actually execute him, but at least} he must pay back four lambs to the poor man for so cruelly taking his one lamb.” BSB BSB: Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
7 UST Nathan said to David,“You have acted like the man I told you about. Now this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, says to you:‘I was the one who chose you to be the king of Israel. When Saul was trying to kill you, I was the one who rescued you. BSB BSB: Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8 UST I gave you all of his property. I let you marry the women who had been his wives and concubines. I made you king over Israel and Judah. And if you had told me that you were not content with all that I had given you, I would have given you even more! BSB BSB: I gave your master’s house to you and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah, and if that was not enough, I would have given you even more.
9 UST But you have not taken seriously what I commanded{ when I said that my people must not commit adultery or murder}. You have done things that I consider to be very evil! You arranged for Uriah the Hittite to die in battle, and after the Ammonite soldiers killed him, then you took his wife as your own wife! BSB BSB: Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own. You have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 UST You did not respect me. Instead you took Uriah’ s wife to be your wife. As a result, people in your family will constantly be killing each other.’ BSB BSB: Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
11 UST This is what Yahweh says to you:‘I am going to make someone from your own family cause disaster for you. I will take your wives away from you and give them to that person instead. He will have sexual relations with them in public. And you will know about it. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight.
12 UST While you tried to make sure that no one found out about what you did, I will make this happen in public. That way people throughout Israel will either see it or hear about it.’” BSB BSB: You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
David’s Loss and Repentance 13 UST David replied,“I have sinned against Yahweh.” Nathan said to David,“Yahweh has forgiven you for sinning. He is not going to punish you by killing you for committing this sin. BSB BSB: Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” “The LORD has taken away your sin,” Nathan replied. “You will not die.
14 UST But you have shown great contempt for Yahweh by doing this. So the son you have just had is going to die.” BSB BSB: Nevertheless, because by this deed you have shown utter contempt for the word of the LORD, the son born to you will surely die.”
15 UST Then Nathan went home. Uriah’ s wife had given birth to a baby boy who was David’ s son. Yahweh caused him to become very sick. BSB BSB: After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
16 UST So David prayed to God that the child would not die.{ To show how concerned he was,} he ate very little food. He also did not sleep in his bed at night. Instead, he slept on the floor of his room. BSB BSB: David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
17 UST His most senior servants came and urged him to get up off the floor. But he refused to get up, and he refused to eat any meals with them. BSB BSB: The elders of his household stood beside him to help him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat anything with them.
18 UST After a week, the baby died. David’ s servants were afraid to tell him that. They said to each other,“Consider that while the baby was still alive, we encouraged him to take better care of himself, but he refused. Now if we tell him that the baby has died, he may do something to hurt himself!” BSB BSB: On the seventh day the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He may even harm himself.”
19 UST David saw that his servants were whispering something to each other. He recognized that the baby must have died. So he asked them,“Is the baby dead?” They replied,“Yes, he is dead.” BSB BSB: When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” “He is dead,” they replied.
20 UST Then David got up from the floor. He bathed himself, put olive oil on his hair and skin, and put on different clothes. Then he went to Yahweh’ s sacred tent and worshiped him there. After that, he came home. He asked his servants to bring him some food, and when they did, he ate it. BSB BSB: Then David got up from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they set food before him, and he ate.
21 UST Then his servants said to him,“We do not understand why you have done this! While the baby was still alive, you cried for him and refused to eat. But now that the baby has died, you have gotten up and eaten some food!” BSB BSB: “What is this you have done?” his servants asked. “While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but when he died, you got up and ate.”
22 UST He replied,“While the baby was still alive, I ate little food and wept because I thought,‘Perhaps Yahweh will be merciful to me and allow the baby to live.’ BSB BSB: David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’
23 UST But now that the baby is dead, there is no reason for me to go without food anymore. I cannot bring him back to me. Someday I will go to where he is, but he will not return to me.” BSB BSB: 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 return to me.”
Solomon’s Birth 24 UST Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba. He had sexual relations with her, and she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. David named this boy Solomon. Yahweh loved that little boy. BSB BSB: Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child
25 UST Yahweh told the prophet Nathan to tell David to name the baby boy Jedidiah, since he loved him. BSB BSB: and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
The Capture of Rabbah (1 Chronicles 20:1–3)
26 UST Meanwhile, Joab’ s soldiers were still fighting to conquer Rabbah, the Ammonite capital city. They captured the part of the city where the king had his palace. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal fortress.
27 UST Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him,“My troops have been attacking Rabbah, and we have captured the part of the city that is down by the river. BSB BSB: Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.
28 UST Now assemble all the rest of our soldiers. Come and attack the fortress that is on higher ground and capture it. If you do not do that, my soldiers will capture the fortress, and then people will give the whole city a new name, The City of Joab.” BSB BSB: Now, therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and it will be named after me.”
29 UST So David assembled the rest of the Israelite soldiers. They went to Rabbah and attacked it, and they captured it. BSB BSB: So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it.
30 UST Then David took the golden crown off the head of their king and put it on his own head. It weighed 34 kilograms, and it had a very valuable stone in it. David’ s soldiers also took many other valuable things from the city. BSB BSB: Then he took the crown from the head of their king. It weighed a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city.
31 UST Then the Israelite soldiers brought the Ammonite people out of the city and forced them to work for them using saws, iron picks, and iron axes. David’ s troops also forced them to make bricks. David’ s soldiers made the people who lived in the other Ammonite cities work for them in the same way. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
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