2Sa 12, 2Sa 15 | ESV | STEP | And the Lord sent Nathan to David . He came to him and said to him, There were two men in a certain city , the one rich and the other poor .

bq[See ver. 23 above]

br Isa. 20:2-4

bs ch. 19:4; Esth. 6:12; Jer. 14:3, 4

bt Ps. 126:6

bu ch. 16:23; 17:14, 23

bv Josh. 16:2

bwSee Josh. 7:6

bxSee Josh. 7:6

cd ch. 16:16; 1 Chr. 27:33

ce ch. 16:15

2 Samuel 12

Nathan Rebukes David

1 And the Lord sent ^aNathan to David. He came to him and said to him, ^b“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, ^{▼▼Hebrew bosom; also verse 8} and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, ^d“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb ^efourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ^f‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 ^gWhy have you despised the word of the Lord, ^hto do what is evil in his sight? ⁱYou have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and ^jhave taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, ^kbut I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 ^lDavid said to Nathan, ^m“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, ⁿ“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly ^oscorned the Lord, ^{▼▼Masoretic Text the enemies of the Lord; Dead Sea Scroll the word of the Lord} the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

David’s Child Dies

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David ^qfasted and went in ^rand lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth ^sand washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord ^tand worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ^u‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, ^vbut he will not return to me.”

Solomon’s Birth

24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and ^wshe bore a son, and he called his name ^xSolomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, ^{▼▼ Jedidiah means beloved of the Lord} because of the Lord.

Rabbah Is Captured

26 ^zNow Joab ^aafought against ^abRabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at ^{▼▼Hebrew pass through} the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 15

Absalom’s Conspiracy

1 After this Absalom ^aegot himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside ^afthe way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3 Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” 4 Then Absalom would say, ^ag“Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” 5 And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 And at the end of four ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew forty} years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron. 8 For your servant ^aivowed a vow ^ajwhile I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to ^{▼▼Or will serve} the Lord.’” 9 The king said to him, ^al“Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem ^amwho were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. 12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for ^{▼▼Or sent} ^aoAhithophel the Gilonite, ^apDavid’s counselor, from his city ^aqGiloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom ^arkept increasing.

David Flees Jerusalem

13 And a messenger came to David, saying, ^as“The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us ^atflee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ^auten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.

18 And ^avall his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from ^awGath, passed on before the king. 19 Then the king said to ^axIttai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go ^ayI know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks may the Lord show} steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” 21 But Ittai answered the king, ^ba“As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, ^bbwherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” 22 And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 23 And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed ^bcthe brook ^bdKidron, and all the people passed on toward ^bethe wilderness.

24 And ^bfAbiathar came up, and behold, ^bgZadok came also with all the Levites, ^bhbearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will ^bibring me back and let me see both it and his ^bjdwelling place. 26 But if he says, ‘I have no ^bkpleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, ^bllet him do to me what seems good to him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a ^bmseer? Go back ^{▼▼Septuagint The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Look, go back} to the city in peace, with ^boyour two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait at ^bpthe fords of ^bqthe wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, ^brbarefoot and ^bswith his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, ^btweeping as they went. 31 And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please ^buturn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

32 While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai ^bvthe Archite came to meet him ^bwwith his coat torn and ^bxdirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be ^bya burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ^bz‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. 35 Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, ^catell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Behold, ^cbtheir two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, ^ccand by them you shall send to me everything you hear.” 37 So Hushai, ^cdDavid’s friend, came into the city, ^cejust as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.