12So the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor.H3068H7971H5416H1732H935H559H8147H582H259H5892H259H6223H259H7326 2The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle.H6223H3966H7235H6629H1241 3The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man's own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.H7326H259H6996H3535H7069H2421H1431H3162H1121H398H6595H8354H3563H7901H2436H1323 4One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man's lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest."H935H1982H6223H376H2550H3947H6629H1241H6213H732H935H3947H7326H376H3535H6213H376H935 5David was furious. "As surely as the LORD lives," he vowed, "any man who would do such a thing deserves to die!H1732H639H3966H2734H376H559H5416H3068H2416H376H6213H1121H4194 6He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."H7999H3535H706H6118H6213H1697H834H2550 7Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul.H5416H559H1732H376H559H3068H430H3478H4886H4428H3478H5337H3027H7586 8I gave you your master's house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.H5414H113H1004H113H802H2436H5414H1004H3478H3063H4592H3254H2007H2007 9Why, then, have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.H959H1697H3068H6213H7451H5869H5221H223H2850H2719H3947H802H802H2026H2719H1121H5983 10From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own.H2719H5704H5769H5493H1004H6118H959H3947H802H223H2850H802 11"This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view.H559H3068H6965H7451H1004H3947H802H5869H5414H7453H7901H802H5869H8121 12You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel."H6213H5643H6213H1697H3478H8121 13Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the LORD has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin.H1732H559H5416H2398H3068H5416H559H1732H3068H5674H2403H4191 14Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the LORD by doing this, your child will die."H657H1697H5006H5006H341H3068H5006H1121H3209H4191H4191 15After Nathan returned to his home, the LORD sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah's wife.H5416H3212H1004H3068H5062H3206H223H802H3205H1732H605 16David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.H1732H1245H430H5288H1732H6684H6685H935H7901H3885H776 17The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.H2205H1004H6965H6965H776H14H1262H3899 18Then on the seventh day the child died. David's advisers were afraid to tell him. "He wouldn't listen to reason while the child was ill," they said. "What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?"H7637H3117H3206H4191H5650H1732H3372H5046H3206H4191H559H3206H2416H1696H8085H6963H6213H7451H6213H559H3206H4191 19When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. "Is the child dead?" he asked."Yes," they replied, "he is dead."H1732H7200H5650H3907H1732H995H3206H4191H1732H559H5650H3206H4191H559H4191 20Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the LORD. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.H1732H6965H776H7364H5480H2498H8071H935H1004H3068H7812H935H1004H7592H7760H3899H398 21His advisers were amazed. "We don't understand you," they told him. "While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again."H559H5650H1697H6213H6684H1058H3206H2416H3206H4191H6965H398H3899 22David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, 'Perhaps the LORD will be gracious to me and let the child live.'H559H3206H2416H6684H1058H559H3045H3068H2603H2603H3206H2416 23But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me."H4191H6684H3201H7725H1980H7725 24Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the childH1732H5162H1339H802H935H7901H3205H1121H7121H8034H8010H3068H157 25and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means "beloved of the LORD"), as the LORD had commanded.H7971H3027H5416H5030H7121H8034H3041H3068 26Meanwhile, Joab was fighting against Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and he captured the royal fortifications.H3097H3898H7237H1121H5983H3920H4410H5892 27Joab sent messengers to tell David, "I have fought against Rabbah and captured its water supply.H3097H7971H4397H1732H559H3898H7237H3920H5892H4325 28Now bring the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and get credit for the victory."H622H3499H5971H622H2583H5892H3920H3920H5892H7121H8034 29So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he fought against it and captured it.H1732H622H5971H622H3212H7237H3898H3920 30David removed the crown from the king's head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold and set with gems, and it weighed seventy-five pounds. David took a vast amount of plunder from the city.H3947H4428H5850H7218H4948H3603H2091H3368H68H1732H7218H3318H7998H5892H3966H7235 31He also made slaves of the people of Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and to work in the brick kilns. That is how he dealt with the people of all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.H3318H5971H7760H4050H2757H1270H4037H1270H5674H4404H6213H5892H1121H5983H1732H5971H7725H3389
13Now David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her.H310H53H1121H1732H3303H269H8034H8559H550H1121H1732H157 2Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her.H550H3334H2470H269H8559H1330H550H5869H6381H6213H3972 3But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother Shimea.H550H7453H8034H3122H1121H8093H1732H251H3122H3966H2450H376 4One day Jonadab said to Amnon, "What's the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after morning?" So Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."H559H4428H1121H1800H1242H1242H5046H550H559H157H8559H251H53H269 5"Well," Jonadab said, "I'll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you'll feel better if she prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands."H3082H559H7901H4904H2470H1H935H7200H559H269H8559H935H1262H3899H6213H1279H5869H7200H398H3027 6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, "Please let my sister Tamar come and cook my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands."H550H7901H2470H4428H935H7200H550H559H4428H8559H269H935H3823H8147H3834H5869H1262H3027 7So David agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon's house to prepare some food for him.H1732H7971H1004H8559H559H3212H251H550H1004H6213H1279 8When Tamar arrived at Amnon's house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him.H8559H3212H251H550H1004H7901H3947H1217H3888H3823H5869H1310H3834 9But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat. "Everyone get out of here," Amnon told his servants. So they all left.H3947H4958H3332H6440H3985H398H550H559H3318H376H3318H376 10Then he said to Tamar, "Now bring the food into my bedroom and feed it to me here." So Tamar took his favorite dish to him.H550H559H8559H935H1279H2315H1262H3027H8559H3947H3834H6213H935H2315H550H251 11But as she was feeding him, he grabbed her and demanded, "Come to bed with me, my darling sister."H5066H398H2388H559H935H7901H269 12"No, my brother!" she cried. "Don't be foolish! Don't do this to me! Such wicked things aren't done in Israel.H559H251H6031H3651H6213H3478H6213H5039 13Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me."H2781H3212H259H5036H3478H1696H4428H4513 14But Amnon wouldn't listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her.H14H8085H6963H2388H6031H7901 15Then suddenly Amnon's love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. "Get out of here!" he snarled at her.H550H8130H3966H1419H8135H8130H1419H160H157H550H559H6965H3212 16"No, no!" Tamar cried. "Sending me away now is worse than what you've already done to me." But Amnon wouldn't listen to her.H559H182H7451H7971H1419H312H6213H14H8085 17He shouted for his servant and demanded, "Throw this woman out, and lock the door behind her!"H7121H5288H8334H559H7971H2351H5274H1817H310 18So the servant put her out and locked the door behind her. She was wearing a long, beautiful robe, as was the custom in those days for the king's virgin daughters.H3801H6446H4598H4428H1323H1330H3847H8334H3318H2351H5274H1817H310 19But now Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. And then, with her face in her hands, she went away crying.H8559H3947H665H7218H7167H3801H6446H7760H3027H7218H3212H1980H2199 20Her brother Absalom saw her and asked, "Is it true that Amnon has been with you? Well, my sister, keep quiet for now, since he's your brother. Don't you worry about it." So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom's house.H53H251H559H550H251H2790H269H251H7896H3820H1697H8559H3427H8074H251H53H1004 21When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry.H4428H1732H8085H1697H3966H2734 22And though Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this, he hated Amnon deeply because of what he had done to his sister.H53H1696H550H2896H7451H53H8130H550H1697H6031H269H8559 23Two years later, when Absalom's sheep were being sheared at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, Absalom invited all the king's sons to come to a feast.H3117H8141H53H1494H1178H669H53H7121H4428H1121 24He went to the king and said, "My sheep-shearers are now at work. Would the king and his servants please come to celebrate the occasion with me?"H53H935H4428H559H5650H1494H3212H4428H5650H3212H5650 25The king replied, "No, my son. If we all came, we would be too much of a burden on you." Absalom pressed him, but the king would not come, though he gave Absalom his blessing.H4428H559H53H1121H3212H3513H6555H14H3212H1288 26"Well, then," Absalom said, "if you can't come, how about sending my brother Amnon with us?" "Why Amnon?" the king asked.H559H53H251H550H3212H4428H559H3212 27But Absalom kept on pressing the king until he finally agreed to let all his sons attend, including Amnon. So Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king.H53H6555H550H4428H1121H7971 28Absalom told his men, "Wait until Amnon gets drunk; then at my signal, kill him! Don't be afraid. I'm the one who has given the command. Take courage and do it!"H53H6680H5288H559H7200H550H3820H2896H3196H559H5221H550H4191H3372H6680H2388H1121H2428 29So at Absalom's signal they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled.H5288H53H6213H550H53H6680H4428H1121H6965H376H7392H6505H5127 30As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, this report reached David: "Absalom has killed all the king's sons; not one is left alive!"H1870H8052H935H1732H559H53H5221H4428H1121H259H3498 31The king got up, tore his robe, and threw himself on the ground. His advisers also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.H4428H6965H7167H899H7901H776H5650H5324H899H7167 32But just then Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimea, arrived and said, "No, don't believe that all the king's sons have been killed! It was only Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped his sister Tamar.H3122H1121H8093H1732H251H6030H559H113H559H4191H5288H4428H1121H550H4191H6310H53H7760H3117H6031H269H8559 33No, my lord the king, your sons aren't all dead! It was only Amnon."H113H4428H7760H1697H3820H559H4428H1121H4191H550H4191 34Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Then the watchman on the Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming down the hill on the road from the west. He ran to tell the king, "I see a crowd of people coming from the Horonaim road along the side of the hill."H53H1272H5288H6822H5375H5869H7200H1980H7227H5971H1870H2022H6654H310 35"Look!" Jonadab told the king. "There they are now! The king's sons are coming, just as I said."H3122H559H4428H4428H1121H935H5650H1697 36They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and all his servants wept bitterly with them.H3615H1696H4428H1121H935H5375H6963H1058H4428H5650H1058H3966H1065H1419 37And David mourned many days for his son Amnon. Absalom fled to his grandfather, Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur.H53H1272H3212H8526H1121H5991H5989H4428H1650H56H1121H3117 38He stayed there in Geshur for three years.H53H1272H3212H1650H7969H8141 39And King David, now reconciled to Amnon's death, longed to be reunited with his son Absalom.H4428H1732H3615H3318H53H5162H550H4191
Dublin, OH
by doing this, your child will die."H657
