2Samuel 11 - Prayer Tents



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2Samuel 11
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David and Bathsheba

11In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.H8141H8666H6256H4428H4397H3318H1732H7971H3097H5650H3478H7843H1121H5983H6696H7237H1732H3427H3389 2Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.H6153H6256H1732H6965H4904H1980H1406H4428H1004H1406H7200H802H7364H802H3966H2896H4758 3He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, "She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite."H1732H7971H1875H802H559H1339H1323H463H802H223H2850 4Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home.H1732H7971H4397H3947H935H7901H6942H2932H7725H1004 5Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, "I'm pregnant."H802H2029H7971H5046H1732H559H2030 6Then David sent word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent him to David.H1732H7971H3097H7971H223H2850H3097H7971H223H1732 7When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing.H223H935H1732H7592H3097H7965H5971H7965H4421H7965 8Then he told Uriah, "Go on home and relax." David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace.H1732H559H223H3381H1004H7364H7272H223H3318H4428H1004H310H4864H4428 9But Uriah didn't go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king's palace guard.H223H7901H6607H4428H1004H5650H113H3381H1004 10When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, "What's the matter? Why didn't you go home last night after being away for so long?"H5046H1732H559H223H3381H1004H1732H559H223H935H1870H3381H1004 11Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master's men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing."H223H559H1732H727H3478H3063H3427H5521H113H3097H5650H113H2583H6440H7704H589H935H1004H398H8354H7901H802H2416H5315H2416H6213H1697 12"Well, stay here today," David told him, "and tomorrow you may return to the army." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.H1732H559H223H3427H3117H4279H7971H223H3427H3389H3117H4283 13Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn't get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king's palace guard.H1732H7121H398H8354H6440H7937H6153H3318H7901H4904H5650H113H3381H1004

David Arranges for Uriah’s Death

14So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver.H1242H1732H3789H5612H3097H7971H3027H223 15The letter instructed Joab, "Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed."H3789H5612H559H3051H223H6440H4136H2389H4421H7725H310H5221H4191 16So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy's strongest men were fighting.H3097H8104H5892H5414H223H4725H3045H2428H582 17And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.H582H5892H3318H3898H3097H5307H5971H5650H1732H223H2850H4191 18Then Joab sent a battle report to David.H3097H7971H5046H1732H1697H4421 19He told his messenger, "Report all the news of the battle to the king.H6680H4397H559H3615H1696H1697H4421H4428 20But he might get angry and ask, 'Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn't they know there would be shooting from the walls?H4428H2534H5927H559H5066H5892H3898H3045H3384H2346 21Wasn't Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?' Then tell him, 'Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.'"H5221H40H1121H3380H802H7993H6400H7393H2346H4191H8405H5066H2346H559H5650H223H2850H4191 22So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David.H4397H3212H935H5046H1732H3097H7971 23"The enemy came out against us in the open fields," he said. "And as we chased them back to the city gate,H4397H559H1732H582H1396H3318H7704H6607H8179 24the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king's men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite."H3384H3384H2346H5650H4428H5650H4191H5650H223H2850H4191 25"Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged," David said. "The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!"H1732H559H4397H559H3097H1697H3415H5869H2719H398H2090H4421H2388H5892H2040H2388 26When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.H802H223H8085H223H376H4191H5594H1167 27When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the LORD was displeased with what David had done.H60H5674H1732H7971H622H1004H802H3205H1121H1697H1732H6213H3415H5869H3068


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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