2 Kings 11

¹And it came to pass the year turning about, at such time when kings are wont to proceed to battles, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem.

²Whilst these things were in doing, it chanced that David arose from his bed after noon, and walked in the top of the king's house: and he saw a woman washing herself, over-against the roof of his house: and the woman was very beautiful.

³The king therefore sent, and inquired what woman it was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hetheite.

⁴David therefore sending messengers took her, who when she was entered in to him, he slept with her: and forth with she was sanctified from her uncleanness:

⁵and she returned into her house having conceived a child. And sending she told David, and said: I have conceived.

⁶And David sent to Joab, saying: Send Urias the Hetheite. And Joab sent Urias to David.

⁷And Urias came to David. And David asked how well Joab did, & the people, and how the war was ordered.

⁸And David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet. And Urias went forth out of the king's house, & the king's meat followed him.

⁹But Urias slept before the gate of the king's house, with the other servants of his lord, and went not down to his own house.

¹⁰And it was told David of them that said: Urias went not into his house. And David said to Urias: Didst thou not come from thy journey? Why didst thou not go down into thy house?

¹¹And Urias said to David: The Ark of God and Israel & Juda dwell in pavilions, & my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide upon the face of the earth: and shall I enter into my house, to eat and to drink, and sleep with my wife? By thy health, and by the health of thy soul I will not do this thing.

¹²David therefore said to Urias: tarry here also this day, and tomorrow I will dismiss thee. Urias tarried in Jerusalem that day and the next:

¹³and David called him to eat before him and to drink, and he made him drunk: who going out at even, slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.

¹⁴The morning therefore was come, and David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,

¹⁵writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave him, that being strucken he may die.

¹⁶Therefore when Joab besieged the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the strongest men were.

¹⁷And the men issuing out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell of the people of the servants of David, and Urias also the Hetheite died.

¹⁸Joab therefore sent, and told David all the story of the battle:

¹⁹and he commanded the messenger, saying: When thou hast told all the story of the battle to the king,

²⁰if thou see him to be angry, and he say: Why approached you to the wall, to fight? Knew you not that many weapons are thrown from above of the wall?

²¹Who struck Abimelec the son of Jerobaal? Did not a woman cast upon him a piece of a millstone from the wall, and slew him in Thebes? Why approached you near the wall? Thou shalt say: Also thy servant Urias the Hetheite is slain.

²²The messenger therefore departed, and came, and told David all things that Joab had commanded him,

²³And the messenger said to David: The men have prevailed against us, and they issued forth to us into the field: and we violently pursued them even to the gate of the city.

²⁴And the archers shot arrows at thy servants from off the wall above: and there died of the king's servants, yea and thy servant Urias the Hetheite is dead.

²⁵And David said to the messenger: Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing discomfort thee: for the event of war is diverse: now this man, and now that man the sword consumeth: encourage thy warriors against the city, that thou mayest destroy it, and exhort them.

²⁶Also the wife of Urias heard, that Urias her husband was dead, & she mourned for him.

²⁷And the mourning being past, David sent and brought her in into his house, & she became his wife, and she bare him a son: and this thing which David had done, was displeasant before our Lord.