2 Samuel 12

1 Dauid reproued by Nathán confesseth his sinne. 18 The childe conceiued in adulterie dyeth. 24 Salomón is borne. 26 Rabbáh is taken. 31 The citizens are grieuously punished.
1.THen the Lord sent Nathán vnto Dauid, who came to him, and said vnto him, There were two men in one citie, the one riche, and the other poore.
2.The riche man had exceeding many shepe and oxen:
3.But the poore had none at all, saue one litle shepe which he had boght, & nourished vp: and it grewe vp with him, and with his children also, and did eat of his owne morsels, & dranke of his owne cup, and slept in his bosome, and was vnto him as his daughter.
4.Now there came a stranger vnto the riche mā, who refused to take of his owne shepe, and of his owne oxen to dresse for the stranger that was come vnto him, but toke the poore man shepe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5.Thē Dauid was exceding wrothe with the mā, and said to Nathán, As the Lord liueth, the man that hathe done this thing, shal surely dye,
6.And he shal restore the lābe foure folde, because he did this thing, and had no pitie thereof.
7.Then Nathán said to Dauid, Thou art the man. Thus sayth the Lord God of Israél, I anointed thee King ouer Israél, and deliuered thee out of the hand of Saúl,
8.And gaue thee thy lordsb house, and thy lordsc wiues into thy bosome, and gaue thee the house of Israél, and of Iudáh, & wolde moreouer (if that had bene to litle) haue giuen theed suche and suche things.
9.Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord, to do euil in his sight? thou hast killed Vriáh the Hittite with the sworde, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slaine him with the sworde of thee children of Ammón.
10.Now therefore the sworde shal neuer departe from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Vriáh the Hittite to be thy wife.
11.Thus saith the Lord, Beholde, I wil raise vp euil against thee out of thine owne house, and wil take thy wiues before thine eyes, & giue them vnto thy neighbour, and he shal lye with thy wiues in the sight of this sunne.
12.For thou didest it secretly: but I wil do this thing before all Israél, and before the sunne.
13.Then Dauid said vnto Nathán, I haue sinned against ye Lord. And Nathán said vnto Dauid, The Lord also hatheg put away thy sinne, thou shalt not dye.
14.Howbeit because by this dede thou hast caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the childe that is borne vnto thee shal surely dye.
15.¶ So Nathán departed vnto his house: and the Lord stroke the childe that Vriahs wife bare vnto Dauid, and it was sicke.
16.Dauid therefore besoght God for the childe, and fasted and went in, and layei all night vpon the earth.
17.Then the Elders of his house arose to come vnto him, and to cause him to rise from the grounde: but he wolde not, neither did he eat meat with them.
18.So on the seuenth day the childe dyed: & the seruants of Dauid feared to tel him that the childe was dead: for thei said, Beholde, while the childe was aliue, we spake vnto him, and he wolde not hearken vnto our voyce: how then shal we say vnto him, The childe is dead, to vexe him more?
19.But when Dauid sawe that his seruants whispered, Dauid perceiued that ye childe was dead: therefore Dauid said vnto his seruants, Is the childe dead? And they said, He is dead.
20.Then Dauid arose from the earth, & washed and anointed him selfe, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshiped, & afterward came to his owne house, and bade that they shulde set bread before him, and he did eat.
21.Then saidm his seruāts vnto him, What thing is this, that thou hast done? thou didest fast and wepe for the childe, while it was aliue, but whē the childe was dead, thou didest rise vp, and eat meat.
22.And he said, While the childe was yet aliue, I fasted, and wept: for I said, Who can tel whether God wil haue mercie on me, that the childe may liue?
23.But now being dead, wherefore shulde I now fast? Can I bring him againe anie more? I shal go to him, but he shal not returne to me.
24.¶ And Dauid comforted Bath-shéba his wife, and went in vnto her, and lay with her, and she bare a sonne, & he called his name Salomón: also ye Lord loued hī. 25 *Therefore
25.For the Lord had sent by Nathán the Prophet: therefore * he called his name Iedidiáh, because the Lord loued him.
26.¶ Then Ioáb fought against Rabbáh of the children of Ammón, and toke the * citie of the kingdome.
27.Therefore Ioáb sent messengers to Dauid, saying, I haue fought against Rabbáh, and haue taken the citie of waters.
28.Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and besiege the citie, that thou maiest take it, lest * the victorie be attributed to me.
29.So Dauid gathered all the people together, and went against Rabbáh, and besieged it, and toke it.
30.* And he toke their Kings crowne from his head, (which wayed a talent of golde, with precious stones) & it was set on Dauids head: and he brought away the spoile of the citie in exceding great abundance.
31.And he caryed away the people that was therein, and put them vnder ‡ sawes, and vnder yron harowes, and vnder axes of yron, and cast them into the tyle kylne: euen thus did he with all the cities of the children of Ammón. Then Dauid and all the people returned vnto Ierusalém.

Notes

1:a.
Because Dauid lay nowe drowned in sinne, the louing mercie of God, which suffreth not his to perish, waketh his conscience by this similitude, and bringeth him to repentance.
4:*.
Or, wayfaring man. Or, guest.
5:*.
Ebr. The anger of Dauid was kindled. Ebr. is the childe of death.
6:*.
Exod. 22. 1.
7:*.
3. Sam. 16. 13.
8:b.
For Dauid succeeded Saul in his kingdome.
8:c.
The Iewes vnderstād this of Eglah and Michal, or of Rizpah and Michal.
8:d.
That is, greater things: the more for Gods loue and benefites increase toward his, if by their ingratitude they stay him not.
9:e.
Thou hast moste cruelly giuen him into the hands of Gods enemies.
11:*.
Deu. 28. 30. chap. 16. 22.
12:f.
Meaning, openly, as at none dayes.
13:g.
For the Lord seketh but ye sinner wolde turne to him.
13:*.
Eccles. 47. 11.
14:h.
In saying, that the Lord hathe appointed a wicked man to reigne ouer his people.
16:i.
To wit, to his priuie chāber.
18:k.
Thinking by his instāt prayer that God wolde haue restored his childe, but God had otherwise determined.
18:*.
*Ebr. & he wil do him self euil.
20:l.
Shewing that our lamentations ought not to be excessiue, but moderate: and ye we must praise God in all his doings.
21:m.
As they considered not that God granteth many things to the sobbes & teares of ye faithful.
23:n.
By this consideration he appeased his sorowe.
24:*.
Mat. 1. 6.
24:o.
To wit, the Lord, 1. Chro. 22. 9.
25:p.
To call him Salomon.
25:q.
Meaning, Dauid: 1 Chro 22.9
26:1.
That is, the chief citie.
28:*.
\* Ebr. my name be called vpon it.
28:r.
That is, the chief citie, & where all the conduits are, as good as taken.
30:s.
2 Chro. 20.2.
30:t.
That is, threescore pounde after the weight of the commune talent.
31:*.
‡ Signifying, that as they were malicious enemies of God, so he put them to cruel death.