大卫犯罪

11 第二年春天,诸王又要发动战争。大卫差遣约押率领众将领和以色列大军出征,自己却留在耶路撒冷。他们打败了亚扪人之后又围攻拉巴。 一天黄昏,大卫从床上起来在王宫顶上散步,看见一个长得非常漂亮的女人在沐浴。 大卫就派人去打听这个女人是谁,得知她是以连的女儿、赫人乌利亚的妻子拔示芭。 大卫差人把她接来,她来了,大卫就与她同寝,那时她的月经刚洁净。事后,她便回家去了。 拔示芭怀孕了,就派人去告诉大卫。

大卫便传信给约押,说:“你派赫人乌利亚来见我。”约押就派乌利亚去见大卫。 乌利亚来了,大卫问他有关约押、士兵和战争的情况, 然后吩咐他回家休息。乌利亚离开王宫后,收到大卫送的一份礼物。 但他跟王的其他仆人一同睡在王宫门口,没有回家。 10 大卫得知乌利亚没有回家,便对他说:“你远道而来,为什么不回家休息呢?” 11 乌利亚答道:“约柜、以色列人和犹大人都在帐篷里,而我主约押及其军队也在田间扎营,我怎么可以回家吃喝快乐,与妻子同房呢?我敢在王面前起誓,我决不做这样的事!” 12 大卫对乌利亚说:“你再住一天,明天我会派你回去。”于是乌利亚那日就留在耶路撒冷。 13 第二天,大卫邀请他一同吃饭,把他灌醉了。可是到了晚上,乌利亚还是不肯回家,仍然跟王的其他士兵一同住宿。

14 第二天早上,大卫给约押写了一封信,要乌利亚带去。 15 大卫在信上吩咐约押:“你把乌利亚派到前线最险恶的地方,到时其他人都要撤退,好让敌人杀死他。” 16 于是约押围攻城池时,便派乌利亚到最强悍的敌人那里。 17 敌人出来迎战,大卫的军中有几位阵亡,赫人乌利亚也死了。 18 约押就派人去向大卫禀告战争的详情, 19 并叮嘱信使:“你向王禀告战情后, 20 他若发怒责问你,‘为什么还冒死逼近呢?你们难道不知道敌人会从城墙上射箭吗? 21 难道你们不知道耶路·比设[a]的儿子亚比米勒是谁杀的吗?一个妇人从城墙上扔下一块磨石,把他砸死在提备斯。你们为什么还要逼近城墙呢?’你就对王说,‘你的仆人赫人乌利亚也死了。’”

22 于是,信使前来见大卫,照约押的吩咐向大卫禀告。 23 他说:“敌军势力强大,在城外跟我们交战,但我们把他们追到城门口。 24 敌军的弓箭手从城墙上射死了王的几个士兵,赫人乌利亚也死了。” 25 大卫便对信使说:“你去告诉约押不要为这事难过,因为刀剑无情。让他只管竭力攻陷城池。要这样勉励约押。”

26 拔示芭听到丈夫乌利亚的死讯之后就为他守丧。 27 守丧结束后,大卫便派人把她接进宫里,她就做了大卫的妻子,并给他生了个儿子。然而,大卫的所作所为令耶和华十分不悦。

Footnotes

  1. 11:21 耶路·比设”又名“耶路·巴力”,参见士师记6:32

11 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.

And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.

But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?

11 And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.

12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.

13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,

20 And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?

21 Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.

24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.

26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

David and Bathsheba

11 In the spring,(A) at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab(B) out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army.(C) They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.(D) But David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof(E) of the palace. From the roof he saw(F) a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba,(G) the daughter of Eliam(H) and the wife of Uriah(I) the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her.(J) She came to him, and he slept(K) with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.)(L) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah(M) the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”(N) So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”

11 Uriah said to David, “The ark(O) and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,[a] and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love(P) to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter(Q) to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down(R) and die.(S)

16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek(T) son of Jerub-Besheth[b]? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall,(U) so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning(V) was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased(W) the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 11:11 Or staying at Sukkoth
  2. 2 Samuel 11:21 Also known as Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon)