Old/New Testament
Chapter 12
Nathan’s Parable. 1 The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David, and when Nathan arrived, he said to him: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich and the other was poor. 2 The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance, 3 but the poor man had nothing at all except for one little ewe lamb which he had bought. He cared for it, and the lamb grew up with him and with his children. It would share the little food he had and drink from his cup and sleep in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “On one occasion the rich man welcomed a traveler into his house, but he had no wish to take one animal from his flock or herd to provide a meal for his guest. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”
5 On hearing this, David flew into a rage against that man, and he said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. 6 He must make fourfold restitution[a] for the lamb, because he has done this without showing the least bit of pity.”
David’s Punishment. 7 Then Nathan said to David: “You are that man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king of Israel, and I rescued you from the clutches of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives as your own. I also gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And if that had not been sufficient, I would have given you even more.
9 “ ‘Why have you shown your lack of gratitude to the Lord by doing what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife to be your own after having killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, since you have shown contempt for me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11 “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will bring misfortune upon you from within your own house. Before your very eyes I shall take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You have done such deeds in secret, but I will do them in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’ ”
13 David’s Repentance. David said to Nathan: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied to David: “The Lord has decided to forgive your sin. You shall not die. 14 However, since you have shown your utter contempt for the Lord by this deed, the child born to you will die.”
15 After Nathan returned home, the Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it fell gravely ill. 16 David, therefore, pleaded with God for the child. He maintained a strict fast, and throughout the night he would lie on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood around him, urging him to rise from the ground. However, he refused to do so, nor would he take food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said: “While the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he refused to listen to us. How then can we inform him that the child is dead? He may do something desperate.” 19 However, David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves, and he realized that the child had died. He asked the servants: “Is the child dead?” They replied: “Yes, the child is dead.”
20 David, thereupon, rose from the ground, bathed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He then went into the house of the Lord and worshiped before he returned to his own house. When he requested food, they set it before him, and he ate. 21 His servants said to him: “Why are you acting in this way? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate food.”
22 David said: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought: ‘Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to me and allow the child to live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
24 [b]David then proceeded to console his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. As a result, she bore a son, whom they named Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and he sent a message to the prophet Nathan instructing him to name the child Jedidiah according to the Lord’s wish.
26 The Ammonite War Ends. Shortly thereafter, Joab attacked Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to inform David: “I have assaulted Rabbah and gained control of the water supply. 28 Therefore, assemble the rest of the soldiers, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I myself will capture the city, and then it will be named after me.”
29 Without delay, David assembled the rest of his soldiers and went to Rabbah, where he assaulted the city and captured it. 30 He took the crown of Milcom from his head. Weighing a talent of gold and encrusted with precious stones, it was placed on David’s head. He also carried out a tremendous amount of spoil from the city.
31 Furthermore, David led away the city’s inhabitants and set them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes or assigned them to toil at brickmaking. This was his regular procedure in regard to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and all of his soldiers returned to Jerusalem.
Chapter 13
The Crime of Amnon. 1 Sometime later the following events occurred. David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. 2 Amnon was obsessed with her to the point that he became ill because of his love for his sister Tamar, since she was a virgin and Amnon felt it was impossible for him even to approach her.
3 However, Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimeah, and he was an extremely devious man. 4 He asked Amnon: “O son of the king, why do you appear to be so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon replied: “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”
5 Then Jonadab said to him: “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. When your father comes to visit you, say to him: ‘Please let my sister come and give me something to eat. Ask her to prepare the food in my presence for me to see and then eat it from her hand.’ ” 6 And so Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to visit him, Amnon said: “Please let my sister Tamar come and make some cakes before my eyes so that I can receive some nourishment from her hand.”
7 Then David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, saying: “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare some food for him.” 8 Therefore, Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon and found him lying in bed. She took dough and kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes.
9 Then Tamar took the pan and set out the cakes before him, but he refused to eat and ordered everyone else to leave the room. 10 Thereupon, Amnon said to Tamar: “Bring the food into the bedroom so that I may eat from your hand.” Therefore, Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to Amnon her brother.
11 However, when she offered them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said: “Come to bed with me, my sister.” 12 She answered him: “No, my brother! Do not force me! Such repulsive acts are not done in Israel. Do not commit such a vile act! 13 And as for me, where could I go to hide my shame? Moreover, you would be disgraced in Israel. Therefore, I beg you to speak to the king. He will not refuse you permission to marry me.”
14 Despite her entreaty, he would not listen to her. Rather, he overpowered her and raped her. 15 Then Amnon was seized with intense hatred for her, a hatred that was far greater than the love he had had for her. “Get up and leave,” he said. 16 But she answered: “No, my brother. If you send me away, that would be an even greater wrong[c] than the other wrong you perpetrated against me.” However, he refused to listen to her.
17 Then Amnon summoned his personal attendant and said: “Take this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her!” 18 She was wearing a long gown with sleeves, for this is how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in those days. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long gown that she was wearing. Then, putting her hand on her head, she went away, weeping loudly.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her: “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this to heart.” Then Tamar, forlorn and inconsolable, went to live in the house of her brother Absalom.
21 [d]When King David learned about all this, he became extremely angry. However, he did not punish his son Amnon because he was his firstborn and he loved him. 22 But Absalom refused to say a single word to Amnon, either good or bad, since he hated Amnon because he had raped his sister Tamar.
23 Absalom’s Plot. Two years later, when Absalom had sheep-shearers at Baal-hazor, near Ephraim, he invited all of the king’s sons. 24 Absalom went to the king and said: “Your servant has summoned the sheep-shearers to work. Will your majesty and his retinue please come?” 25 The king replied: “No, my son. If we all were to go, we would prove to be a burden to you.” Absalom continued to urge him, but the king still refused to go, although he gave him his blessing.
26 Absalom then said: “If you will not come, then please allow my brother Amnon to go with us.” The king replied: “Why should he go with you?” 27 However, Absalom continued to urge him, until finally the king allowed Amnon and all the other princes to go.
28 Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king, and he instructed his servants: “Watch carefully! When Amnon is merry with wine and I say to you: ‘Strike down Amnon,’ then slay him. Do not be afraid. You will simply be obeying my command. Be courageous and act valiantly!”
29 The Death of Amnon. When the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded, then all of the king’s sons leapt to their feet, mounted their mules, and fled. 30 While they were still on the road, a report came to David that Absalom had slain all of the king’s sons and that not a single one of them had survived. 31 The king stood up, tore his garments, and threw himself on the ground. All of his servants who were standing around him also tore their garments.
32 However, Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said: “Let not my lord think that all the young princes, the sons of the king, have been killed. Amnon alone is dead, for Absalom has been determined to exact vengeance ever since the day that Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 Therefore, my lord the king should not believe the report that all of the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”
34 Meanwhile Absalom had fled. When the man on sentry duty looked up, he saw a large group of people coming down the hill from the direction of Horonaim. Immediately he hastened to the king and reported: “I have seen men coming down the hill from Horonaim.”
35 Jonadab said to the king: “Behold, the king’s sons have returned, just as I said they would.” 36 No sooner had he finished speaking than the king’s sons arrived, weeping aloud. The king and all his servants also wept bitterly.
37 Absalom, who had taken flight, went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur, 38 and he remained in Geshur for three years.
39 Efforts for Absalom’s Return. During all that time, David mourned over his son, but once he became reconciled to the death of Amnon, he yearned to be reconciled with Absalom.
Chapter 16
Riches and Poverty[a]
The Parable of the Crafty Steward.[b] 1 Jesus also said to his disciples: “There was a rich man who had a steward, and he was informed that this steward was squandering his property. 2 Therefore, he summoned him and said, ‘What are these reports that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’
3 “Then the steward said to himself, ‘What am I going to do, now that my master is dismissing me from being steward? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am too ashamed to beg. 4 What I must do is to make sure that people will welcome me into their homes once I am removed from being steward.’
5 “Then he summoned his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 When he was told, ‘One hundred jars of olive oil,’ he said to the man, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and change the number to fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ When he was told, ‘One hundred measures of wheat,’ he said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8 The master commended the crafty steward because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.[c]
Application of the Parable.[d] 9 “And I tell you: use your worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that, when it has been exhausted, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.
10 “Whoever can be trusted in small matters can also be trusted in great ones, but whoever is dishonest in small matters will also be dishonest in great ones. 11 Therefore, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not shown yourself to be trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you anything of your own?
13 “No servant can serve two masters. For you will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Teachings concerning Justice and the Judaic Law
14 A Saying against the Pharisees.[e] The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and they ridiculed him. 15 He said to them, “You people pretend to be upright when you wish to impress others, but God knows what is in your hearts. That which is highly esteemed in the eyes of men is detestable in the sight of God.
16 Sayings about the Law.“The Law and the Prophets were in effect until John. From that time the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is trying to force his way in.[f] 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one letter of the Law to be discarded.[g]
18 Sayings about Divorce.[h]“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus: A Warning
19 The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.[i]“There was a rich man who used to dress in purple garments and the finest linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who would have been grateful to be fed with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 “Now the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In the netherworld,[j] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham, far off, and Lazarus by his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that during your lifetime you received many good things, while Lazarus suffered greatly. Now he is being comforted while you are in agony. 26 Moreover, between us and you a great chasm has been established, so that no one who wishes to do so can pass from our side to yours, nor can anyone pass from your side to ours.’
27 “ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘to send him to my father’s house, 28 to warn my five brothers, lest they too end up in this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham responded, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30 “He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 Abraham answered, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
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