1 A nd it cometh to pass, at the revolution of the year -- at the time of the going out of the messengers -- that David sendeth Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they destroy the Bene-Ammon, and lay siege against Rabbah. And David is dwelling in Jerusalem,

And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they laid waste the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David abode at Jerusalem.

2 a nd it cometh to pass, at evening-time, that David riseth from off his couch, and walketh up and down on the roof of the king's house, and seeth from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman of very good appearance,

And it came to pass at evening time that David arose from off his couch, and walked upon the roof of the king's house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful;

3 a nd David sendeth and inquireth about the woman, and saith, `Is not this Bath-Sheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite?'

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

4 A nd David sendeth messengers, and taketh her, and she cometh unto him, and he lieth with her -- and she is purifying herself from her uncleanness -- and she turneth back unto her house;

And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her; and she had purified herself from her uncleanness; and she returned to her house.

5 a nd the woman conceiveth, and sendeth, and declareth to David, and saith, `I conceiving.'

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

6 A nd David sendeth unto Joab, `Send unto me Uriah the Hittite,' and Joab sendeth Uriah unto David;

And David sent to Joab, Send me Urijah the Hittite. And Joab sent Urijah to David.

7 a nd Uriah cometh unto him, and David asketh of the prosperity of Joab, and of the prosperity of the people, and of the prosperity of the war.

And when Urijah had come to him, David asked how Joab prospered, and how the people prospered, and how the war prospered.

8 A nd David saith to Uriah, `Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet;' and Uriah goeth out of the king's house, and there goeth out after him a gift from the king,

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

9 a nd Uriah lieth down at the opening of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and hath not gone down unto his house.

And Urijah slept at the entrance of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 A nd they declare to David, saying, `Uriah hath not gone down unto his house;' and David saith unto Uriah, `Hast thou not come from a journey? wherefore hast thou not gone down unto thy house?'

And they had told David saying, Urijah did not go down to his house; and David said to Urijah, Art thou not come from a journey? why didst thou not go down to thy house?

11 A nd Uriah saith unto David, `The ark, and Israel, and Judah, are abiding in booths, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field are encamping; and I -- I go in unto my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife! -- thy life, and the life of thy soul -- if I do this thing.'

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

12 A nd David saith unto Uriah, `Abide in this also to-day, and to-morrow I send thee away;' and Uriah abideth in Jerusalem, on that day, and on the morrow,

And David said to Urijah, Abide here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. And Urijah abode in Jerusalem that day and the morrow.

13 a nd David calleth for him, and he eateth before him, and drinketh, and he causeth him to drink, and he goeth out in the evening to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, and unto his house he hath not gone down.

And David invited him, and he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but did not go down to his house.

14 A nd it cometh to pass in the morning, that David writeth a letter unto Joab, and sendeth by the hand of Uriah;

And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by Urijah.

15 a nd he writeth in the letter, saying, `Place ye Uriah over-against the front of the severest battle, and ye have turned back from after him, and he hath been smitten, and hath died.'

And he wrote in the letter saying, Set Urijah in the front of the thickest fight, and withdraw from him, that he may be smitten and die.

16 A nd it cometh to pass in Joab's watching of the city, that he appointeth Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men;

And it came to pass as Joab watched the city, that he assigned Urijah to a place where he knew that the valiant men were.

17 a nd the men of the city go out and fight with Joab, and there fall of the people, of the servants of David; and there dieth also Uriah the Hittite.

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 Urijah the Hittite died also.

18 A nd Joab sendeth and declareth to David all the matters of the war,

Then Joab sent and told David all the matters of the war;

19 a nd commandeth the messenger, saying, `At thy finishing all the matters of the war to speak unto the king,

and charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast ended telling the matters of the war to the king,

20 t hen, it hath been, if the king's fury ascend, and he hath said to thee, Wherefore did ye draw nigh unto the city to fight? did ye not know that they shoot from off the wall?

and if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say to thee, Why did ye go so near to the city to fight? did ye not know that they would shoot from the wall?

21 W ho smote Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast on him a piece of a rider from the wall, and he dieth in Thebez? why drew ye nigh unto the wall? that thou hast said, Also thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'

Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast the upper stone of a handmill from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why did ye go near the wall?—then say thou, Thy servant Urijah the Hittite is dead also.

22 A nd the messenger goeth, and cometh in, and declareth to David all that with which Joab sent him,

And the messenger went; and he came and told David all that Joab had sent him for.

23 a nd the messenger saith unto David, `Surely the men have been mighty against us, and come out unto us into the field, and we are upon them unto the opening of the gate,

And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us, and came out against us into the field, and we were upon them as far as the entrance of the gate.

24 a nd those shooting shoot at thy servants from off the wall, and of the servants of the king are dead, and also, thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.

And the shooters shot from upon the wall against thy servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and thy servant Urijah the Hittite is dead also.

25 A nd David saith unto the messenger, `Thus dost thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing be evil in thine eyes; for thus and thus doth the sword devour; strengthen thy warfare against the city, and throw it down -- and strengthen thou him.'

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

26 A nd the wife of Uriah heareth that Uriah her husband dead, and lamenteth for her lord;

And the wife of Urijah heard that Urijah her husband was dead, and she mourned for her husband.

27 a nd the mourning passeth by, and David sendeth and gathereth her unto his house, and she is to him for a wife, and beareth to him a son; and the thing which David hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah.

And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of Jehovah.