David and Bathsheba
1 The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, David sent out Joab with his officers and the Israelite army; they defeated the Ammonites and besieged the city of Rabbah. But David himself stayed in Jerusalem.
2 One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. As he walked around up there, he saw a woman taking a bath in her house. She was very beautiful. 3 So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, and learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. 4 David sent messengers to get her; they brought her to him and he made love to her. (She had just finished her monthly ritual of purification.) Then she went back home. 5 Afterward she discovered that she was pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him.
6 David then sent a message to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him if Joab and the troops were well, and how the fighting was going. 8 Then he said to Uriah, “Go on home and rest a while.” Uriah left, and David had a present sent to his home. 9 But Uriah did not go home; instead he slept at the palace gate with the king's guards. 10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he asked him, “You have just returned after a long absence; why didn't you go home?”
11 Uriah answered, “The men of Israel and Judah are away in battle, and the Covenant Box is with them; my commander Joab and his officers are camping out in the open. How could I go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By all that's sacred, I swear that I could never do such a thing!”
12 So David said, “Then stay here the rest of the day, and tomorrow I'll send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 David invited him to supper and got him drunk. But again that night Uriah did not go home; instead he slept on his blanket in the palace guardroom.
14 The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. 15 He wrote: “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed.” 16 So while Joab was besieging the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew the enemy was strong. 17 The enemy troops came out of the city and fought Joab's forces; some of David's officers were killed, and so was Uriah.
18 Then Joab sent a report to David telling him about the battle, 19 and he instructed the messenger, “After you have told the king all about the battle, 20 he may get angry and ask you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight them? Didn't you realize that they would shoot arrows from the walls? 21 Don't you remember how Abimelech son of Gideon was killed? It was at Thebez, where a woman threw a millstone down from the wall and killed him. Why, then, did you go so near the wall?’ If the king asks you this, tell him, ‘Your officer Uriah was also killed.’”
22 So the messenger went to David and told him what Joab had commanded him to say. 23 He said, “Our enemies were stronger than we were and came out of the city to fight us in the open, but we drove them back to the city gate. 24 Then they shot arrows at us from the wall, and some of Your Majesty's officers were killed; your officer Uriah was also killed.”
25 David said to the messenger, “Encourage Joab and tell him not to be upset, since you never can tell who will die in battle. Tell him to launch a stronger attack on the city and capture it.”
26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband had been killed, she mourned for him. 27 When the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to the palace; she became his wife and bore him a son. But the Lord was not pleased with what David had done.
David na Batseba
1 Tji pa kapita ombura imwe, oruveze ozombara ndu ze yenda kovita, David otja hinda Joab novarwe ve wovita notjimbumba tjOvaisrael kovita. Nowo va kanyona ehi rOvaamoni nave kakovera otjihuro Raba. Nungwari David omuini wa kara mOjerusalem.
2 Eyuva rimwe, kuṱa kongurova, David wa penduka motjiraro tje na ryanga komututu wondjuwo ye youhona. Nu ngunda ama ryanga ngo, arire tja munu omukazendu ngu me rikoho morutu; nomukazendu ngwi wa ri omuwa tjinene. 3 Nu David wa hinda ovatumwa okukakonḓonona kutja omukazendu ngwi owaṋi; neye wa raerwa kutja oBatseba, omusuko wa Eliam, omukazendu wa Urija, Omuhetite. 4 David wa hinda ovatumwa okukemueta. Batseba wa etwa, nu David wa rara pu ye Batseba tjandje otja za komayuva we woukazendu. Tjazumba Batseba wa yaruka koye. 5 Neye we ke rimuna kutja wa rire otjingundi, notja hinda ombuze ku David okumutjivisa.
6 David wa hinda ombuze ku Joab a tja: “Ndji hindira Urija, Omuhetite.” Nu Joab otja hinda Urija ku David. 7 Urija tje ya ku David, David we mu pura kutja Joab novarwe wovita ve ri vi, nokutja ovita vi kayenda vi. 8 David wa tja nai ku Urija: “Twende konganda u kasuve.” Nu Urija tja pita mondjuwo youhona, ombara David arire tje mu hindire oviyandjewa. 9 Nungwari Urija ka ire koye; moruveze rwanao eye wa rara pomahitiro wondjuwo youhona, pamwe novakarere ovatjevere vomuhona we. 10 David tja zuva kutja Urija ka ire koye, we mu pura a tja: “Ove mo zu nambano kouyenda; okutjavi tji u ha ire koyoye?”
11 Urija wa zira nai ku David: “Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe novarwe vOvaisrael wovita, novOvajuda ve ri movitara. Omuhongore wovita Joab novakarere ve vatono ozondanda zawo pendje, nu hapo ami me yenene vi okuyenda koyandje okukarya nokunwa nokukarara puna omukazendu wandje? Tjiri, ami himee tjiti nao!”
12 David arire tja tja ku Urija: “Ndino kara muno; nu muhuka otji me ku esa u yende.” Nu Urija wa kara eyuva ndo mOjerusalem. 13 Mependukirwa David we mu ṋanga okurya nokunwa puna ye, ne mu purukisa nomavinu. Nungwari Urija ongurova wa karara potjiraro tje puna ovakarere vomuhona we, notje ha ire koye.
14 Nu mependukirwa David wa tjanga orutuu ku Joab, ne ru yandja Urija a twaerere. 15 Nu David wa tjanga nai: “Twa Urija komurungu omarwiro ku maye rire omazeu tjinene, tjazumba mu yaruke kombunda ye kutja a ṱe motjirwa.” 16 Joab ngunda ama kovere otjihuro, arire tja twa Urija poṋa puya tjiwa kutja pe novarumendu omapenda vovanavita. 17 Novanavita tji va pita motjihuro nave rwisa Joab, arire tji va zepa ovarwe tjiva va David wovita, nu Urija wina wa ṱa.
18 Tjazumba Joab otja hinda ombuze yokukaraera David omakayendero ayehe wotjirwa. 19 Eye wa rakiza nai komuhindwa: “Tji wa zu nokuserekarera inga omakayendero aehe wotjirwa kombara David, 20 neye a ṱomazenge ne ku pura nai: ‘Okutjavi tji mwe ya popezu nai notjihuro okurwa? Kamu tjivirwe kutja owo mave mu yahere kombanda yorumbo are? 21 Kamu nakuzemburuka Abimelek, omuzandu wa Jerubbaal, tja ṱa are? Ya ri mOtebes omukazendu ma yumbira ewe kotjikweyero okuza korumbo, nari zepa Abimelek? Okutjavi tji mwe ya popezu norumbo?’ NOmbara David tje ku pura nao, mu raera nai: ‘Omukarere woye Urija wina wa ṱu.’ ”
22 Komuhingo mbwi omuhindwa ngwi otja ya ku David, e kemuserekarerera avihe Joab mbye mu rakiza. 23 Neye wa katja nai ku David: “Ovanavita va ri ovanamasa pu eṱe, nowo va piti motjihuro okuturwisira mouhaiya wokuti, nungwari twe ve undura nga pomahitiro wotjihuro. 24 Nowo otji ve tu yahere kombanda yorumbo noviku. Novarwe tjiva vombara va ṱu; nomukarere woye Urija wina wa ṱu.”
25 David arire tja tja komuhindwa: “Katjivise ku Joab kutja eye a ha ṱoruhoze notjiṋa hi, engaruvyo tjinga ari zepa ngamwa auhe. Rwisa otjihuro nu u tji nyone. Kemuyanḓiparise nao!”
26 Batseba tja zuva onḓiro vomurumendu we, arire tje mu riri. 27 Nu oruveze rwomutambo tji rwa kapita, David we mu eta koye. Nu Batseba a rire omukazendu we, ne mu pandukire omuzandu. Nungwari Muhona ka ri nohange na imbi David mbya tjita.
