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.
Davidi tsî Batsebas tsîra
1 Sao ra ǁhaoǁaeb ǃnâ, gao-aogu ǁnaetisase torob ǃoa gere ǃgûǂoa ǁaeb aib ge Davida Joaba ǁîb toroǂamkhoegu tsî Israeli toroǂnubis hoas ǀkha ge sîǂui. ǁÎgu ge Amonǁîna dan tsî Rabasa ge ǃnamiǂgā, xawe Davidi ge Jerusalems ǃnâ ge hâ-oa.
2 ǀGuitsēb ge Davida karaǁaeb ai sâǁgoeb ge hâ ipa xu khâi tsî gao-ommi ǂamǃnâ gere ǃgûma. ǁNāpa xub ge khōsen ra khoesa ge mû; ǁîs ge kaise ge îxa i. 3 Davidi ge khoe-e sî tsî nē khoes xa a ǂanǂui kai, ob ge “Batsebas Eliammi ôas, Uriab Hetǁîb taras ge” ti ge mîbahe. 4 Ob ge Davida sîsabega sî tsî ǁîsa ge ǀkhī-ū kai. Nēs ge ǁîs ǁkhâǀaesenna xus khōsen tsî ǃanuǃanusen hâs khaoǃgâ ge isa. Tsîb ge ǁîb tawas ge ǀkhī-ūhe, o ǁîsa ge ǁgoe-ū. ǁNās khaoǃgâs ge oms âs ǁga ge oa. 5 Nē taras ge ge ǀgamǀkhā tsîs ge Davida ǀgamǀkhās go ǃkhaisa ge ǂanǂan.
6 Ob ge Davida, Joaba ge haisiba: “Uriab, Hetǁîba tita ǁga sî re.” Ob ge Joaba ǁîba Davidi ǁga ge sî. 7 Tsî Uriab ge ǁîb tawa hā, ob ge Davida, Joab tsî toroǂnubis ǃgâise hâs tsî torob mâti ra aiǃgûsa ge dî bi. 8 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Davida Uriab ǃoa ge mî: “Sa oms ǁga oa, î sī sâro re.” Tsî Uriab ge gao-aob omma xu a ǂoa, ob ge gao-aoba ǀkhaexū-e ge sîba bi. 9 Xaweb ge Uriaba oms âb ǁga oa tama i tsî gao-ommi dao-ams tawa gao-aob ǃgāgu ǀkha ǀguipa ge ǁgoe. 10 O gu ge ǁîga “Uriab ge oms âb ǁga go oa tama hâ i” ti Davida ge mîba, ob ge Davida Uriaba ge dî: “ǀHawesets kom go ǀkhai io, tare xū-i ǃaromats oms âts ǁga oa tama?”
11 Ob ge Uriaba ge ǃeream: “ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes tsî Israeli tsî Judab aogu ge tentomdi ǃnâ hâ tsî ti ǂgaeǂgui-aob Joab tsî ti ǀhonkhoets toroǃkhamaogu ge ǂgāb ai hâǃkhaiba ǂnaumâi hâ. Mâti ta kha ǁnâi tita oms ǁga oa, ǂû tsî ā tsî ti taras ǀkha nî ǁgoe? ǁNāsa ta ge amase dī tide.”
12 Ob ge Davida Uriab ǃoa ge mî: “Nētsē noxopa nēpa hâ re, î ta ǁari ǃgû kai tsi.” Uriab ge ǁnā tsēs tsî sao ra tsēs tsîra Jerusalems ǃnâ ge hâ. 13 Ob ge Davida ge ǁkhau bi tsî ǁîb ǀkha ǂû tsî ā tsî ǁîba ge āsiǃgâuǃgâu. Xaweb ge Uriaba ǁnā ǃuia, ǁîb di ǁgoeǃkhais aib gao-aob ǃgāgu tawa sī nî ǁgoega ge ǂoa, tsî oms âb ǁga oa tama ge i.
14 Sao ra ǁgoagab ge Davida ǂkhanisa Joaba xoaba tsî ǁîsa Uriab ǀkha ge sî. 15 ǁNā ǂkhanis ǃnâb ge ge xoa hâ i: “Uriaba aisǀkhāb ai ǃkhammi a ǀgaisapa mâi, î go ǁnāxūǃgâ bi, îb ǃkhammi ǃnâ ǁō.” 16 Joab ge ǃāsab ge ǃnamiǂgāo, Uriaba ǁnā ǃkhais ǁkhoaǂgaoxa ǃkhamaogu khākhoen digu hâsab a ǂans tawa ge mâi. 17 Khākhoegu ge ǃāsa xu ǂoaxa tsî Joab ǃoagu ge ǃkham. ǀNîgu Davidi ǂamkhoegu digu ge ge ǃgamhe tsî Uriab Hetǁîb on ge ǁnāpa ge ǁō.
18 Ob ge Joaba nē ǃkhammi ge ǃgû ǀgaub hoaba Davida ge haisiba. 19 ǁÎb ge sîsabeba ge mîmā: “Nē ǃkhammi ǃgûǀgaub hoabats ga gao-aoba mîbatoa, 20 ob ga ǁaixa tsî dî tsi: ‘Tare xū-i ǃaroma go ǁnātikōse ǃās ǀgūse sī go ǃkham? ǂNubiǂgoaba xu gu nî ǁkhâu ǃkhaisa go go ǀū i? 21 Tari-e, Jerubeseti ôab Abimelexa ge ǃgam-e? Tarekhoe tamasa ǁkhamiǀuisa ge ǂnubiǂgoaba xu ǁîb ai aoǁnâ tsî Tebes tawa ǃgam bisa? Tare xū-i ǃaroma go ǁnātikō ǀgūse ǂnubiǂgoab tawa go sī?’ Ots ge ‘Sa toroǂamkhoeb Uriab, Hetǁîb on ge go ǁō’ ti nî mî.”
22 Ob ge sîsabeba ǃgû tsî Davida Joab ge mîmā bin hoana sī ge ǂanǂan. 23 ǁÎb ge Davida ge mîba: “Sige khākhoegu ge ǀgaidā ge tsî ǂgās kōse sige ǃoa go ǂoaxa, xawe ge ge ǁîga ǃās di dao-ams kōse go ǁkhae-oa. 24 O gu ge ǁkhâu-aoga ǂnubiǂgoaba xu sige ai go ǁkhâu tsî gu ge ǀnîgu gao-aots toroǂamkhoegu diga go ǃgamhe tsîb ge Uriab, Hetiǁîb ona go ǁō.”
25 Ob ge Davida sîsabeba ge mîmā: “Nēti Joaba mîba: ‘As nē ǃkhaisa tā kai xū-i ase ība tsi, khoets tari-i torob ǃnâ nî ǁō ǃkhaisa a mî ǁoa xuige. ǀGaisase ǃās ǃoagu ǃkham, îts ǁîsa hîkākā.’ Î ǀgaiǀgaiǃnâ bi.”
26 Uriab taras ge aob âs go ǁō ǃkhaisas ge ǁnâu, o ǁîb ǂama ge ǃoa. 27 Tsî ǃoab ǁaeb ge ǃkharu, ob ge Davida ǁîsa gao-ommi âb ǁga ge hā-ū kai, tsîs ge ǁîb tara kai tsî ǀgôaba ge ǁoraba bi. Xawes ge Davidi ge dī ǃkhaisa ǃKhūb mûǁae ge ǂhanu tama hâ i.
