To The Word – Day 81

₁The 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.

₂One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. As he walked about up there, he saw a woman having a bath. She was very beautiful. ₃So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, and learnt that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. ₄David sent messengers to fetch 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. ₅Afterwards she discovered that she was pregnant and sent a message to David to tell him.

₆David then sent a message to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David. ₇When Uriah arrived, David asked him if Joab and the troops were well, and how the fighting was going. ₈Then he said to Uriah, “Go home and rest a while.” Uriah left, and David sent a present to his home. ₉But Uriah did not go home; instead he slept at the palace gate with the king's guards. ₁₀When 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?”

₁₁Uriah answered, “The men of Israel and Judah are away at the war, 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!”

₁₂So 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. ₁₃David invited him to supper and made him drunk. But again that night Uriah did not go home; instead he slept on his blanket in the palace guardroom.

₁₄The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. ₁₅He wrote: “Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed.” ₁₆So while Joab was besieging the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew the enemy was strong. ₁₇The enemy troops came out of the city and fought Joab's forces; some of David's officers were killed, and so was Uriah.

₁₈Then Joab sent a report to David telling him about the battle, ₁₉and he instructed the messenger, “After you have told the king all about the battle, ₂₀he 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? ₂₁Don'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.’ ”

₂₂So the messenger went to David and told him what Joab had commanded him to say. ₂₃He 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. ₂₄Then they shot arrows at us from the wall, and some of Your Majesty's officers were killed; your officer Uriah was also killed.”

₂₅David 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.”

₂₆When Bathsheba heard that her husband had been killed, she mourned for him. ₂₇When the time of mourning was over, David sent for her to come to the palace; she became his wife and bore him a son. But the LORD was not pleased with what David had done.

₁The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, “There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor. ₂The rich man had many cattle and sheep, ₃while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it with some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him. ₄One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to prepare a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and cooked a meal for his guest.”

₅David was very angry with the rich man and said, “I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this ought to die! ₆For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took.”

₇“You are that man,” Nathan said to David. “And this is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. ₈I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. ₉Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife! ₁₀Now, in every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah's wife. ₁₁I swear to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble on you. You will see it when I take your wives from you and give them to another man; and he will have intercourse with them in broad daylight. ₁₂You sinned in secret, but I will make this happen in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’ ”

₁₃“I have sinned against the LORD,” David said.

Nathan replied, “The LORD forgives you; you will not die. ₁₄But because you have shown such contempt for the LORD in doing this, your child will die.” ₁₅Then Nathan went home.

The LORD caused the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David to become very ill. ₁₆David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor. ₁₇His court officials went to him and tried to make him get up, but he refused and would not eat anything with them. ₁₈A week later the child died, and David's officials were afraid to tell him the news. They said, “While the child was living, David wouldn't answer us when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that his child is dead? He might do himself some harm!”

₁₉When David noticed them whispering to each other, he realized that the child had died. So he asked them, “Is the child dead?”

“Yes, he is,” they answered.

₂₀David got up from the floor, had a bath, combed his hair, and changed his clothes. Then he went and worshipped in the house of the LORD. When he returned to the palace, he asked for food and ate it as soon as it was served. ₂₁“We don't understand this,” his officials said to him. “While the child was alive, you wept for him and would not eat; but as soon as he died, you got up and ate!”

₂₂“Yes,” David answered, “I did fast and weep while he was still alive. I thought that the LORD might be merciful to me and not let the child die. ₂₃But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Could I bring the child back to life? I will some day go to where he is, but he can never come back to me.”

₂₄Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He had intercourse with her, and she bore a son, whom David named Solomon. The LORD loved the boy ₂₅and commanded the prophet Nathan to name the boy Jedidiah, because the LORD loved him.

₂₆Meanwhile Joab continued his campaign against Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, and was about to capture it. ₂₇He sent messengers to David to report: “I have attacked Rabbah and have captured its water supply. ₂₈Now gather the rest of your forces, attack the city and take it yourself. I don't want to get the credit for capturing it.” ₂₉So David gathered his forces, went to Rabbah, attacked it, and conquered it. ₃₀From the head of the idol of the Ammonite god Molech David took a gold crown which weighed about 35 kilogrammes and had a jewel in it. David took the jewel and put it in his own crown. He also took a large amount of loot from the city ₃₁and put its people to work with saws, iron hoes, and iron axes, and forced them to work at making bricks. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.

₁David's son Absalom had a beautiful unmarried sister named Tamar. Amnon, another of David's sons, fell in love with her. ₂He was so much in love with her that he became ill, because it seemed impossible for him to have her; as a virgin, she was kept from meeting men. ₃But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah. ₄Jonadab said to Amnon, “You are the king's son, yet day after day I see you looking sad. What's the matter?”

“I'm in love with Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom,” he answered.

₅Jonadab said to him, “Pretend that you are ill and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to prepare the food here where I can see her, and then serve it to me herself.’ ” ₆So Amnon pretended that he was ill and went to bed.

King David went to see him, and Amnon said to him, “Please let Tamar come and make a few cakes here where I can see her, and then serve them to me herself.”

₇So David sent word to Tamar in the palace: “Go to Amnon's house and prepare some food for him.” ₈She went there and found him in bed. She took some dough, prepared it, and made some cakes there where he could see her. Then she baked the cakes ₉and emptied them out of the pan for him to eat, but he wouldn't. He said, “Send everyone away” — and they all left. ₁₀Then he said to her, “Bring the cakes here to my bed and serve them to me yourself.” She took the cakes and went over to him. ₁₁As she offered them to him, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me!”

₁₂“No,” she said. “Don't force me to do such a degrading thing! That's awful! ₁₃How could I ever hold up my head in public again? And you — you would be completely disgraced in Israel. Please, speak to the king, and I'm sure that he will give me to you.” ₁₄But he would not listen to her; and since he was stronger than she was, he overpowered her and raped her.

₁₅Then Amnon was filled with a deep hatred for her; he hated her now even more than he had loved her before. He said to her, “Get out!”

₁₆“No,” she answered. “To send me away like this is a greater crime than what you just did!”

But Amnon would not listen to her; ₁₇he called in his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight! Throw her out and lock the door!” ₁₈The servant put her out and locked the door.

Tamar was wearing a long robe with full sleeves, the usual clothing for an unmarried princess in those days. ₁₉She sprinkled ashes on her head, tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying. ₂₀When her brother Absalom saw her, he asked, “Has Amnon molested you? Please, sister, don't let it upset you so much. He is your half-brother, so don't tell anyone about it.” So Tamar lived in Absalom's house, sad and lonely.

₂₁When King David heard what had happened, he was furious. ₂₂And Absalom hated Amnon so much for having raped his sister Tamar that he would no longer even speak to him.

₂₃Two years later Absalom was having his sheep sheared at Baal Hazor, near the town of Ephraim, and he invited all the king's sons to be there. ₂₄He went to King David and said, “Your Majesty, I am having my sheep sheared. Will you and your officials come and take part in the festivities?”

₂₅“No, my son,” the king answered. “It would be too much trouble for you if we all went.” Absalom insisted, but the king would not give in, and he asked Absalom to leave.

₂₆But Absalom said, “Well, then, will you at least let my brother Amnon come?”

“Why should he?” the king asked. ₂₇But Absalom kept on insisting until David finally let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom.

Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king ₂₈and instructed his servants: “Notice when Amnon has had too much to drink, and then when I give the order, kill him. Don't be afraid. I will take the responsibility myself. Be brave and don't hesitate!” ₂₉So the servants followed Absalom's instructions and killed Amnon. All the rest of David's sons mounted their mules and fled.

₃₀While they were on their way home, David was told: “Absalom has killed all your sons — not one of them is left!” ₃₁The king stood up, tore his clothes in sorrow, and threw himself to the ground. The servants who were there with him tore their clothes also. ₃₂But Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah, said, “Your Majesty, they haven't killed all your sons. Only Amnon is dead. You could tell by looking at Absalom that he had made up his mind to do this from the time that Amnon raped his sister Tamar. ₃₃So don't believe the news that all your sons are dead; only Amnon was killed.”

₃₄In the meantime Absalom had fled.

Just then the soldier on sentry duty saw a large crowd coming down the hill on the road from Horonaim. He went to the king and reported what he had seen. ₃₅Jonadab said to David, “Those are your sons coming, just as I said they would.” ₃₆As soon as he finished saying this, David's sons came in; they started crying, and David and his officials also wept bitterly.

_37-38Absalom fled and went to the king of Geshur, Talmai son of Ammihud, and stayed there three years. David mourned a long time for his son Amnon; ₃₉but when he got over Amnon's death, he was filled with longing for his son Absalom.

₁Joab knew that King David missed Absalom very much, ₂so he sent for a clever woman who lived in Tekoa. When she arrived, he said to her, “Pretend that you are in mourning; put on your mourning clothes, and don't comb your hair. Act like a woman who has been in mourning for a long time. ₃Then go to the king and say to him what I tell you to say.” Then Joab told her what to say.

₄The woman went to the king, bowed down to the ground in respect, and said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”

₅“What do you want?” he asked her.

“I am a poor widow, sir,” she answered. “My husband is dead. ₆Sir, I had two sons, and one day they got into a quarrel out in the fields, where there was no one to separate them, and one of them killed the other. ₇And now, sir, all my relatives have turned against me and are demanding that I hand my son over to them, so that they can kill him for murdering his brother. If they do this, I will be left without a son. They will destroy my last hope and leave my husband without a son to keep his name alive.”

₈“Go back home,” the king answered, “and I will take care of the matter.”

₉“Your Majesty,” she said, “whatever you do, my family and I will take the blame; you and the royal family are innocent.”

₁₀The king replied, “If anyone threatens you, bring him to me, and he will never trouble you again.”

₁₁She said, “Your Majesty, please pray to the LORD your God, so that my relative who is responsible for avenging the death of my son will not commit a greater crime by killing my other son.”

“I promise by the living LORD,” David replied, “that your son will not be harmed in the least.”

₁₂“Please, Your Majesty, let me say just one more thing,” the woman said.

“All right,” he answered.

₁₃She said to him, “Why have you done such a wrong to God's people? You have not allowed your own son to return from exile, and so you have condemned yourself by what you have just said. ₁₄We will all die; we are like water spilt on the ground, which can't be gathered again. Even God does not bring the dead back to life, but the king can at least find a way to bring a man back from exile. ₁₅Now, Your Majesty, the reason I have come to speak to you is that the people threatened me, and so I said to myself that I would speak to you in the hope that you would do what I ask. ₁₆I thought you would listen to me and save me from the one who is trying to kill my son and me and so remove us from the land God gave his people. ₁₇I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you!”

₁₈The king answered, “I'm going to ask you a question, and you must tell me the whole truth.”

“Ask me anything, Your Majesty,” she answered.

₁₉“Did Joab put you up to this?” he asked her.

She answered, “I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say. ₂₀But he did it in order to straighten out this whole matter. Your Majesty is as wise as the angel of God and knows everything that happens.”

₂₁Later on the king said to Joab, “I have decided to do what you want. Go and get the young man Absalom and bring him back here.”

₂₂Joab threw himself to the ground in front of David in respect, and said, “God bless you, Your Majesty! Now I know that you are pleased with me, because you have granted my request.” ₂₃Then he got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. ₂₄The king, however, gave orders that Absalom should not live in the palace. “I don't want to see him,” the king said. So Absalom lived in his own house and did not appear before the king.

₂₅There was no one in Israel as famous for his good looks as Absalom; he had no defect from head to foot. ₂₆His hair was very thick, and he had to cut it once a year, when it grew too long and heavy. It would weigh more than two kilogrammes according to the royal standard of weights. ₂₇Absalom had three sons and one daughter named Tamar, a very beautiful woman.

₂₈Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king. ₂₉Then he sent for Joab, to ask him to go to the king for him; but Joab would not come. Again Absalom sent for him, and again Joab refused to come. ₃₀So Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and it has barley growing in it. Go and set fire to it.” So they went and set the field on fire.

₃₁Joab went to Absalom's house and demanded, “Why did your servants set fire to my field?”

₃₂Absalom answered, “Because you wouldn't come when I sent for you. I wanted you to go to the king and ask him from me: ‘Why did I leave Geshur and come here? It would have been better for me to have stayed there.’ ” And Absalom went on, “I want you to arrange for me to see the king, and if I'm guilty, then let him put me to death.”

₃₃So Joab went to King David and told him what Absalom had said. The king sent for Absalom, who went to him and bowed down to the ground in front of him. The king welcomed him with a kiss.

₁After this, Absalom provided a chariot and horses for himself, and an escort of fifty men. ₂He would get up early and go and stand by the road at the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. And after the man had told him what tribe he was from, ₃Absalom would say, “Look, the law is on your side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your case.” ₄And he would add, “How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and I would give him justice.” ₅When the man approached Absalom to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him. ₆Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for justice, and so he won their loyalty.

₇After four years Absalom said to King David, “Sir, let me go to Hebron and keep a promise I made to the LORD. ₈While I was living in Geshur in Syria, I promised the LORD that if he would take me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.”

₉“Go in peace,” the king said. So Absalom went to Hebron. ₁₀But he sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, “When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout, ‘Absalom has become king at Hebron!’ ” ₁₁There were 200 men who at Absalom's invitation had gone from Jerusalem with him; they knew nothing of the plot and went in all good faith. ₁₂And while he was offering sacrifices, Absalom also sent to the town of Gilo for Ahithophel, who was one of King David's advisers. The plot against the king gained strength, and Absalom's followers grew in number.

₁₃A messenger reported to David, “The Israelites are pledging their loyalty to Absalom.”

₁₄So David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “We must get away at once if we want to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in the city!”

₁₅“Yes, Your Majesty,” they answered. “We are ready to do whatever you say.” ₁₆So the king left, accompanied by all his family and officials, except for ten concubines, whom he left behind to take care of the palace.

₁₇As the king and all his men were leaving the city, they stopped at the last house. ₁₈All his officials stood next to him as the royal bodyguard passed by in front of him. The 600 soldiers who had followed him from Gath also passed by, ₁₉and the king said to Ittai, their leader, “Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with the new king. You are a foreigner, a refugee away from your own country. ₂₀You have lived here only a short time, so why should I make you wander round with me? I don't even know where I'm going. Go back and take your fellow-countrymen with you — and may the LORD be kind and faithful to you.”

₂₁But Ittai answered, “Your Majesty, I swear to you in the LORD's name that I will always go with you wherever you go, even if it means death.”

₂₂“Fine!” David answered. “March on!” So Ittai went on with all his men and their dependants. ₂₃The people cried loudly as David's followers left. The king crossed the brook of Kidron, followed by his men, and together they went out towards the wilderness.

₂₄Zadok the priest was there, and with him were the Levites, carrying the sacred Covenant Box. They set it down and didn't pick it up again until all the people had left the city. The priest Abiathar was there too. ₂₅Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the Covenant Box back to the city. If the LORD is pleased with me, some day he will let me come back to see it and the place where it stays. ₂₆But if he isn't pleased with me — well, then, let him do to me what he wishes.” ₂₇And he went on to say to Zadok, “Look, take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan and go back to the city in peace. ₂₈Meanwhile, I will wait at the river crossings in the wilderness until I receive news from you.” ₂₉So Zadok and Abiathar took the Covenant Box back into Jerusalem and stayed there.

₃₀David went on up the Mount of Olives weeping; he was barefoot and had his head covered as a sign of grief. All who followed him covered their heads and wept also. ₃₁When David was told that Ahithophel had joined Absalom's rebellion, he prayed, “Please, LORD, turn Ahithophel's advice into nonsense!”

₃₂When David reached the top of the hill, where there was a place of worship, his trusted friend Hushai the Archite met him with his clothes torn and with earth on his head. ₃₃David said to him, “You will be of no help to me if you come with me, ₃₄but you can help me by returning to the city and telling Absalom that you will now serve him as faithfully as you served his father. And do all you can to oppose any advice that Ahithophel gives. ₃₅The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be there; tell them everything you hear in the king's palace. ₃₆They have their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan with them, and you can send them to me with all the information you gather.”

₃₇So Hushai, David's friend, returned to the city just as Absalom was arriving.