10
The officers told David, "Uriah did not go home." Then David said to Uriah, "You came from a long trip. Why didn't you go home?"
11
Uriah said to him, "The Ark and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn't right for me to go home to eat and drink and have sexual relations with my wife!"
12
David said to Uriah, "Stay here today. Tomorrow I'll send you back to the battle." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13
Then David called Uriah to come to see him, so Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah again slept with the king's officers.
14
The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah.
15
In the letter David wrote, "Put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is worst and leave him there alone. Let him be killed in battle."
16
Joab watched the city and saw where its strongest defenders were and put Uriah there.
17
When the men of the city came out to fight against Joab, some of David's men were killed. And Uriah the Hittite was one of them.
18
Then Joab sent David a complete account of the war.
19
Joab told the messenger, "Tell King David what happened in the war.
20
After you finish, the king may be angry and ask, 'Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the city wall?