Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
The Message Bible MSG
1 And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth to war, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem.
1
When that time of year came around again, the anniversary of the Ammonite aggression, David dispatched Joab and his fighting men of Israel in full force to destroy the Ammonites for good. They laid siege to Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.
2 In the mean time it happened that David arose from his bed after noon, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: And he saw from the roof of his house a woman washing herself, over against him: and the woman was very beautiful.
2
One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful.
3 And the king sent, and inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite.
3
David sent to ask about her, and was told, "Isn't this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
4 And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in to him, and he slept with her: and presently she was purified from her uncleanness:
4
David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of "purification" following her period.) Then she returned home.
5 And she returned to her house having conceived. And she sent and told David, and said: I have conceived.
5
Before long she realized she was pregnant. Later she sent word to David: "I'm pregnant."
6 And David sent to Joab, saying: Send me Urias the Hethite. And Joab sent Urias to David.
6
David then got in touch with Joab: "Send Uriah the Hittite to me." Joab sent him.
7 And Urias came to David. And David asked how Joab did, and the people, and how the war was carried on.
7
When he arrived, David asked him for news from the front - how things were going with Joab and the troops and with the fighting.
8 And David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet. And Urias went out from the king’s house, and there went out after him a mess of meat from the king.
8
Then he said to Uriah, "Go home. Have a refreshing bath and a good night's rest."
9 But Urias slept before the gate of the king’s house, with the other servants of his lord, and went not down to his own house.
9
But Uriah didn't go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance, along with the king's servants.
10 And it was told David by some that said: Urias went not to his house. And David said to Urias: Didst thou not come from thy journey? why didst thou not go down to thy house?
10
David was told that Uriah had not gone home. He asked Uriah, "Didn't you just come off a hard trip? So why didn't you go home?"
11 And Urias said to David: The ark of God and Israel and Juda dwell in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide upon the face of the earth: and shall I go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to sleep with my wife? By thy welfare and by the welfare of thy soul I will not do this thing.
11
Uriah replied to David, "The Chest is out there with the fighting men of Israel and Judah - in tents. My master Joab and his servants are roughing it out in the fields. So, how can I go home and eat and drink and enjoy my wife? On your life, I'll not do it!"
12 Then David said to Urias: Tarry here to day, and to morrow I will send thee away. Urias tarried in Jerusalem that day and the next.
12
"All right," said David, "have it your way. Stay for the day and I'll send you back tomorrow." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem the rest of the day.
13 And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.
13
David invited him to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. But in the evening Uriah again went out and slept with his master's servants. He didn't go home.
14 And when the morning was come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,
14
In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
15 Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.
15
In the letter he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front lines where the fighting is the fiercest. Then pull back and leave him exposed so that he's sure to be killed."
16 Wherefore as Joab was besieging the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the bravest men were.
16
So Joab, holding the city under siege, put Uriah in a place where he knew there were fierce enemy fighters.
17 And the men coming out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Urias the Hethite was killed also.
17
When the city's defenders came out to fight Joab, some of David's soldiers were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.
18 Then Joab sent, and told David all things concerning the battle.
18
Joab sent David a full report on the battle.
19 And he charged the messenger, saying: When thou hast told all the words of the battle to the king,
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He instructed the messenger, "After you have given to the king a detailed report on the battle,
20 If thou see him to be angry, and he shall say: Why did you approach so near to the wall to fight? knew you not that many darts are thrown from above off the wall?
20
if he flares in anger,
21 Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerobaal? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall and slew him in Thebes? Why did you go near the wall? Thou shalt say: Thy servant Urias the Hethite is also slain.
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say, 'And by the way, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'"
22 So the messenger departed, and came and told David all that Joab had commanded him.
22
Joab's messenger arrived in Jerusalem and gave the king a full report.
23 And the messenger said to David: The men prevailed against us, and they came out to us into the field: and we vigorously charged and pursued them even to the gate of the city.
23
He said, "The enemy was too much for us. They advanced on us in the open field, and we pushed them back to the city gate.
24 And the archers shot their arrows at thy servants from off the wall above: and some of the king’s servants are slain, and thy servant Urias the Hethite is also dead.
24
But then arrows came hot and heavy on us from the city wall, and eighteen of the king's soldiers died."
25 And David said to the messenger: Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing discourage thee: for various is the event of war: and sometimes one, sometimes another is consumed by the sword: encourage thy warriors against the city, and exhort them that thou mayest overthrow it.
25
When the messenger completed his report of the battle, David got angry at Joab. He vented it on the messenger: "Why did you get so close to the city? Didn't you know you'd be attacked from the wall? Didn't you remember how Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth got killed? Wasn't it a woman who dropped a millstone on him from the wall and crushed him at Thebez? Why did you go close to the wall!" "By the way," said Joab's messenger, "your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead." Then David told the messenger, "Oh. I see. Tell Joab, 'Don't trouble yourself over this. War kills - sometimes one, sometimes another - you never know who's next. Redouble your assault on the city and destroy it.' Encourage Joab."
26 And the wife of Urias heard that Urias her husband was dead, and she mourned for him.
26
When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she grieved for her husband.
27 And the mourning being over, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore him a son: and this thing which David had done, was displeasing to the Lord.
27
When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. But God was not at all pleased with what David had done,
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Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.