American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.
Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
{Greek: Be it not so: and so elsewhere.}God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, {Psalm 51:4}That thou mightest be justified in thy words,And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
I have set Jehovah always before me:Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds;
but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this is {Hebrew: a son of death.}worthy to die:
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
and I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things.
Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said unto David, Jehovah also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
And Nathan departed unto his house.And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: {Or, how then shall we tell him that the child is dead, so that he do himself some harm?}how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead!
But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of Jehovah, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.
And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and {Another reading is, she called.}he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him;
and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name {That is, Beloved of Jehovah.}Jedidiah, for Jehovah's sake.
Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah; yea, I have taken the city of waters.
Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and {Hebrew: my name be called upon it.}it be called after my name.
And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
And he took the crown of {Or, Malcam See Zephaniah 1:5}their king from off his head; and the weight thereof was a talent of gold, and in it were precious stones; and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much.
And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them {Or, to}under saws, and {Or, to}under harrows of iron, and {Or, to}under axes of iron, and {Or, with a slight change in the Hebrew text, made them labor at}made them pass through the {Or, brick-mould}brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame of his feet.
And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.
Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold, thy servant!
And David said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the {Hebrew: field.}land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
And he did obeisance, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given unto thy master's son.
And thou shalt till the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shall thy servant do. {Or, But Mephibosheth eateth &c.}As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.