At the turn of the year, at the time when the kings go out, David sent Yo’ab and his servants with him, and all Yisra’el, and they devastated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, while David was staying in Yerushalaim.
During evening time David got up from his bed and walked about on the roof of the king’s house, and from on the roof saw a woman bathing. The woman was very good-looking. David sent and enquired about the woman. They said, ‘She’s Bat-sheba bat Eli’am, the wife of Uriyyah the Hittite, isn’t she?’
David sent envoys, got her, and she came to him. He slept with her, while she was making herself sacred from her taboo, and she went back to her house. The woman got pregnant, and she sent and told David, ‘I’m pregnant.’
David sent to Yo’ab, ‘Send Uriyyah the Hittite to me.’ Yo’ab sent Uriyyah to David. So Uriyyah came to him, and David asked him about how well things were with Yo’ab and how well things were with the company and how well things were with the battle.
Then David said to Uriyyah, ‘Go down to your house and bathe your feet.’ Uriyyah went out from the king’s house, and a present from the king followed him. But Uriyyah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all his lord’s servants. He didn’t go down to his house. They told David, ‘Uriyyah didn’t go down to his house.’
David said to Uriyyah, ‘Didn’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?’ Uriyyah said to David, ‘The chest and Yisra’el and Yehudah are staying at Sukkot, and my lord Yo’ab and my lord’s servants are camped on the face of the fields, and should I myself come to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? By your life, by your very life, if I were to do this thing . . .’ David said to Uriyyah, ‘Stay here today, too, and tomorrow I’ll send you off.’ So Uriyyah stayed in Yerushalaim that day.
Next day David called for him, he ate before him and drank, and he got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to lie in his bed with his lord’s servants. He didn’t go down to his house. So in the morning David wrote a letter to Yo’ab and sent it by the hand of Uriyyah. He wrote in the letter, ‘Place Uriyyah near the front of the fiercest battle, and pull back from after him so he may be struck down and die.’
So when Yo’ab was keeping watch on the town, he put Uriyyah in the place where he knew that there were forceful men. The men of the town came out and battled against Yo’ab, and of the company some of David’s servants fell. Uriyyah the Hittite also died.
Yo’ab sent and told David all the things about the battle. He ordered the envoy: ‘When you finish speaking all the things about the battle to the king, if the king’s temper rises and he says to you, “Why did you go up to the town to battle? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from on the wall? Who struck down Abimelek ben Y erubbeshet? Wasn’t it a woman who threw down an upper millstone on him from on the wall and he died at Tebets? Why did you go up to the wall?” then you are to say, “Your servant Uriyyah the Hittite also died.”’
The envoy went, and came and told David all that Yo’ab had sent him with. The envoy said to David, ‘The men prevailed against us and came out against us into the fields. Then we were against them as far as the entrance of the gateway. But the archers shot at your servants from on the wall and some of the king’s servants died; and your servant Uriyyah the Hittite also died.’ David said to the envoy, ‘Say this to Yo’ab: “This thing is not to be bad in your eyes, because the sword devours one way and another way. Make your battle stronger against the town and tear it down.” Strengthen him.’
But the thing David had done was bad in Yahweh’s eyes.
Goldingay, John The Bible for Everyone . SPCK. Kindle Edition.
Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.
Thomas More (c.1478-1535)