hen Joab kept watch upon the city, that he
assigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were. And
the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell
some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the {431}
Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things
concerning the war; and he charged the messenger, saying, "When thou
hast made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the
king, it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto
thee, 'Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not
that they would shoot from the wall? why went ye so near the wall?'
then shalt thou say, 'Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had
sent him for. And the messenger said to David, "The men prevailed
against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them
even unto the entering of the gate. And the archers shot at thy
servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead,
and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

Then David said to the messenger, "Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, 'Let
not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as
another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow
it': and encourage thou him."

And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
made lamentation for her husband. And when the mourning was past,
David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife,
and a child was born to them. But the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord.

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came {432} to him, and said
to 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 of food, and drank of his own cup, and
lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a
traveler to 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 to 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 the Lord liveth, the man that