Nathan's Parable for David

The text below comes from the "King James Version" of the Bible ([1611]).  Readers interested in comparing other versions may consult The Bible Unbound, a useful site indeed.

In order to understand Nathan's famous story, we need to be familiar with the context in which he tells it.  Accordingly, we read the passage 2 Samuel 11-12:25.  Nathan's story proper (2 Samuel 1-4) has been put in blue font.


David (??-c.962 BCE) is the second king of Israel.  Nathan is a Jewish prophet.  Uriah is a soldier serving in David's armies.  (He is not Jewish, but a Hittite, from Asia Minor [today's Turkey].  So he is also known in literature as Uriah the Hittite.)  Bashsheba, Uriah's wife, will become the mother of King Solomon.


[Book 1 of the Second Book of Samuel begins:]

1]    And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Jo'ab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.  [Cf. 1 Chr. 20.1.]

2 ¶]   And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3]    And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath–she'ba, the daughter of Eli'am, the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite?
4]    And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
5]    And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 ¶]  And David sent to Jo'ab, saying, Send me Uri'ah the Hittite. And Jo'ab sent Uri'ah to David.
7]    And when Uri'ah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Jo'ab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
8]    And David said to Uri'ah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uri'ah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
9]    But Uri'ah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
10]    And when they had told David, saying, Uri'ah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uri'ah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house?
11]    And Uri'ah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Jo'ab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
12]    And David said to Uri'ah, Tarry here today also, and tomorrow I will let thee depart. So Uri'ah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
13]    And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

14 ¶]   And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Jo'ab, and sent it by the hand of Uri'ah.
15]    And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uri'ah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16]    And it came to pass, when Jo'ab observed the city, that he assigned Uri'ah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were.
17]    And the men of the city went out, and fought with Jo'ab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uri'ah the Hittite died also.
18]    Then Jo'ab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;
19]    and charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
20]    and if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
21]    Who smote Abim'elech the son of Jerub'besheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? [Cf. Judg. 9.53] why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uri'ah the Hittite is dead also.

22 ¶]   So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Jo'ab had sent him for.
23]    And the messenger said unto David, Surely 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.
24]    And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants be dead, and thy servant Uri'ah the Hittite is dead also.
25]    Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Jo'ab, 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.

26 ¶]   And when the wife of Uri'ah heard that Uri'ah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27]    And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. 

[Book 12 begins.]

1]   And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. [Cf. Ps. 51.1--0.1.]  And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2]    The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3]    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 meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4]    And there came a traveler 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.
5]    And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6]    and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

7 ¶]  And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
8]   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 moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
9]   Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uri'ah 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.
10]   Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11]   Thus saith the LORD, 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.
12]   For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 2 Sam. 16.22
13]   And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, the LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14]    Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
15]    And Nathan departed unto his house.

¶ And the LORD struck the child that Ur i'ah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
16]   David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
17]   And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
18]   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 would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
19]    But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20]    Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21]    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.
22]    And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23]    But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

24]    ¶ And David comforted Bath–she'ba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
25]    And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidi'ah, 5 because of the LORD.



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