2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant, whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David, and the king said to him: Art thou Ziba? And he said: Thy servant is he. 3 And the king said: Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him? And Ziba said to the king: There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame 4 in his feet. And the king said to him: Where is he? And

Ziba said to the king: Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.

5 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house 6 of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David; and he fell on his face, and bowed himself. And David said: Mephibosheth! And he answered: Behold thy

7

servant!

And David said to him: Fear not. For I will surely show thee kindness for the sake of Jonathan thy father; and I will restore to thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt 8 eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said: What is thy servant, that thou lookest on the dead dog, such as I am?

9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him: All that belonged to Saul, and to all his house, I have 10 given to thy master's son. And till the ground for him, thou and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat; but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall always eat food at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons, and twenty servants. 11 And Ziba said to the king: According to all that my lord the king shall command his servant, so will thy servant do. And Mephibosheth [said the king], eats at my table, as one 12 of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a little son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba 13 were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

1

AND it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died; and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2 Then said David: I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants, for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of 3 Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord: Thinkest thou that David does honor to thy father, that he has sent comforters to thee? Is it not to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it, that 4 David has sent his servants to thee? And Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one-half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, to their hips, and 5 sent them away. They told it to David, and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said: Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown, and then return.

6

And the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves abhorred by David. And the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. 7 And David heard of it; and he sent Joab, and all the host, 8 the mighty men. And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate; and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and 9 Maacah, were by themselves in the field. And Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind. And he chose from all the choice men of Israel, and put them 10 in array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he gave into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put 11 them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said: If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt help me ; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I 12 will come to help thee. Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for our people, and for the cities of our God; and

13 Jehovah do that which is good in his sight. And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, to the battle against 14 the Syrians; and they fled before him. And the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians fled; and they fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. And Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

15

And the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel; 16 and they gathered themselves, all together. And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river. And they came to Helam, and Shobach the captain of the 17 host of Hadarezer before them. And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set them18 selves in array against David, and fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew of the Syrians seven hundred chariot-men and forty thousand horsemen; and he smote Shobach the captain of his host, 19 and he died there. And all the kings that were servants of Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel; and they made peace with Israel, and served them. And the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

1 AND it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they wasted [the land of] the children of Ammon, and laid siege to Rabbah. But David abode in Jerusalem.

2

And it came to pass at evening-time, that David arose from his couch, and walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and 3 the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And they said: Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah 4 the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. And she purified

V. 2. Evening-time. "The evening began at three o'clock in the afternoon. The midday siesta, which David had as usual been taking [ch. 4: 5], would probably be over about this time, when he arose from his couch." (Speaker's Commentary.)

herself from her uncleanness, and returned to her house.

5 And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said: I am with child.

6

And David sent word to Joab: Send me Uriah the Hittite. 7 And Joab sent Uriah to David. And Uriah came to him. And David inquired how Joab fared, and how the people 8 fared, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah : Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house; and there followed him a 9 mess of food from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, and went 10 not down to his house. And they told David, saying: Uriah went not down to his house. And David said to Uriah: Hast thou not come from a journey? For what reason didst 11 thou not go down to thy house? And Uriah said to David : The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; and shall I go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As thou livest, and as thy soul lives, I 12 will not do this thing. And David said to Uriah: Tarry here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee depart. So 13 Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. And David called him, and he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out, to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

14

And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a 15 letter to Joab; and he sent it by the hand of Uriah.

And

he wrote in the letter, saying: Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from behind him, that he 16 may be smitten, and die. And it came to pass, as Joab

watched the city, that he put Uriah in the place where he 17 knew that there were valiant men. And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab. And there fell some of the people, of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

V. 10. For what reason. Literally, what knowing; the natural suggestion of an accusing conscience.

18 And Joab sent and told David all the matters of the war. 19 And he charged the messenger, saying: When thou hast

made an end of telling all the matters of the war to the 20 king; and if it be that the king's wrath shall rise, and he shall say to thee: Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city, when ye fought? Knew ye not that they would shoot 21 from the wall? Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? Why went ye nigh the wall? Then say thou: Thy servant, Uriah the

22.

Hittite, is dead also.

So the messenger went.

And he came and told David all 23 that Joab sent him for. And the messenger said to David: The men were strong against us, and came out to us into the field; and we were upon them unto the entrance of the gate. 24. And the archers shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king's servants died, and thy servant, Uriah 25 the Hittite, is dead also. And David said to the messenger: Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing displease thee; for the sword devours one as well as another. Make thy battle strong against the city, and overthrow it; and do thou encourage him.

26

And the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was 27 dead; and she mourned for her husband. And when the mourning was past, David sent, and received her to his house. And she became his wife, and bore him a son. And the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of Jehovah.

1

AND Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: There were two men in one city; the 2 one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had very many 3 flocks and herds. And the poor man had nothing, save one

Ch. xi. 2-27. What a record of crime! But if any are disposed to think lightly of the moral teachings of the Old Testament, let them ponder well this story of human weakness and depravity, and the swift vengeance that fell on the wrong-doer, and followed him to the grave. Uriah fell by the sword, at David's bidding; and at God's bidding, the sword never departed from the house of David. Through God's abounding grace true penitence followed; and it found utterance as never before, or since. The evil David did recoiled upon himself; and God has made it a lesson for all after ages.