II Samuel 11

vayehi litshuvat hashanah le'et tset hammelakhim vayyishlakh david et-yo'av ve'et-avadayw immo ve'et-kol-yisra'el vayyashkhitu et-bene ammon vayyatsuru al-rabbah vedavid yoshev birushalai͏m

At the turn of the year, the season when kings go out [to battle], David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him, and they devastated Ammon and besieged Rabbah; David remained in Jerusalem.

vayehi le'et ha'erev vayyaqom david me'al mishkavo vayyithallekh al-gag bet-hammelekh vayyar isha rokhetset me'al haggag veha'isha tovat mareh me'od

Late one afternoon, David rose from his couch and strolled on the roof of the royal palace; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,

vayyishlakh david vayyidrosh la'isha vayyomer halo-zot bat-sheva bat-eli'am eshet uriyyah hakhitti

and David sent someone to make inquiries about the woman. He reported, “She is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam [and] wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

vayyishlakh david malakhim vayyiqqakheha vattavo elayw vayyishkav immah vehi mitqaddeshet mittumatah vattashov el-betah

David sent messengers to fetch her; she came to him and he lay with her—she had just purified herself after her period—and she went back home.

vattahar ha'isha vattishlakh vattagged ledavid vattomer harah anokhi

The woman conceived, and she sent word to David, “I am pregnant.”

vayyishlakh david el-yo'av shelakh elay et-uriyyah hakhitti vayyishlakh yo'av et-uriyyah el-david

Thereupon David sent a message to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me”; and Joab sent Uriah to David.

vayyavo uriyyah elayw vayyishal david lishlom yo'av velishlom ha'am velishlom hammilkhamah

When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab and the troops were faring and how the war was going.

vayyomer david le'uriyyah red levetekha urekhats raglekha vayyetse uriyyah mibbet hammelekh vattetse akharayw masat hammelekh

Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.” When Uriah left the royal palace, a present from the king followed him.

vayyishkav uriyyah petakh bet hammelekh et kol-avde adonayw velo yarad el-beto

But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace, along with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

vayyaggidu ledavid lemor lo-yarad uriyyah el-beto vayyomer david el-uriyyah halo midderekh attah va maddua lo-yaradta el-betekha

When David was told that Uriah had not gone down to his house, he said to Uriah, “You just came from a journey; why didn’t you go down to your house?”

vayyomer uriyyah el-david ha'aron veyisra'el vihudah yoshevim bassukkot vadoni yo'av ve'avde adoni al-pene hassadeh khonim va'ani avo el-beti le'ekhol velishtot velishkav im-ishti khayyekha vekhe nafshekha im-e'eseh et-haddavar hazzeh

Uriah answered David, “The Ark and Israel and Judah are located at Succoth, and my master Joab and Your Majesty’s men are camped in the open; how can I go home and eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As you live, by your very life, I will not do this!”

vayyomer david el-uriyyah shev bazeh gam-hayyom umakhar ashallekhekka vayyeshev uriyyah virushalai͏m bayyom hahu umimmokhorat

David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. The next day,

vayyiqra-lo david vayyokhal lefanayw vayyesht vayeshakkerehu vayyetse va'erev lishkav bemishkavo im-avde adonayw ve'el-beto lo yarad

David summoned him, and he ate and drank with him until he got him drunk; but in the evening, [Uriah] went out to sleep in the same place, with his lord’s officers; he did not go down to his home.

vayehi vabboqer vayyikhtov david sefer el-yo'av vayyishlakh beyad uriyyah

In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, which he sent with Uriah.

vayyikhtov bassefer lemor havu et-uriyyah el-mul pene hammilkhamah hakhazaqah veshavtem me'akharayw venikkah vamet

He wrote in the letter as follows: “Place Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest; then fall back so that he may be killed.”

vayehi bishmor yo'av el-ha'ir vayyitten et-uriyyah el-hammaqom asher yada ki anshe-khayil sham

So when Joab was besieging the city, he stationed Uriah at the point where he knew that there were able warriors.

vayyetse'u anshe ha'ir vayyillakhamu et-yo'av vayyippol min-ha'am me'avde david vayyamot gam uriyyah hakhitti

Men from the city sallied out and attacked Joab, and some of David’s officers among the troops fell; Uriah the Hittite was among those who died.

vayyishlakh yo'av vayyagged ledavid et-kol-divre hammilkhamah

Joab sent a full report of the battle to David.

vayetsav et-hammalakh lemor kekhallotekha et kol-divre hammilkhamah ledabber el-hammelekh

He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish reporting to the king all about the battle,

vehayah im-ta'aleh khamat hammelekh ve'amar lekha maddua niggashtem el-ha'ir lehillakhem halo yedatem et asher-yoru me'al hakhomah

the king may get angry and say to you, ‘Why did you come so close to the city to attack it? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?

mi-hikkah et-avimelekh ben-yerubbeshet halo-isha hishlikhah alayw pelakh rekhev me'al hakhomah vayyamot betevets lammah niggashtem el-hakhomah ve'amarta gam avdekha uriyyah hakhitti met

Who struck down Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall at Thebez, from which he died? Why did you come so close to the wall?’ Then say: ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite was among those killed.’”

vayyelekh hammalakh vayyavo vayyagged ledavid et kol-asher shelakho yo'av

The messenger set out; he came and told David all that Joab had sent him to say.

vayyomer hammalakh el-david ki-gaveru alenu ha'anashim vayyetse'u elenu hassadeh vannihyeh alehem ad-petakh hasha'ar

The messenger said to David, “First their men prevailed against us and sallied out against us into the open; then we drove them back up to the entrance to the gate.

vayyoru hammoriym el-avadekha me'al hakhomah vayyamutu me'avde hammelekh vegam avdekha uriyyah hakhitti met

But the archers shot at your men from the wall and some of Your Majesty’s men fell; your servant Uriah the Hittite also fell.”

vayyomer david el-hammalakh koh-tomar el-yo'av al-yera be'enekha et-haddavar hazzeh ki-khazoh vekhazeh tokhal hekharev hakhazeq milkhamtekha el-ha'ir vehorsah vekhazzeqehu

Whereupon David said to the messenger, “Give Joab this message: ‘Do not be distressed about the matter. The sword always takes its toll. Press your attack on the city and destroy it!’ Encourage him!”

vattishma eshet uriyyah ki-met uriyyah ishah vattispod al-balah

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she lamented over her husband.

vayya'avor ha'evel vayyishlakh david vayya'asfah el-beto vattehi-lo le'isha vatteled lo ben vayyera haddavar asher-asah david be'ene Adonai

After the period of mourning was over, David sent and had her brought into his palace; she became his wife and she bore him a son. But GOD was displeased with what David had done,