And the shooters shot from the walls, and some of the servants of the king be dead. And thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

Then said David unto the messenger, "Thus wise say unto Joab, 'Let not that thing trouble thee. For the sword devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city and destroy it, and see that thou courage, Joab."

And when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. And as soon as the mourning was ended, David sent and fetched her to his house,

and she was his wife and bare him a son. But the deed that David had committed displeased the LORD.

And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, "There were two men in one city, a rich and a poor.

And the rich had exceeding great abundance of sheep and oxen.

But the poor had nothing, save one little lamb which he bought and nourished up. And it grew up with him and his children, and did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup, and slept in his bosom, and was as dear unto him as his daughter.

And there came a stranger unto the rich man. And he could not find in his heart to take of his own sheep nor of his beasts to dress for the stranger that was come unto him. But took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him."

And David was exceeding wroth with the man, and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD liveth, the fellow that hath done this thing is the child of death

and shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."

Then Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man. Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel, 'I anointed thee king over Israel and rid thee out of the hands of Saul.

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 would, if that had been too little, have given thee twice so much more.

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do wickedness in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his wife to thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, to be thy wife.'

Thus sayeth the LORD, 'Behold, I will stir up evil against thee even of thine own house and will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, which shall sleep with them in the sight of the sun.

And thou didst it secretly, yet will I do this thing before all Israel and in the open sunlight.'"

Then said David unto Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said again to David, "The LORD hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child, that Uriah's wife bare David, and it sickened.

And David besought God for the boy and fasted and went and lay all night upon the earth.

And the elders of his house arose and went to him to take him up from the earth. But he would not, neither yet eat meat with them.

And it happened the seventh day that the child died. But the servants of David durst not tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "See, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice. How much more then will he vex himself if we tell him that the child is dead?"

But David saw his servants whispering and thereby perceived that the child was dead, and said unto his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "Yea."

Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel, and went into the house of the LORD and prayed; and after came to his own house and bade that they should set meat before him, and he did eat.

Then said his servants unto him, "What is this that thou hast done? Thou did fast and weep for thy child while it was alive, and as soon as it was dead thou didst rise up and didst eat meat."

And he answered, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept. For I this thought, 'Who can tell whether God will have mercy on me that the child may live?'

And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her and lay with her, and she bare a son whose name was called Solomon, and the LORD loved him.

And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jedidiah, of the LORD's behalf.

And as Joab fought against Rabbah, the city of the children of Ammon, he took the king's Tower,

and sent messengers to David, saying, "I have made assault to Rabbah, and also have taken the castle from whence they had their water.

Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and come and besiege the city and take it: lest if I take it, the victory be ascribed to me."

And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah and assaulted it and gat it.

And he took the king's crown from off his head, which weighed a hundred weight of gold, and was set with precious stones. And David wore it on his head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in exceeding great abundance.

And he brought out the people that was therein and sawed them and drew harrows of iron upon them, and shred some of them with shredding knives of iron, and thrust some into furnaces. And so he served all the cities of the children of Ammon. And then David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

And it chanced that Absalom, David's son, had a fair sister named Tamar, whom afterward Amnon, another son of David, loved.

And this Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick for the love of his sister Tamar: for he thought it hard to come by his purpose of her, seeing she was yet a virgin.

And he said unto him, "How cometh it that thou, being the king's son, art thus consumed every morning? Mayest thou not tell it me?" And Amnon answered him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

Then said Jonadab unto him, "Lie on thy bed and feign thyself sick. And when thy father is come to see thee, say unto him, 'Let my sister Tamar come and give me meat and dress it in my sight, that I may see it and eat it of her hand."

And Amnon lay down and made himself sick. And when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto him, "Let Tamar my sister come and make me a couple of fritters in my sight, that I may eat of her hand."

And David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Go to thy brother Amnon's house and dress him meat.

When Tamar came to her brother Amnon's house, he lay. And she took flour and made paste and made fritters in his sight and did bake them,

and took a platter and poured them out before him. And Amnon would not eat, but commanded to have out all men from him. And they went all out from him.

Then said Amnon unto Tamar, "Bring the meat into the chamber that I may eat it of thine hand." And Tamar took the fritters which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother,

and set them before him to eat. And he took her and said unto her, "Come, lie with me my sister."

And she answered him, "Nay, my brother, do not force me, for it ought not to be so in Israel. Do not this folly.

For whither shall I go with my shame? And thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. But speak unto the king, and he shall not deny me unto thee."

Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice but was too strong for her and forced her and lay with her.

And then Amnon hated her exceedingly: so that the hate wherewith he hated her was greater than the love with which he before loved her. And he said unto her, "Up, and away."

Then she said unto him, "This great cruelness, that thou puttest me away, passeth the other that thou didst unto me." Nevertheless he would not hear her,

but called his lad that waited upon him, and said, "Put her out at the doors from me and bolt the door after her."

And she had a kirtle of divers colors upon her: for with such were the king's daughters that were virgins appareled; made strait unto them. Then his servant brought her out at the doors and locked the doors after her.

And Tamar put ashes on her head and rent her gay kirtle that was on her and put her hand on her head and so went, and as she went cried.

Then Absalom her brother said unto her, "Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? Now then, be still my sister: for he is thy brother. And let not this thing grieve thine heart." And so Tamar remained discomforted in her brother Absalom's house.

And king David heard of all these things and was very wroth.

And Absalom said unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. Howbeit, Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.

And it happened, two year after, that Absalom had a sheep shearing in Baal Hazor besides the tribe of Ephraim, and bade all the king's sons.

And he came to the king and said, "Behold, thy servant hath a sheep shearing. Let the king and his servants come with thy servant."

And the king said unto Absalom, "Oh nay my son let us not go every one of us that we be not chargeable unto thee." And Absalom lay sore upon him: howbeit, he would not go, but blessed him.

Then said Absalom, "Then let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king answered, "What needeth it that he go with thee?"

But Absalom made such insistence that he let Amnon go with him, and all the king's children.

Then Absalom commanded his young men, saying, "Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I bid you smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not, for it is I that bid you. Be bold therefore and play the lusty bloods."

And the young men of Absalom served Amnon even as Absalom commanded them. And all the king's sons arose and took each man his mule and fled.

And while they were yet in the way, tidings came to David that Absalom had slain all the king's sons, so that none was left alive.

Then the king arose and tare his garments and lay along on the earth: and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah David's brother answered and said, "Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king's sons: save Amnon only is dead. For that hath been ever in Absalom's mouth since he forced his sister Tamar.

But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked about. And behold, there came much people by a way that was behind his back along by a hill's side.

Then said Jonadab unto the king, "Behold, the king's sons are come; and as thy servant said, so it is."

And as soon as he had left speaking: behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voices and wept. And thereto the king and all his servants wept exceedingly.

But Absalom escaped and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud king of Geshur. And the king mourned for his son continually.

And so Absalom escaped and went to Geshur, and was there three years.

And by that time, the king turned his mind from pursuing Absalom. For he had left mourning for the death of Amnon.

he sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, "Feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel. And anoint not thyself with oil. But be as a woman that had long time mourned for the death of somebody.

And go to the king and speak of thus manner unto him." And so Joab taught her what she should say.

And when the wife of Tekoa was come to speak with the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said, "Help me, O king."

And the king said unto her, "What aileth thee?" And she answered, "I am a widow, and mine husband is dead.

And thy handmaid had two sons which fought together in the fields where was no man to go between them, and the one slew the other.

And behold, the whole kindred arose against thy handmaid and said, 'Deliver us him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the soul of his brother whom he slew: for he will destroy the heir also.' And so they shall quench my sparkle which is left that he shall stir up neither name or issue upon the earth unto my husband."

And the king said unto the wife, "Go home to thine house, and I will give a charge for thee."

And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, "My lord king, the trespass be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his seat be guiltless."

And then said the king, "If any man say ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall no more trouble thee."

Then said she, "Let the king remember his LORD God, that the next of the blood gather not on heaps together to destroy, and that they slay not my son." And he said, "As sure as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son's head fall to the earth."

Then the woman said, "Let thine handmaid speak one word more unto my lord the king." And he said, "Say on."

And the woman said, "Wherefore then hast thou determined on this same manner against the people of God? - That the king should speak this thing and be faulty therein, so that the king should not fetch home again his banished.

For we must needs die, and perish as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again: and God will not take away the life, but find the means that the banished be not utterly expelled from him.

And now, concerning that, I am come to speak of this thing unto the king my lord in the presence of the people. Thy handmaid thought, 'Surely I will speak unto the king; peradventure the king will hear the request of his handmaid.

And the king shall hear his handmaid and deliver her out of the hand of the man that would have destroyed me and my son also out of the inheritance of God.'

Then thine handmaid said, 'I pray God that the word of my lord the king may be immutable. For my lord the king is as an angel of God, in hearing of good or bad.' And therefore the LORD thy God be with thee."

Then the king answered and said unto the woman, "Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king say on."

Then said the king, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this matter?" And the woman answered, and said, "As sure as thy soul liveth, my lord king, it is neither on the righthand nor on the left that my lord the king hath spoken. For thy servant Joab he bade me, and he put all these words even in the mouth of thine handmaid.

And the turning of my tale another way, that made thy servant Joab. And so I see that my lord is wise, even as an angel of God, to understand all things that are in the earth."

And Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself and blessed the king and said, "Now thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in the sight of my lord the king in that he hath fulfilled the request of his servant."

And so Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

Then said the king, "Let him turn to his own house, but see that he come not in my presence." And so Absalom went to his own house, but came not in the king's presence.

And when he shaved his head - for at every years' end he shaved it because it was heavy on him, and therefore he shaved it - the hair thereof weighed two hundred sicles weight of the king's weight.

And this Absalom had three sons born him and one daughter named Tamar, which was a fair woman to look upon.

When Absalom had dwelt two years in Jerusalem without coming into the king's presence he sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king.

But he would not come to him. And he sent again, and for all that he would not come.

Then he said unto his servants, "Behold, Joab hath a parcel of land fast by mine, and hath barley therein. Go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants went and set it on fire.

Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said unto him, "Wherefore have thy servants burned my field with fire?"

And Absalom said to Joab, "Behold, I sent for thee desiring thee to come; because I would have sent thee to the king, for to say wherefore I am come from Geshur. It had been as good for me to have bidden there still. Now therefore let me come to the king's presence, or else if there be any trespass in me, kill me."

And Joab went to the king and told him. And he sent for Absalom; which, when he was come, fell to the ground on his face before the king. And the king kissed him.