¹At the return of the year , at the time when kings go out , David sent Joab and his servants with him , and all Israel ; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah . But David stayed at Jerusalem .

²At evening , David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king ’s house . From the roof , he saw a woman bathing , and the woman was very beautiful to look at .

³David sent and enquired after the woman . One said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba , the daughter of Eliam, Uriah the Hittite ’s wife?”

⁴David sent messengers , and took her ; and she came in to him , and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness ); and she returned to her house .

⁵The woman conceived ; and she sent and told David , and said, “I am with child .”

⁶David sent to Joab , “Send me Uriah the Hittite .” Joab sent Uriah to David .

⁷When Uriah had come to him , David asked him how Joab did , and how the people fared, and how the war prospered .

⁸David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet .” Uriah departed out of the king ’s house , and a gift from the king was sent after him .

⁹But Uriah slept at the door of the king ’s house with all the servants of his lord, and didn’t go down to his house .

¹⁰When they had told David , saying, “Uriah didn’t go down to his house ,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey ? Why didn’t you go down to your house ?”

¹¹Uriah said to David , “The ark, Israel , and Judah , are staying in tents ; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open field . Shall I then go into my house to eat and to drink , and to lie with my wife ? As you live , and as your soul lives , I will not do this thing !”

¹²David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also , and tomorrow I will let you depart .” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day .

¹³When David had called him , he ate and drank before him ; and he made him drunk . At evening , he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn’t go down to his house .

¹⁴In the morning , David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

¹⁵He wrote in the letter , saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle , and retreat from him , that he may be struck and die .”

¹⁶When Joab kept watch on the city , he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were .

¹⁷The men of the city went out and fought with Joab . Some of the people fell , even of David ’s servants ; and Uriah the Hittite died also .

¹⁸Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war ;

¹⁹and he commanded the messenger , saying , “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king ,

²⁰it shall be that , if the king ’s wrath arise , and he asks you , ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight ? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall ?

²¹Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth ? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall , so that he died at Thebez ? Why did you go so near the wall ?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead .’”

²²So the messenger went , and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for .

²³The messenger said to David , “The men prevailed against us , and came out to us into the field ; and we were on them even to the entrance of the gate .

²⁴The shooters shot at your servants from off the wall ; and some of the king ’s servants are dead , and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead .”

²⁵Then David said to the messenger , “Tell Joab , ‘Don’t let this thing displease you , for the sword devours one as well as another . Make your battle stronger against the city , and overthrow it .’ Encourage him .”

²⁶When Uriah’s wife heard that Uriah her husband was dead , she mourned for her husband .

²⁷When the mourning was past , David sent and took her home to his house , and she became his wife and bore him a son . But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD .