2 Samuel 12

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Yahweh sent the prophet Nathan to David. He came to him and said: In the same town were two men,one rich, the other poor.	1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David: and when he was come to him, he said to him: There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance;	2 The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen.
3 the poor man had nothing but a ewe lamb, only a single little one which he had bought. He fostered itand it grew up with him and his children, eating his bread, drinking from his cup, sleeping in his arms; it was likea daughter to him.	3 But the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and which had grown up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in his bosom: and it was unto him as a daughter.
4 When a traveller came to stay, the rich man would not take anything from his own flock or herd toprovide for the wayfarer who had come to him. Instead, he stole the poor man's lamb and prepared that for hisguest.	4 And when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, who was come to him, but took the poor man's ewe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 David flew into a great rage with the man. 'As Yahweh lives,' he said to Nathan 'the man who did thisdeserves to die.	5 And David's anger being exceedingly kindled against that man, he said to Nathan: As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is a child of death.
6 For doing such a thing and for having shown no pity, he shal make fourfold restitution for the lamb.'	6 He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity.
7 Nathan then said to David, 'You are the man! Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "I anointed you king ofIsrael, I saved you from Saul's clutches,	7 And Nathan said to David: Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul,
8 I gave you your master's household and your master's wives into your arms, I gave you the House ofIsrael and the House of Judah; and, if this is stil too little, I shal give you other things as wel .	8 And gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Juda: and if these things be little, I shall add far greater things unto thee.
9 Why did you show contempt for Yahweh, by doing what displeases him? You put Uriah the Hittite tothe sword, you took his wife to be your wife, causing his death by the sword of the Ammonites.	9 Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hethite 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 For this, your household wil never be free of the sword, since you showed contempt for me and tookthe wife of Uriah the Hittite, to make her your wife."	10 Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hethite to be thy wife.
11 'Yahweh says this, "Out of your own household I shal raise misfortune for you. Before your very eyesI shal take your wives and give them to your neighbour, who wil lie with your wives in broad daylight.	11 Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes I and give them to thy neighhour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 You have worked in secret, but I shall work this for al Israel to see, in broad daylight." '	12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun.
13 David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against Yahweh.' Nathan then said to David, 'Yahweh, for hispart, forgives your sin; you are not to die.	13 And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die.
14 But, since you have outraged Yahweh by doing this, the child born to you wil die.'	14 Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing, the child that is born to thee, shall surely die.
15 And Nathan went home. Yahweh struck the child which Uriah's wife had borne to David and it felgravely il .	15 And Nathan returned to his house. The Lord also struck the child which the wife of Urias had borne to David, and his life was despaired of.
16 David pleaded with Yahweh for the child; he kept a strict fast and went home and spent the nightlying on the ground, covered with sacking.	16 And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground.
17 The officials of his household stood round him, intending to get him off the ground, but he refused,nor would he take food with them.	17 And the ancients of his house came, to make him rise from the ground: but he would not, neither did he eat meat with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David's retinue were afraid to tel him that the child was dead.'Even when the child was alive', they thought, 'we reasoned with him and he would not listen to us. How can wetel him that the child is dead? He wil do something desperate.'	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 when the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice: how much more will he afflict himself if we tell him that the child is dead?
19 David, however, noticed that his retinue were whispering among themselves, and realised that thechild was dead. 'Is the child dead?' he asked the officers. They replied, 'He is dead.'	19 But when David saw his servants whispering, he understood that the child was dead: and he said to his servants: Is the child dead? They answered him: He is dead.
20 David got off the ground, bathed and anointed himself and put on fresh clothes. Then he went intoYahweh's sanctuary and prostrated himself. On returning to his house, he asked to be served with food and ateit.	20 Then David arose from the ground, and washed and anointed himself: and when he had changed his apparel, he went into the house of the Lord: and worshipped, and then he came into his own house, and he called for bread, and ate.
21 His retinue said, 'Why are you acting like this? When the child was alive, you fasted and wept; nowthat the child is dead, you get up and take food!'	21 And his servants said to 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 up, and eat bread.
22 'When the child was alive', he replied, 'I fasted and wept because I kept thinking, "Who knows?Perhaps Yahweh wil take pity on me and the child wil live."	22 And he said: While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept for him: for I said: Who knoweth whether the Lord may not give him to me, and the child may live?
23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shal go to him but hecannot come back to me.'	23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Shall I be able to bring him back any more? I shall go to him rather: but he shall not return to me.
24 David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. She conceived and gave birthto a son, whom she called Solomon. Yahweh loved him	24 And David comforted Bethsabee his wife, and went in unto her, and slept with her: I and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved him.
25 and made this known by means of the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah, as Yahweh hadinstructed.	25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name, Amiable to the Lord, because the Lord loved him.
26 Joab assaulted Rabbah-of-the-Ammonites and captured the royal town.	26 And Joab fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and laid close siege to the royal city.
27 He then sent messengers to tel David, 'I have assaulted Rabbah and captured the water supply.	27 And Joab sent messengers to David, saying: I have fought against Rabbath, and the city of waters is about to be taken.
28 So now muster the rest of the army, lay siege to the town and take it, or I wil take it and the town wilbe cal ed after me!'	28 Now therefore gather thou the rest of the people together, and besiege the city and take it: lest when the city shall be wasted by me, the victory be ascribed to my name.
29 So David mustered the whole army and marched on Rabbah; he assaulted the town and captured it.	29 Then David gathered all the people together, and went out against Rabbath: and after fighting, he took it.
30 He took the crown off Milcom's head; it weighed one talent of gold, and in it was set a precious stonewhich went on David's head instead. He carried off great quantities of booty from the town.'	30 And he took the crown of their king from his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold, set with most precious stones, and it was put upon David's head, and the spoils of the city which were very great he carried away.
31 And he expel ed its inhabitants, setting them to work with saws, iron picks and iron axes, employingthem at brickmaking. He treated all the Ammonite towns in the same way. David and the whole army returned toJerusalem.	31 And bringing forth the people thereof he sawed them, and drove over them chariots armed with iron: and divided them with knives, and made them pass through brickkilns: so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon: and David returned, with all the army to Jerusalem.