While Joab was warring against the Ammonites, David one evening saw from
the roof of his house a woman bathing. She was Bathsheba, the wife of
Uriah. He sent for her and committed adultery with her, and sent a
letter to Joab that he should set Uriah where the battle was fiercest,
that he might fall by the hand of the Ammonites. Joab obeyed his lord,
and Uriah was killed. When David got Joab’s message about this he said:
The sword devoureth one as well as another. When the time of mourning
had passed for Bathsheba, he took her to wife. But the deed that David
had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
The Lord sent the prophet Nathan unto David, and he said: There were two
men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had
exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save one
little lamb, which did eat of his morsel and drink of his cup, and lay
in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler
unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own
herd, but took the poor man’s only lamb, and dressed it for the
wayfaring man. And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man and
he said: The man that did this is a son of death, and he shall restore
the lamb fourfold. Nathan answered: Thou art the man! Uriah hast thou
smitten with the sword of the Ammonites, and his wife hast thou taken to
be thy wife. David humbled himself before the Lord and said: O God,
create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Thou
delightest not in sacrifice, else would I give it; Thou hast no pleasure
in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken
and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. And the Lord forgave
him. But the son that Bathsheba bore him soon died; and much sorrow came
upon David in his old age. (2 Sam. 11-12.)