1   Ovr Lord therfore sent Nathan to Dauid: Who when he was come to him, he sayd vnto him: There were two men in one citie, one riche, and the other poore.

2   The rich man had sheepe, and oxen axceding manie.

3   But the poore man had nothing at al, beside one litle ewe, which he had bought and nourished, and which had growen in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking

Dauid. of his cuppe, and sleping in his bosome: and it was to him as a daughter.

4   And when a certayne stranger was come to the riche man, he sparing to take of his owne sheepe and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, which was come to him, tooke the poore mans ewe, and made meates therof for the man that was come to him.

5   And Dauid being excedingly wrath with indignation against that man, sayd to Nathan: Our Lord liueth, the man that hath done this is the childe of death.

6   He shal render the ewe fourefold, because he hath done this thing, and hath not spared.

7   And Nathan sayd to Dauid: Thou art that man. Thus sayth our Lord the God of Isaael: I annointed thee to be king ouer Israel, and I deliuered thee from the hand of Saul,

8   and gaue thee the house of thy lord, and the wiues of thy lord in thy bosome, and haue geuen thee the house of Isrtel and Iuda: and if these thinges be litle, I wil adde farre greater thinges vnto thee.

9   Why therefore hast thou contemned the word of the lord, that thou wouldest doe euil in my sight? Vrias the Hetheite thou hast smitten with the sword, & his wife thou hast taken to thy wife, and hast slayne him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

10   For which thing the sword shal not depart from thy house ^note for euer, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Vrias the Hetheite, to be thy wife.

11   Therfore thus sayth our Lord: Behold, I wil rayse vpon thee euil out of thine owne house, and wil take thy wiues before thine eies, and geue them to thy neighbour, and he shal slepe with thy wiues in the sight of this Sunne.

12   For thou hast done it secretly: but I wil doe this word in the sight of al Israel, and in the sight of the Sunne.

13   And Dauid sayd to Nathan: I haue sinned to our Lord. And Nathan sayd to Dauid: Our Lord also hath taken away thy sinne: thou shalt not die.

14   Neuertheles, because thou hast made the enemies of our Lord to blaspheme, for this thing, the sonne that is borne to thee, dying shal dye.

15   And Nathan returned into his house. Our Lord also stroke the child, which the wife of Vrias had borne to Dauid, and he was past hope.

16   And Dauid besought our Lord for the child: and Dauid fasted a fast, and going in aside, lay vpon the ground.

17   And the ancientes of his house came, being earnest with him, that he would rise from the ground: who would not, neither did he eate meate with them.

18   And it chanced the seuenth day

Dauid. that the infant died: and the seruantes of Dauid feared to tel him, that the child was dead. For they sayd: Behold when the child yet liued, we spake to him, and he heard not our voice: how much more if we shal say: The child is dead, wil he afflict him self?

19   When Dauid therfore sawe his seruantes muttering, he vnderstood that the infant was dead: and he sayd to his seruantes: Is the child dead? Who answered him: He is dead.

20   Dauid therfore rose from the ground; and was washed and annoynted: and when he had changed his garment, he entered into the house of our Lord: and adored, and came into his owne house, and he called for bread, and he did eate.

21   And his seruantes sayd vnto him: What thing is this, that thou hast done? for the infant, when he yet liued, thou didst fast and weepe: but the child being dead, thou didst rise vp, and hast eaten bread.

22   Who sayd: For the infant, whiles he yet liued, I fasted and wept: for I sayd: Who knoweth if perhaps our Lord wil geue him to me, and the infant may liue?

23   But now because he is dead, why do I fast? Shal I be able to cal him againe any more? I shal go to him rather: but he shal not returne to me.

24   And Dauid comforted Bethsabee his wife, and going in vnto her, slept with her: Who bare a sonne, and he called his name Salomon, and our Lord loued him.

25   And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophete, and called his name, Amiable to our Lord, because our Lord loued him.

26   Ioab therfore fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and wonne the kinges citie.

27   And Ioab sent messengers to Dauid, saying: I haue fought against Rabbath, and the Citie of waters is to be taken.

28   Now therfore gather the rest of the people, and besiege the citie, & take it: lest when the citie shal be wasted of me, the victorie be ascribed to my name.

29   Dauid therfore gathered al the people, and went forth against Rabbath: and when he had fought, he tooke it.

30   And he tooke the crowne of their king from his head in weight a talent of gold, hauing most pretious stones, and it was put vpon Dauids head. Yea & the praye of the citie he caryed away exceding much:

31   bringing forth also the people therof sawed them, and drewe round about ouer them chariotes shod with yron: and he diuided them with kniues, and drew them through in forme of brikes: so did he to al the cities of the children of Ammon: and Dauid returned, and al the armie into Ierusalem.

Dauid.

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