Uriah in the front line where there is the fiercest fighting, then retreat from behind him, that he may be struck down and die.' So Joab, in posting guards over the city, assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were brave men. And the men of the city made a sortie and fought against Joab, and some of the soldiers of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite was killed. Then Joab sent to tell David all the facts concerning the war, and he gave this charge to the messenger: 'If, after you have finished telling the ruler all the facts about the war, his wrath is aroused and he says to you, "Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?" then say, "Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

So the messenger of Joab went to Jerusalem and told David all that Joab commanded him. Then David said to the messenger, 'Say to Joab, "Let not this thing distress you, for the sword takes one and then another; continue your attack upon the city and capture it," and encourage him.'

When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made the usual lamentation for him. But when the mourning was over, David sent and took her into his palace, and she became his wife and bore him a son.

96. NATHAN'S CONDEMNATION OF DAVID'S CRIMES

What David had done displeased sent the prophet Nathan to David. him and said, "There were two men

Jehovah, and he Nathan went to in one city, the

one rich and the other poor. The rich man had many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he had bought. He fed it and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his own scanty supply of food and drink out of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveller came to the rich man; and he spared his own flock and did not take from it nor from his own herd to make preparations for the traveller who had come to him, but took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the guest who had come.'

Then David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As surely as Jehovah lives, the man who has done this is worthy of death, and he shall restore seven times the value of the lamb, because he showed no pity.'

Nathan said to David, 'You are the man! Jehovah the God of Israel declares: "I anointed you ruler over Israel and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul, and I gave you your master's house and your master's wives to be your own, and I gave you the nations of Israel and Judah, and if that were too little, I would add as much again. Why have you despised Jehovah by doing that which is wrong in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”

Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against Jehovah!' And Nathan said to David, 'Jehovah has also averted the consequences of your sin so that you shall not die. Yet, because by this deed you have

scorned Jehovah, the child that is born to you shall surely die.' Then Nathan went to his house.

And Jehovah afflicted the child which Uriah's wife bore to David, so that it fell sick. Then David entreated God for the child, and fasted strictly and went in and lay all night in sackcloth upon the earth. And the elders of his house stood over him to raise him up from the earth; but he would not rise nor eat with them. When on the seventh day the child died, the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, 'While the child was yet alive, we spoke to him and he paid no heed to our voice; how can we tell him that the child is dead, for he will do some harm!'

But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead, and said to his servants, 'Is the child dead?' They replied, 'He is dead.' Then David rose from the earth, washed and anointed himself, changed his garments, and he went into the temple of Jehovah and worshipped. After that he went to his own house; and he asked for bread and they set it before him, and he ate.

His servants said to him, 'What is this you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive, but when the child died, you rose and ate bread.' He replied, 'While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, "Who knows whether Jehovah will have mercy, so that the child will live?” But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back? I am going to him, but he will not come back to me.'

Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and she bore a son whom he named Solomon; and Jehovah loved him.

97. ABSALOM'S REBELLION

Some time later David's son Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and fifty men to run before him. He used to rise early and stand beside the highway which led to the city gate; and every man who had a suit that was to come before the ruler for judgment he would call to himself and say, 'Of what city are you?' When he replied, 'Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,' Absalom would say to him, 'Your claims are good and right; but there is no one authorized by the ruler to hear you. Oh that some one would make me judge in the land, so that every man who has any suit or cause would come to me, and I would see that he received justice!' And whenever a man came near to do obeisance, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. In this way Absalom treated all the Israelites who came to David for justice. So Absalom stole the hearts of the Israelites.

At the end of four years, Absalom said to his father, 'I should like to go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to Jehovah in Hebron.' David said to him, 'Go in peace.' So he set out and went to Hebron. But Absalom sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, 'As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, cry, "Absalom has become ruler in Hebron." With Absalom there went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were invited and went in their innocence, knowing nothing at all of what was intended. Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from the city of Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people with Absalom kept increasing.

When a messenger came to David, saying, "The

loyalty of the men of Israel has been transferred to Absalom,' David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, 'Up, let us flee; for otherwise there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Make haste to set out, for fear that he quickly overtake us and bring calamity upon us and massacre the inhabitants of the city.' Then David's servants said to him, 'It shall be done as our lord chooses; we are your servants.'

So David and all the people who followed him went out and stood at the last house, while all the officers and the royal body-guard and all the men of Ittai the Gittite, the six hundred who had followed him from Gath, passed in review before him.

Then David said to Ittai the Gittite, 'Why do you wish to go with us? Return and stay with the new ruler, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own land. Yesterday you came, and to-day shall I make you wander with us, while I go where I may? Return and take your fellow countrymen back with you, and may Jehovah show you kindness and faithfulness.' But Ittai answered, 'As surely as Jehovah lives and as my lord the ruler of Israel lives, wherever my lord is, whether dead or living, there your servant will be!' Then David said to Ittai, "March on.' So Ittai, the Gittite, marched on with all his men and with all the children who were with him.

All the people were weeping aloud while David stood in the Kidron valley, and the people went by before him on the way to the wilderness. And Zadok and Abiathar came bearing the ark of Jehovah and set it down until all the people had passed. Then David said to Zadok, 'Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I win Jehovah's favor, he will bring me back and show me both it and his dwelling. But if he de