2 Samuel 12:16

Bible in Basic English

So David made prayer to God for the child; and he took no food day after day, and went in and, stretching himself out on the earth, was there all night.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted, went home, and spent the night lying on the ground.

Hebrew Names Version
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the eretz.

King James Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

Lexham English Bible
David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy and David fasted. He went to spend the night and lay upon the ground.

English Standard Version
David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

New Century Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.

New English Translation
Then David prayed to God for the child and fasted. He would even go and spend the night lying on the ground.

Amplified Bible
David therefore appealed to God for the child [to be healed]; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

New American Standard Bible
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.

Legacy Standard Bible
David therefore sought God about the boy; and David fasted and went and spent the night lying on the ground.

Contemporary English Version
So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor.

Complete Jewish Bible
David prayed to God on behalf of the child; David fasted, then came and lay all night on the ground.

Darby Translation
And David besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.

Easy-to-Read Version
David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there and lay on the ground all night.

George Lamsa Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

Good News Translation
David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor.

Literal Translation
And David sought God for the child. And David fasted a fast, and went in and stayed the night, and lay on the earth.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid besoughte God for the childe, and fasted, and wente in, and laie all nighte vpon the earth.

American Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Dauid therefore besought God for the childe, and fasted, and went in, & laye all night vpon the earth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and as often as he went in, he lay all night upon the earth.

King James Version (1611)
Dauid therfore besought God for the childe, and Dauid fasted, and went in, and lay all night vpon the earth.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David enquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.

English Revised Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

Berean Standard Bible
David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid preiede the Lord for the litil child; and Dauid fastide bi fastyng, and entride asidis half, and lai on the erthe.

Young's Literal Translation
and David seeketh God for the youth, and David keepeth a fast, and hath gone in and lodged, and lain on the earth.

Update Bible Version
David therefore implored God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

World English Bible
David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the earth.

New King James Version
David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

New Living Translation
David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground.

New Life Bible
David begged God to make the child well. He went without food and lay all night on the ground.

New Revised Standard
David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, - and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground.

Revised Standard Version
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then Nathan went back to his house. And the hand of the Lord was on David's son, the child of Uriah's wife, and it became very ill. ¹⁶ So David made prayer to God for the child; and he took no food day after day, and went in and, stretching himself out on the earth, was there all night. ¹⁷ And the chief men of his house got up and went to his side to make him get up from the earth, but he would not; and he would not take food with them. ¹⁸ And then on the seventh day the child's death took place. And David's servants were in fear of giving him the news of the child's death: for they said, Truly, while the child was still living he gave no attention when we said anything to him: what will he do to himself if we give him word that the child is dead? ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were talking together quietly, he was certain that the child was dead: and he said to his servants, Is the child dead? and they said, He is. ²⁰ Then David got up from the earth, and after washing and rubbing himself with oil and changing his clothing, he went into the house of the Lord and gave worship: then he went back to his house, and at his order they put food before him and he had a meal. ²¹ Then his servants said to him, Why have you been acting in this way? you were weeping and going without food while the child was still living; but when the child was dead, you got up and had a meal. ²² And he said, While the child was still living I went without food and gave myself up to weeping: for I said, Who is able to say that the Lord will not have mercy on me and give the child life? ²³ But now that the child is dead there is no reason for me to go without food; am I able to make him come back to life? I will go to him, but he will never come back to me. ²⁴ And David gave comfort to his wife Bath-sheba, and he went in to her and had connection with her: and she had a son to whom she gave the name Solomon. And he was dear to the Lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

besought: 2 Samuel 12:22, Psalms 50:15, Isaiah 26:16, Joel 2:12-14, Jonah 3:9

fasted: Heb. fasted a fast, Esther 4:16, Psalms 69:10, Isaiah 22:12, Acts 9:9

lay all night: 2 Samuel 13:31, Job 20:12-14

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:18 - I fell down Joshua 7:6 - fell 1 Samuel 1:8 - why weepest 1 Kings 18:42 - he cast himself Job 1:20 - fell Daniel 6:18 - and passed Joel 1:13 - lie Matthew 6:16 - when Mark 5:23 - besought John 11:31 - She goeth 1 Corinthians 2:15 - yet 2 Corinthians 12:8 - I besought

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.

Genesis 12:14
And so it was that when Abram came into Egypt, the men of Egypt, looking on the woman, saw that she was fair.

Genesis 12:15
And Pharaoh's great men, having seen her, said words in praise of her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's house.

Genesis 13:2
Now Abram had great wealth of cattle and silver and gold.

Genesis 20:14
Then Abimelech gave to Abraham sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants, and gave him back his wife Sarah.

Genesis 24:35
The Lord has given my master every blessing, and he has become great: he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and men-servants and women-servants and camels and asses.

Genesis 26:14
For he had great wealth of flocks and herds and great numbers of servants; so that the Philistines were full of envy.

Genesis 32:5
And I have oxen and asses and flocks and men-servants and women-servants: and I have sent to give my lord news of these things so that I may have grace in his eyes.

Job 1:3
And of cattle he had seven thousand sheep and goats, and three thousand camels, and a thousand oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great number of servants. And the man was greater than any of the sons of the east.

Job 42:12
And the Lord's blessing was greater on the end of Job's life than on its start: and so he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and goats, and six thousand camels, and two thousand oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

David therefore besought God for the child,.... Perhaps went into the tabernacle he had built for the ark, and prayed to the Lord to restore the child, and spare its life; for though the Lord had said it should die, he might hope that that was a conditional threatening, and that the Lord might be gracious and reverse it, 2 Samuel 12:22;

and David fasted: all that day:

and went in; to his own house from the house of God:

and lay all night upon the earth; would neither go into, nor lie upon a bed, but lay on the floor all night, weeping and praying for the child's life, and especially for its eternal welfare: he having through sin been the means of its coming into a sinful and afflicted state.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The death of the infant child of one of the numerous harem of an Oriental monarch would in general be a matter of little moment to the father. The deep feeling shown by David on this occasion is both an indication of his affectionate and tender nature, and also a proof of the strength of his passion for Bath-sheba. He went into his most private chamber, his closet Matthew 6:6, and “lay upon the earth” 2 Samuel 13:31, rather “the ground,” meaning the floor of his chamber as opposed to his couch.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 12:16. David - besought God for the child — How could he do so, after the solemn assurance that he had from God that the child should die? The justice of God absolutely required that the penalty of the law should be exacted; either the father or the son shall die. This could not be reversed.