2 Samuel 12:1

Wycliffe Bible

Therfor the Lord sente Nathan to Dauid; and whanne he hadde come to Dauid, he seide to Dauid, Answere thou doom to me; twei men weren in o citee; o man was riche, and the tother was pore.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him:

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD sent Natan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

King James Version
And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Lexham English Bible
So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, "Two men were in a certain city; one was rich and the other was poor.

English Standard Version
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

New Century Version
The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, he said, "There were two men in a city. One was rich, but the other was poor.

New English Translation
So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, Nathan said, "There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

Amplified Bible
And the LORD sent Nathan [the prophet] to David. He came and said to him, "There were two men in a city, one rich and the other poor.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in a city, the one wealthy and the other poor.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the Lorde sent Nathan vnto Dauid, who came to him, and sayd vnto him, There were two men in one citie, the one riche, and the other poore.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said,"There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

Contemporary English Version
and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David: A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town.

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai sent Natan to David. He came and said to him, "In a certain city there were two men, one rich, the other poor.

Darby Translation
And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men in a city. One man was rich, but the other man was poor.

George Lamsa Translation
AND the LORD sent Nathan the prophet to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

Good News Translation
The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor.

Literal Translation
And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the LORDE sent Nathan vnto Dauid. Whan he came to him, he tolde him: There were two men in one cite, the one riche, the other poore.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Bible in Basic English
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And Nathan came to him and said, There were two men in the same town: one a man of great wealth, and the other a poor man.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lord sent Nathan vnto Dauid, and he came vnto him, and tolde him: There were two men in one citie, the one rich, & the other poore.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him: 'There were two men in one city: the one rich, and the other poor.

King James Version (1611)
And the Lord sent Nathan vnto Dauid: and he came vnto him, and said vnto him, There were two men in one citie; the one rich, and the other poore.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David; and he went in to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

English Revised Version
And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, "There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah sendeth Nathan unto David, and he cometh unto him, and saith to him: `Two men have been in one city; One rich and one poor;

Update Bible Version
And Yahweh sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

World English Bible
Yahweh sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.

New King James Version
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

New Living Translation
So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor.

New Life Bible
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, "There were two men in one city. One was rich and the other was poor.

New Revised Standard
and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then Yahweh sent Nathan the prophet unto David, - who therefore came unto him and said to him - Two men, there were in a certain city, the one, rich, and, the other, poor.

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

THE MESSAGE
and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, "There were two men in the same city—one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

Contextual Overview

¹ Therfor the Lord sente Nathan to Dauid; and whanne he hadde come to Dauid, he seide to Dauid, Answere thou doom to me; twei men weren in o citee; o man was riche, and the tother was pore. ² The riche man hadde ful many scheep, and oxun; ³ sotheli the pore man hadde vttirli no thing, outakun o litil scheep, which he hadde bouyt, and nurschid, and which `hadde wexid at hym with hise sones, and eet togidere of his breed, and drank of his cuppe, and slepte in his bosum; and it was as a douyter to hym. <sup>4</sup> Forsothe whanne a pilgrym `hadde come to the riche man, he sparide to take of hise scheep and oxun, that he schulde make a feeste to that pilgrym, that cam to hym; and he took the scheep of the pore man, and `made redi metis to the man that cam to hym. <sup>5</sup> Forsothe Dauid was ful wrooth with indignacioun ayens that man, and seide to Nathan, The Lord lyueth, for the man that dide this is the sone of deeth; <sup>6</sup> he schal yelde the scheep in to foure folde, for he dide this word, and sparide not. <sup>7</sup> Forsothe Nathan seide to Dauid, Thou art thilke man, that hast do this thing. The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y anoyntide thee `in to kyng on Israel, and Y delyuerede thee fro the hond of Saul, ⁸ and Y yaf to thee the hows of thi lord, and the wyues of thi lord in thi bosum, and Y yaf to thee the hows of Israel, and of Juda; and if these thingis ben litil, Y schal adde to thee myche grettere thingis. ⁹ Whi therfor hast thou dispisid the word of the Lord, that thou didist yuels in my siyt? Thou hast smyte by swerd Vrye Ethei, and thou hast take his wijf in to wijf to thee, and thou hast slayn hym with the swerd of the sones of Amon. ¹⁰ Wherfor swerd schal not go awey fro thin hows til in to with outen ende; for thou dispysidist me, and tokist the wijf of Vrye Ethei, that sche schulde be thi wijf.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2970, bc 1034, An, Ex, Is, 457

the Lord: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 2 Samuel 24:11-13, 1 Kings 13:1, 1 Kings 18:1, 2 Kings 1:3

unto David: 2 Samuel 11:10-17, 2 Samuel 11:25, 2 Samuel 14:14, Isaiah 57:17, Isaiah 57:18

he came: Psalms 51:1, *title

There were: There is nothing in this parable which requires illustration. Its bent is evident; and it was wisely constructed, by not having too near a resemblance, to make David unwittingly pass sentence on himself. The parable was in David's hand what his own letter was in the hands of the brave Uriah. Nathan at length closed in with him in the application of it. In beginning with a parable he shewed his prudence, and great need there is of prudence in giving reproof; but now he speaks as an ambassador from God. He reminds David of the great things God had designed and done for him, and then charges him with a high contempt of the Divine authority, and threatens an entail of judgments upon his family for this sin. Those who despise the word and law of God, despise God himself, and will assuredly suffer for such contempt. 2 Samuel 14:5-11, Judges 9:7-15, 1 Kings 20:35-41, Isaiah 5:1-7, Matthew 21:33-45, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 16:19-31

Reciprocal: Judges 3:20 - I have 2 Samuel 5:14 - Nathan 2 Samuel 7:2 - Nathan 2 Samuel 12:25 - Nathan 1 Kings 1:8 - Nathan 1 Kings 1:10 - General 1 Kings 4:5 - son of Nathan 1 Kings 20:39 - Thy servant 2 Kings 14:9 - The thistle 1 Chronicles 3:5 - Nathan 1 Chronicles 14:4 - Nathan 1 Chronicles 17:1 - Nathan 1 Chronicles 29:29 - Nathan 2 Chronicles 9:29 - Nathan 2 Chronicles 25:7 - a man of God 2 Chronicles 25:15 - a prophet 2 Chronicles 29:25 - Nathan Psalms 32:3 - When Isaiah 39:3 - came Isaiah Jeremiah 22:1 - Go Ezekiel 17:2 - General Zechariah 12:12 - Nathan Matthew 13:3 - in Galatians 6:1 - restore

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
and Y schal make thee in to a greet folk, and Y schal blisse thee, and Y schal magnyfie thi name, and thou schalt be blessid;

Genesis 12:3
Y schal blesse hem that blessen thee, and Y schal curse hem that cursen thee; and alle kynredis of erthe schulen be blessid in thee.

Genesis 12:6
Abram passide thorou the lond til to the place of Sichem, and til to the noble valey. Forsothe Chananei was thanne in the lond.

Genesis 12:10
Sotheli hungur was maad in the lond; and Abram yede doun in to Egipt, to be a pilgrime ther, for hungur hadde maistrie in the lond.

Genesis 12:11
And whanne he was nyy to entre in to Egipt, he seide to Saray, his wijf, Y knowe that thou art a fair womman,

Genesis 15:7
And God seide to hym, Y am the Lord, that ladde thee out of Vr of Caldeis, that Y schulde yyue this lond to thee, and thou schuldist haue it in possessioun.

Nehemiah 9:7
Thou thi silf art the Lord God, that chesidist Abram, and leddist hym out of the fier of Caldeis, and settidist his name Abraham;

Isaiah 41:9
fro the laste partis of erthe, and fro the fer partis therof Y clepide thee; and Y seide to thee, Thou art my seruaunt; Y chees thee, and castide not awei thee.

Isaiah 51:2
Take ye heede to Abraham, youre fadir, and to Sare, that childide you; for Y clepide hym oon, and Y blesside hym, and Y multipliede hym.

Ezekiel 33:24
Thou, sone of man, thei that dwellen in `thingis in poynt to falle doun on the erthe of Israel, seien, spekynge, Abraham was oon, and bi eritage he hadde the lond in possessioun; forsothe we ben manye, the lond is youun to vs in to possessioun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord sent Nathan unto David,.... Quickly after the child was born begotten on Bathsheba, and when it was known and became the public talk of people, and the enemies of religion were full of it, and blasphemed on account of it, 2 Samuel 12:14; so that David was nine months or more without any true sense of his sin, his heart hardened, his graces dormant, the joys of salvation taken from him, and he without any communion with God, and having little concern about it; though perhaps he might have some pangs at times, which quickly went off; though some think he exercised repentance in a private way before; acknowledged his sin to the Lord, and had a sense of pardon, and before this time penned the thirty second and the hundred thirtieth psalms on this occasion, Psalms 32:1; but Nathan is sent to awaken and arouse him, to express a sense of his sin, and repentance for it in public, which he did by penning and publishing the fifty first psalm after Nathan had been with him, Psalms 51:1; for though the Lord may leave his people to fall into sin, and suffer them to continue therein some time, yet not always; they shall rise again through the assistance of his Spirit and grace, in the acts of repentance and faith, both in private and public:

and he came unto him, and said unto him: he came as if he had a case to lay before him, and to have justice done, and he told the story as if it was a real fact, and so David understood it:

there were two men in one city: pointing at David and Uriah, who both lived in Jerusalem:

the one rich and the other poor; David the rich man, king over all Israel; Uriah a subject, an officer in his army, comparatively poor.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Nathan came to David as if to ask his judicial decision on the case about to be submitted to him (compare 2 Samuel 14:2-11; 1 Kings 20:35-41). The circumstances of the story are exquisitely contrived to heighten the pity of David for the oppressed, and his indignation against the oppressor 1 Samuel 25:13, 1 Samuel 25:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XII

The Lord sends Nathan the prophet to reprove David; which he

does by means of a curious parable, 1-4.

David is led, unknowingly, to pronounce his on condemnation,

5, 6.

Nathan charges the guilt home on his conscience; and predicts

a long train of calamities which should fall on him and his

family, 7-12.

David confesses his sin; and Nathan gives him hope of God's

mercy, and foretells the death of the child born in adultery,

13, 14.

The child is taken ill; David fasts and prays for its

restoration, 15-17.

On the seventh day the child dies, and David is comforted,

18-24.

Solomon is born of Bath-sheba, 25, 26.

Joab besieges Rabbah of the Ammonites, takes the city of waters,

and sends for David to take Rabbah, 27, 28.

He comes, takes it, gets much spoil, and puts the inhabitants to

hard labor, 29-31.

NOTES ON CHAP. XII

Verse 2 Samuel 12:1. There were two men in one city — See a discourse on fables at the end of Judges 9:56, and a discourse on parabolic writing at the end of the thirteenth chapter of Matthew.

There is nothing in this parable that requires illustration; its bent is evident; and it was construed to make David, unwittingly, pass sentence on himself. It was in David's hand, what his own letters were in the hands of the brave but unfortunate Uriah.