Study Desk

So David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he had sexual relations with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her monthly period.) Then she went back to her house.

So David sent a message to Joab: "Send Uriah the Hittite to me." And Joab sent Uriah to David.

Then David said to Uriah, "Go home and rest." So Uriah left the palace, and the king sent a gift to him.

David said to Uriah, "Stay here today. Tomorrow I'll send you back to the battle." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

Then David called Uriah to come to see him, so Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah again slept with the king's officers.

After you finish, the king may be angry and ask, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the city wall?

Do you remember who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth? It was a woman on the city wall. She threw a large stone for grinding grain on Abimelech and killed him there in Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?' If King David asks that, tell him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.'"

So why did you ignore the Lord 's command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife to be your wife!

You had sexual relations with Bathsheba in secret, but I will do this so all the people of Israel can see it.'"

When David saw his servants whispering, he knew that the baby was dead. So he asked them, "Is the baby dead?" They answered, "Yes, he is dead."

So David gathered all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it.

He asked Amnon, "Son of the king, why do you look so sad day after day? Tell me what's wrong!" Amnon told him, "I love Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom."

Jonadab said to Amnon, "Go to bed and act as if you are sick. Then your father will come to see you. Tell him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. Let her make the food in front of me so I can watch and eat it from her hand.'"

So Amnon went to bed and acted sick. When King David came in to see him, Amnon said to him, "Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two of her special cakes for me while I watch. Then I will eat them from her hands."

So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was in bed. Tamar took some dough and pressed it together with her hands. She made some special cakes while Amnon watched. Then she baked them.

Next she took the pan and served him, but he refused to eat. He said to his servants, "All of you, leave me alone!" So they all left him alone.

Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom so I may eat from your hand." Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.

She went to him so he could eat from her hands, but Amnon grabbed her. He said, "Sister, come and have sexual relations with me."

But Amnon refused to listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sexual relations with him.

So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her. Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king's virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.