Study Desk

So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king's table. Both his feet had been hurt and he could not walk.

Then David said, "I will show kindness to Nahash's son Hanun, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent some of his servants to comfort him in the loss of his father. But when David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites,

the Ammonite leaders said to their lord Hanun, "Do you think that David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Has he not sent his servants to you so they can spy out the city and destroy it?"

So Hanun took David's servants and cut off half the hair from their faces. Then he cut off half their clothing, almost up to the belt, and sent them away.

Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and behind him. So he chose all the best men of Israel and dressed them for battle against the Syrians.

So Joab and the people who were with him came near to battle against the Syrians, and they ran away from him.

So David sent someone to ask about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Eliam's daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

She was going to have a baby, so she sent someone to tell David, "I am going to have a baby."

Then David sent men to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David.

Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also. Tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

He had written in the letter, "Put Uriah in the front of the hardest battle and come away from him, so that he may be killed."

So while Joab was watching the city, he sent Uriah to the place where he knew there were soldiers with strength of heart.

the king might become angry. He might say to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw a grinding stone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' Then you should say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

So the man left and came to David. He told him all that Joab had sent him to tell.

Then they shot arrows at your servants from the wall. So some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

So now some from your family, even in the future, will die by the sword, because you have turned against Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

Then Nathan went home. The Lord sent trouble upon the child of Uriah's wife and David, so that he was very sick.

The child died on the seventh day. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "See, we spoke to him while the child was still alive, and he did not listen to us. So how can we tell him the child is dead? He might hurt himself."

So David got up from the ground, washed, poured oil on himself, and changed his clothes. Then he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He returned to his own house and asked for food. So they set food in front of him, and he ate.