The Reign of David

The army of 'Amon came out and went into battle formation at the entrance to the city gate; the men of Aram from Tzovah and Rechov and the men of Tov and Ma'akhah were by themselves in the open countryside.

When Yo'av saw that he would be fighting on two fronts, ahead and behind, he chose the best troops of Isra'el to deploy against Aram;

while the rest of the army he put under the command of Avishai his brother to deploy against the army of 'Amon.

He said, "If Aram is too strong for me, you help me; but if the army of 'Amon is too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

Take courage, and let's be strong for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May ADONAI do what seems good to him."

So Yo'av and the people with him went to battle Aram, and they fled before him.

When the people of 'Amon saw that Aram had fled, they likewise fled before Avishai and retreated into the city. Yo'av returned from the people of 'Amon and went to Yerushalayim.

When Aram saw that Isra'el had gotten the better of them, they gathered themselves together.

Hadad'ezer sent and brought out the people of Aram who lived beyond the [Euphrates] River. They came to Heilam with Shovakh the commander of Hadad'ezer's army at their head.

It was reported to David; so he gathered all Isra'el together, crossed the Yarden and came to Heilam. Aram deployed themselves against David and fought him.

But Aram fled before Isra'el; David killed 700 chariot-drivers and 40,000 horsemen from Aram, and he struck Shovakh the commander of their army, so that he died there.

When all Hadad'ezer's vassal kings saw that they had been defeated by Isra'el, they made peace with Isra'el and became their subjects. So Aram was afraid to help the people of 'Amon any more.

In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, David sent out Yo'av, his servants who were with him and all Isra'el. They ravaged the people of 'Amon and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim.

Once, after his afternoon nap, David got up from his bed and went strolling on the roof of the king's palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful.

David made inquiries about the woman and was told that she was Bat-Sheva the daughter of Eli'am, the wife of Uriyah the Hitti.

David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he went to bed with her (for she had been purified from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house.

The woman conceived; and she sent a message to David, "I am pregnant."

David sent this order to Yo'av: "Send me Uriyah the Hitti." Yo'av sent Uriyah to David.

When Uriyah had come to him, David asked him how Yo'av was doing, how the people were feeling and how the war was going.

Then David said to Uriyah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." Uriyah left the king's palace and was followed by a present of food from the king.

But Uriyah slept at the door of the king's palace with all the servants of his lord and didn't go down to his house.

When they told David, "Uriyah didn't go down to his house," David said to Uriyah, "Haven't you just arrived from a journey? Why didn't you go down to your house?"

Uriyah answered David, "The ark, Isra'el and Y'hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo'av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

David said to Uriyah, "Stay here today also; tomorrow I will let you leave." So Uriyah stayed in Yerushalayim that day and the following day.

David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out and lay on his bed with his lord's servants and did not go down to his house.