And around the end of the year, the time when the kings go forth, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they did damage to the sons of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

And at the time of the evening, when David arose from his couch and walked upon the roof of the king’s house, he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful of appearance.

And David sent and inquired about the woman, and he said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

So David sent messengers to lead her; and she came to him, and he slept with her, while she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness. Then she returned to her house.

And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.

When Uriah came to him, David inquired after the welfare of Joab, and the welfare of the people, and the welfare of the wagers of war.

Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him the king’s meal.

But Uriah slept at the gate of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his own house.

When they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his own house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

Uriah said to David, “The ark, as well as Israel and Judah, dwell in booths, while my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? By your life, and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.”

Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day, and the next day.

And David called him, and he ate before him and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his own house.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

In the letter he wrote, saying, “Set Uriah opposite the hardest battle, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”

And as Joab was besieging the city, he put Uriah in the place where he knew there were heroic men.

And the men of the city came out and waged war with Joab; and some of the people were killed, some of the servants of David. Uriah the Hittite also died.

Then Joab sent and told David all the affairs of the war.

And he commanded the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the affairs of the war to the king,

and if the king’s anger rise and he says to you, ‘Why did you draw yourselves so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would throw things on you from the wall?

Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw half of an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you draw yourselves so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent him for.

The messenger said to David, “The men were stronger than we were, and they came out against us in the field. But when we were driving them back to the entrance of the gate,

the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants were killed; Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Let not this thing be evil in your sight, for the sword kills now one and now another. Strengthen your battle against the city, and destroy it.’ And encourage him.”

When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned over her husband.

And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil before the LORD.