Year of the Bible
2 Samuel 12
Access your family's weekly resource for the Year of the Bible HERE
Commentary on the Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 12:
David’s actions with Bathsheba and Uriah have displeased God (11:27), so God sends the prophet Nathan to call David to repentance. Rather than address the sins directly, Nathan tells a parable where plot and language tie the parable to David’s actions, and David is asked to render a judgment. David’s guilty verdict falls upon himself, and God explains that because of David’s taking a neighbor’s wife, using a sword, and doing evil, God will allow David’s wives to be taken, there will be a sword against his family, and evil will rise against him. David acknowledges that, by breaking the Law God gave to protect the innocent, he has sinned against God. Because of this confession, he will not die for murder as the Law allows, but his son born to Bathsheba will die. David and Bathsheba have another son, Solomon, and the chapter ends with David changing direction and fulfilling his role as King by leading the armies in battle (see 11:1).
The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 12:
Nathan Condemns David, and God Punishes Him
1 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. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his morsel, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; 8 and I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,a the child that is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.
And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick. 16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
Solomon Is Born
24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him, 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet; so he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
The Ammonites Crushed
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head; the weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought forth the people who were in it, and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them toil at the brick-kilns; and thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
You are that man! God is merciful and forgiving; yet temporal punishment remains for David. Lord, you hate sin, because it breaks our relationship from you, and often has lasting consequences that cause harm to us and those we love, even after we repent. Lord, do I take sin in my life and its effects seriously?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.
1 El Señor envió a Natán ante David y
cuando llegó a su presencia le dijo:
–Había dos hombres en una ciudad, uno
rico y otro pobre. 2 El rico tenía ovejas y bueyes
en abundancia.
3 El pobre no tenía más que una corderilla
que había comprado y criado;
crecía junto a él y con sus hijos, comiendo
de su mismo pan, bebiendo de su
mismo vaso y durmiendo en su regazo.
Era para él como una hija. 4 Vino una
vez un huésped a casa del rico y le dio
pena tomar una de sus ovejas o de sus
vacas para honrar al recién llegado; así
que robó la corderilla al hombre pobre
y se la preparó al viajero.
5 Se encendió la ira de David contra
aquel hombre y dijo a Natán:
–Vive el Señor, que el que haya hecho
tal cosa es reo de muerte; 6 y por haber
actuado de esa manera, sin tener
compasión, habrá de pagar cuatro veces
por la corderilla.
7 Dijo entonces Natán a David:
–Tú eres ese hombre. Así dice el Señor,
Dios de Israel: «Yo te he ungido
como rey de Israel; Yo te he librado de
la mano de Saúl; 8 te he entregado la casa
de tu señor y he puesto en tu regazo las
mujeres de tu señor; te he dado la casa
de Israel y de Judá; y, por si fuera poco,
voy a añadirte muchas cosas más. 9 ¿Por
qué has despreciado al Señor, haciendo
lo que más le desagrada? Has matado a
espada a Urías, el hitita; has tomado su
mujer como esposa tuya y lo has matado
con la espada de los amonitas. 10 Por
todo esto, por haberme despreciado y
haber tomado como esposa la mujer de
Urías, el hitita, la espada no se apartará
nunca de tu casa». 11 Así dice el Señor:
«Suscitaré el mal en tu casa; ante tus
ojos te quitaré tus mujeres y se las daré
a otro que dormirá con ellas a la luz del
sol que vemos. 12 Tú lo has hecho en se-
creto. Yo lo haré a la vista de todo Israel
y a la luz del sol».
13 David dijo a Natán:
–He pecado contra el Señor.
Natán le respondió:
–El Señor ya ha perdonado tu pecado.
No morirás. 14 Pero, por haber ofendido
al Señor con esta acción, el hijo
que te ha nacido morirá.
15 Y Natán se volvió a su casa.
El Señor hirió al niño que la mujer
de Urías le había dado a David, y cayó
gravemente enfermo. 16 David rogó al
Señor por el niño, ayunó y se encerró
pasando las noches acostado en el suelo.
17 Los ancianos de su casa le insistían
para que se levantara del suelo, pero él
no quiso y no probó bocado con ellos.
18 Al séptimo día murió el niño. Los servidores
de David tenían miedo de comunicarle
que el niño había muerto,
porque se decían: «Si cuando el niño vivía
le hablábamos y no nos escuchaba,
¿cómo le vamos a decir que el niño ha
muerto? Será peor». 19 Pero vio David
que sus servidores hablaban entre ellos
en voz baja y comprendió que el niño
había muerto. Y les preguntó:
–¿Ha muerto el niño?
–Así es. Ha muerto –respondieron
ellos.
20 David se levantó del suelo, se lavó,
se perfumó y se cambió de ropa. Se dirigió
a la casa del Señor y se postró en
adoración. Volvió luego a su casa, pidió
comida y comió. 21 Los servidores le dijeron:
–¿Qué manera es ésta de obrar?
Por el niño, cuando estaba todavía
vivo, ayunabas y llorabas; ahora que ha
muerto, te animas y comes.
22 Él respondió:
–Cuando el niño estaba todavía vivo
ayunaba y lloraba porque me decía:
«¿Quién sabe si el Señor tendrá misericordia
de mí y dejará al niño con vida?».
23 Pero ahora que ha muerto, ¿para qué
ayunar? ¿Puedo hacer que vuelva? Yo
sí iré donde está él, pero él no volverá
donde estoy yo.
24 David consoló también a Betsabé,
su mujer, y durmió con ella. Betsabé le
dio un hijo y él le puso por nombre Salomón.
El Señor lo amó 25 y envió al profeta
Natán para que le pusiera como sobrenombre
Yedidías por lo que había
dicho el Señor.
26 Mientras tanto, Joab atacó Rabá, la
de los amonitas, y se apoderó de la ciudad
del rey. 27 Entonces envió mensajeros
a David diciéndole:
–He atacado Rabá y me he apoderado
de la zona que la abastece de agua.
28 Ahora, pues, reúne el resto del ejército,
acampa frente a la ciudad y conquístala
tú, para que no sea yo quien la conquiste
y tenga que llevar mi nombre.
29 Reunió, pues, David a todo el
ejército, se dirigió contra Rabá, la atacó
y la conquistó. 30 Quitó de la cabeza
de Milcom la corona que pesaba un
talento de oro –ésta tenía una piedra
preciosa que David puso sobre su cabeza–
y se llevó de la ciudad un enorme
botín. 31 Sacó a la gente de esa ciudad
y la hizo trabajar con sierras, con
trillos de hierro y hachas de hierro, y la
utilizó en hornos de ladrillos. Lo mismo
hizo con todas las ciudades amonitas.
Luego David y todo su ejército regresaron
a Jerusalén.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
¡Tú eres ese hombre! Dios es misericordioso y perdonador; sin embargo, a David le queda un castigo temporal: sus tres hijos mayores morirán a espada, sus esposas serán secuestradas a plena luz del día y, por matar a un inocente, morirá su propio recién nacido. Medita sobre cómo el castigo temporal suele estar relacionado con nuestro pecado...
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).