42

his wife Michal blamed him for dancing and leaping, as if he were behaving indecently; but he said he was not ashamed, since these things were not indecent, being done for God. They brought in the ark and set it in the tent that David had pitched for it. Then he wanted to build a house for the ark. And God commanded the prophet Nathan to tell David, "You shall not build me a house, but your son, who will succeed to your kingdom when you die." When the prophet reported this to David, he turned to thanksgiving. And after this he smote the Philistines and routed them and their allies, and he made Syria tributary, establishing a garrison in Damascus. And on his return, he smote Idumaea, and all the Idumaeans became servants to David. But David, remembering his covenants with Jonathan the son of Saul, sought if any of the house of Saul was left; and learning that a son of Jonathan survived, lame in his feet, named Mephibosheth, he summoned him and gave the man all his grandfather's property, and commanded him to be his companion at table for all time, and he assigned to him his father's servants; to one of whom, called Ziba, he permitted to be steward of the things given to his master and to bring him the profit from there. And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem and ate with the king. 1.106 Now at that time the king of the Ammonites, a friend of David, died, and his son Annon succeeded to his father's rule. So David sent men to Annon to comfort him in his grief for his father and to announce that David would maintain the friendship with him. But he, suspecting that those sent were spies, shaved off half of their beards and cut off half their garments, and sent the men away. When David saw them in this condition, he gave the elite of the army to the commander-in-chief Joab and sent him against the Ammonites. And Joab, engaging them, defeated both them and their Syrian allies; and they turned to flight. But they, having again taken on allies, went to war. And David, engaging them with his whole army, slew many, and the leader of the enemy force, Sobach, being mortally wounded in the battle, died from the wound. And the allies of the Ammonites, being Syrians from Mesopotamia, surrendered themselves to David. Again he sent Joab out against the Ammonites; who shut them up in the metropolis of their country and besieged it. But David, while staying in Jerusalem and seeing from the palace a woman bathing at her house, called Bathsheba, desired her. And having sent for the woman, he lay with her. And having conceived, she made the matter known to the king. And he called her husband from the siege, named Uriah, and after asking about the army, and 1.107 having given him from the dinner, commanded him to go away to his house. But he did not go away, saying it was not right for the general and his fellow soldiers to be suffering hardship in the camp, while he slept with his wife. And again when the king urged him to go home, and having received him with toasts, so that he was almost brought to drunkenness, he slept before the palace gates. So the king sent Uriah back to the camp, handing him a letter for Joab commanding him to place Uriah where the fighting of the enemy was fiercest, and for those with him to turn back, leaving him there alone, so that he might be killed. And it happened according to the king's command, and Uriah died. And his wife mourned for her husband, and when her mourning ceased, David took her as his wife; and she bore him a son. But God was angry, and sent Nathan to David. And he came to the king and said, "There were two men, one having flocks and herds, but the other possessed one ewe lamb. And when a guest came to the rich man, he did not sacrifice from his own, but the

42

αὐτὸν ὀρχούμενον καὶ σκιρτῶντα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Μελχὸλ ἐμέμψατο αὐτῷ ὡς ἀσχημονοῦντι· ὁ δὲ οὐκ αἰδεῖσθαι ειπεν, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀσχημοσύνη ταῦτα, γινόμενα εἰς θεόν. εἰσήνεγκαν δὲ τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ κατέθεντο εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν ην επηξεν αὐτῇ ὁ ∆αβίδ. ειτα οικον δομήσασθαι τῇ κιβωτῷ ἠβουλήθη. καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῷ προφήτῃ Νάθαν ἐντέλλεται εἰπεῖν τῷ ∆αβὶδ οτι "οὐ σὺ οἰκοδομήσεις μοι οικον, ἀλλ' ὁ υἱός σου, ος σοῦ θανόντος τὴν βασιλείαν σου διαδέξεται." ταῦτα τοῦ προφήτου τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀπαγγείλαντος ἐκεῖνος εἰς εὐχαριστίαν ἐτράπετο. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπάταξε τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους καὶ κατετροπώσατο αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς συμμάχους αὐτῶν, καὶ τὴν Συρίαν ὑπόφορον ἐποιήσατο, φρουρὰν ἐν ∆αμασκῷ καταστήσας. καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐπαναζευγνύειν ἐπάταξε τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν, καὶ ἐγένοντο πάντες ̓Ιδουμαῖοι δοῦλοι τῷ ∆αβίδ. μνησθεὶς δὲ ὁ ∆αβὶδ τῶν πρὸς ̓Ιωνάθαν τὸν τοῦ Σαοὺλ συνθηκῶν, ἐζήτησεν ει τις ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὑπολέλειπται· καὶ μαθὼν περιεῖναι τοῦ ̓Ιωνάθαν υἱὸν βεβλαμμένον τοὺς πόδας, Μεμφιβοσθὲ κεκλημένον, μετεκαλέσατο αὐτὸν καὶ ἐχαρίσατο τὴν τοῦ πάππου πᾶσαν υπαρξιν τῷ ἀνδρί, καὶ ὁμοδίαιτον ἑαυτῷ διόλου ειναι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ τοὺς πατρῴους οἰκέτας αὐτῷ προσαπένειμεν· ων ἑνὶ Σιβὰ καλουμένῳ ἐπιτροπεύειν τῶν δεδωρημένων τῷ αὐτοῦ κυρίῳ ἐπέτρεψε καὶ προσάγειν ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ὠφέλειαν. ὁ δὲ Μεμφιβοσθὲ ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις ῳκει καὶ συνειστιᾶτο τῷ βασιλεῖ. 1.106 Κατὰ δὲ τὸν τότε χρόνον τέθνηκεν ὁ τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν βασιλεύς, φίλος ων τῷ ∆αβίδ, ἐπὶ υἱῷ ̓Αννών, ος τὴν πατρικὴν ἀρχὴν διεδέξατο. επεμψεν ουν πρὸς ̓Αννὼν ὁ ∆αβὶδ τοὺς παρηγορήσοντας τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ πατρὶ λύπην αὐτοῦ καὶ τηρεῖν τὴν φιλίαν ἀπαγγελοῦντας καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὸν ∆αβίδ. ὁ δὲ κατασκόπους ειναι τοὺς πεμφθέντας ὑπειληφώς, ξυρήσας αὐτῶν παρὰ μέρος τοὺς πώγωνας καὶ περιτεμὼν τὰ ἡμίση τῶν ἐπωμίδων αὐτῶν, ἐξαπέστειλε τοὺς ανδρας. ους ουτω διακειμένους ἰδὼν ὁ ∆αβὶδ τὸ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀκμαιότατον τῷ ἀρχιστρατήγῳ δοὺς ̓Ιωὰβ κατὰ τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν ἐξαπέστειλε. καὶ συμβαλὼν ἐκείνοις ὁ ̓Ιωὰβ αὐτούς τε καὶ τοὺς συμμάχους Σύρους ἡττᾷ· καὶ τρέπονται εἰς φυγήν. οἱ δὲ καὶ πάλιν συμμάχους προσειληφότες πρὸς πόλεμον ῃεσαν. καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ σὺν πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ συμβαλὼν αὐτοῖς πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλεν, ὁ δ' ἐξάρχων τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεως Σωβὰκ τρωθεὶς καιρίως ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τέθνηκεν ἐκ τοῦ τραύματος. οἱ σύμμαχοι δὲ τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν, Σύροι οντες ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας, ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῷ ∆αβίδ. αυθις δὲ τὸν ̓Ιωὰβ ἐκπέπομφε κατὰ τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν· ος συγκλείσας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν μητρόπολιν ἐπολιόρκει. ∆αβὶδ δὲ ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις διάγων καὶ ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων ἰδὼν γυναῖκα κατ' οικον λουομένην, Βηρσαβεὲ καλουμένην, ἠράσθη αὐτῆς. καὶ μεταστειλάμενος τὴν γυναῖκα ἐμίγη αὐτῇ. συλλαβοῦσα δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐδήλωσεν. ὁ δὲ τὸν ανδρα αὐτῆς ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας ἐκάλεσεν, Οὐρίαν ὠνομασμένον, καὶ ἐρωτήσας περὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ δείπνου 1.107 αὐτῷ παρασχών, εἰς τὸν οικον αὐτοῦ ἐκέλευσεν ἀπελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀπῆλθε, μὴ δίκαιον ειναι φήσας τὸν στρατηγὸν καὶ τοὺς συστρατιώτας ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, αὐτὸν δὲ μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς συνευνάζεσθαι. πάλιν δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως προτρεπομένου αὐτὸν οικαδε ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ δεξιωσαμένου αὐτὸν προπόσεσιν, ὡς καὶ εἰς μέθην σχεδὸν προαχθῆναι, ἐκεῖνος πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν τῶν βασιλείων κατέδαρθεν. ἀπέστειλεν ουν πάλιν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον τὸν Οὐρίαν ὁ βασιλεύς, γραφὴν αὐτῷ ἐγχειρίσας πρὸς ̓Ιωὰβ ἐντελλομένην στῆσαι τὸν Οὐρίαν ενθα τῶν πολεμίων τὸ δυσμαχώτατον, καὶ ἀποστραφῆναι τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ, μόνον λιπόντας ἐκεῖ, ιν' ουτως ἀναιρεθῇ. καὶ γέγονε κατὰ τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπίταγμα, καὶ ὁ Οὐρίας ἀπέθανεν. ἡ δὲ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπένθησεν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρί, παυσαμένην δὲ τοῦ πένθους ὁ ∆αβὶδ αὐτὴν ελαβεν εἰς γυναῖκα· καὶ ετεκεν αὐτῷ υἱόν. ὁ δὲ θεὸς ὠργίσθη, καὶ τὸν Νάθαν εστειλε πρὸς ∆αβίδ. ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθὼν εφη "δύο ησαν ανδρες, ὁ μὲν εχων ποίμνια καὶ βουκόλια, ὁ δὲ μίαν ἀμνάδα ἐκέκτητο. ξενισθέντος δέ τινος τῷ πλουσίῳ, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων εθυσεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν