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having taken the poor man's one ewe lamb, slaughtered it and feasted his friend." And David condemned the one who did this to restore the lamb fourfold, and to die. But Nathan said, "You have passed judgment against yourself, O king; for you are the one who has committed this lawless act." And he recounted to him the adultery and the murder, and the wrath of God on account of these things, and he foretold all that he would suffer, and that the son born to him from the adultery would also die. And David cried out with great feeling, "I have sinned against the Lord," and Nathan replied that his sin was put away from him by God. Afterwards, the child born of Bathsheba fell ill. And David grieved exceedingly, and for a seventh day he was without food and dressed in black, and falling on sackcloth he prayed to God for the life of the child. But on the seventh day the child died, and he, learning this, rose up and, having washed and changed his clothes, both gave thanks to God and ordered a table to be prepared for him. And when the king's servants marveled at what had happened, he said, "While the child was still living, hoping that God would be entreated, I humbled myself and prayed," but now that he is dead, the grief and prayer for him are in vain. And Bathsheba bore another son to David, and he called him Solomon. And Joab, besieging the Ammonites, had the capture of the city closely in hand, and he reported this to the king. And he went there and took the city and gave it over to the army to be plundered, and taking the crown of its king, he wore it himself, weighing a talent of gold and having a precious stone; and he destroyed the multitude of the city. And he did likewise to the other cities of the Ammonites, and returned to Jerusalem. And David had a daughter named Tamar, a full sister to Absalom; Amnon, the firstborn son of David, fell in love with her, and his love was so great that the lover fell sick. And when his father came to visit him, he asked him to have Tamar come to serve him; and he agreed. So Tamar came and prepared cakes for him. And he sent everyone out, and asked that only his sister serve him. And when the girl was left alone, he forced her, and having violated her, he immediately felt a hatred opposite to his former love, and ordered her to leave at once, and commanded his servant to throw her out. And she, being in great pain because of both the violence and the outrage, tore her tunic, and sprinkling dust on her head, went away weeping. And her brother Absalom advised her to be quiet, but he was furious with Amnon on account of his sister. And the king, learning what had happened, was grieved, but did not want to upset Amnon, because he was his firstborn. And when two years had passed, Absalom was about to shear his own flocks, and he invited his brothers to a feast. And he commanded his servants that as the feast progressed, they should strike Amnon and kill him. And Absalom's servants did so. And the rest of the king's sons, seeing what happened, fled. And when a rumor went forth that Absalom had killed all the king's sons, David tore his clothes and fell on the ground, weeping. In the meantime, the king's sons arrived and, mourning, reported the murder of Amnon. But Absalom fled to his maternal grandfather, the king of Gath, and spent three years there. And when his anger had subsided with time, Joab contrived for the king to be reconciled with Absalom. For he arranged for a certain woman, as if in mourning, to come to the king and lament that, having two sons, and one having killed the other, her relatives were seeking to kill the surviving one 1.110 on account of the murder of his brother; and to ask the king to grant her the salvation of her son. So she came to the king and said these things with great feeling, and the king promised to grant her the life of her son. And the woman gave him thanks; "So that

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μίαν λαβὼν ἀμνάδα τοῦ πένητος εσφαξε καὶ τὸν φίλον εἱστίασεν." καὶ ὁ ∆αβὶδ τὸν τοῦτο ποιήσαντα τὴν μὲν ἀμνάδα εἰς τετραπλοῦν ἀποδοῦναι, ἐκεῖνον δὲ θανεῖν κατεδίκασε. Νάθαν δέ "καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ψῆφον" ειπεν "ηνεγκας, βασιλεῦ· σὺ γὰρ ει ὁ εἰργασμένος τουτὶ τὸ ἀνόμημα." καὶ τὴν μοιχείαν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν φόνον κατέλεγε, καὶ τὴν διὰ ταῦτα ὀργὴν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οσα πείσεται προκατήγγειλε, θανεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἐκ τῆς μοιχείας αὐτῷ γεννηθέντα. ὁ δὲ ∆αβίδ "ἡμάρτηκα τῷ κυρίῳ" περιπαθῶς ἀνεβόησε, καὶ ὁ Νάθαν παρα1.108 βιβασθῆναι αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἀπεκρίνατο. ἐνόσει μετέπειτα ὁ ἐκ τῆς Βηρσαβεὲ γεννηθείς. καὶ ηλγει σφόδρα ∆αβίδ, ἐφ' ἡμέραν τε ἑβδόμην ἀπόσιτος ην καὶ μελανειμονήσας, καὶ ἐπὶ σάκκου πεσὼν ἐδέετο τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπὲρ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ παιδός. τῇ δ' ἑβδόμῃ τέθνηκε μὲν ὁ παῖς, αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο μαθὼν ἐξανίσταται καὶ λουσάμενος καὶ μεταμφιασάμενος τῷ θεῷ τε ηὐχαρίστησε καὶ τράπεζαν αὐτῷ ἑτοιμασθῆναι ἐκέλευσεν. ὡς δ' ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τοῖς γενομένοις οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως θεράποντες, ἐκεῖνος "ετι μὲν ζῶντος τοῦ παιδός" ειπεν, "ἐλπίζων παρακληθήσεσθαι τὸν θεὸν ἐταπείνουν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἱκέτευον," ηδη δὲ θανόντος εἰς μάτην τὴν λύπην καὶ τὴν περὶ ἐκείνου γίνεσθαι δέησιν. ετι δὲ ετεκε Βηρσαβεὲ τῷ ∆αβὶδ υἱόν, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν Σολομῶντα. ̓Ιωὰβ δὲ πολιορκῶν τοὺς ̓Αμμανίτας ἐν στενῷ κομιδῇ τὴν αλωσιν ειχε τῆς πόλεως, καὶ δηλοῖ τοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὁ δὲ ἀπῆλθεν ἐκεῖ καὶ τὴν πόλιν παρέλαβε καὶ εἰς διαρπαγὴν τῇ στρατιᾷ ἀφῆκεν αὐτήν, τὸν δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῆς στέφανον αὐτὸς λαβὼν ἐφόρει, ελκοντα χρυσίου τάλαντον καὶ λίθον εχοντα τῶν πολυτίμων· τὸ δὲ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος διέφθειρεν. ουτως δὲ καὶ ταῖς αλλαις πόλεσι πεποίηκε τῶν ̓Αμμανιτῶν, καὶ εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ ἐπανέζευξεν. Ην δὲ τῷ ∆αβὶδ θυγάτηρ Θάμαρ ὠνομασμένη, ὁμομήτριος ἀδελφὴ τῷ ̓Αβεσαλώμ· ταύτης ηρα ̓Αμνὼν ὁ πρωτότοκος υἱὸς τοῦ ∆αβίδ, καὶ ην ὁ ερως πολὺς ὡς καὶ νοσῆσαι τὸν ἐρῶντα. ἀφικομένου δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς ἐπίσκεψιν αὐτοῦ, ἠξίωσεν αὐτὸν παραγενέσθαι τὴν Θάμαρ εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ κατέ1.109 νευσεν. ηκεν ουν ἡ Θάμαρ καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτῷ κολλυρίδας. ὁ δὲ πάντας ἐξέπεμψε, μόνην δὲ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ὑπηρετήσασθαι ἠξίου αὐτῷ. τῆς δὲ κόρης μόνης περιλειφθείσης βιάζεται αὐτήν, καὶ διακορήσας αὐτὴν μῖσος αὐτίκα εσχεν ἀντίθετον τοῦ πρὶν ερωτος, καὶ ἀπιέναι παραχρῆμα ἐκέλευε, καὶ κελεύει τῷ οἰκέτῃ αὐτὴν ἐκβαλεῖν. ἐκείνη δὲ διά τε τὴν βίαν καὶ τὴν υβριν περιαλγήσασα διαρρήγνυσι τὸν χιτῶνα, καὶ κόνιν καταπασσομένη τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπορεύετο θρηνοῦσα. ὁ δὲ ἀδελφὸς ̓Αβεσαλὼμ ἡσυχάσαι αὐτῇ συνεβούλευσεν, ἐμηνία δὲ τῷ ̓Αμνὼν διὰ τὴν ἀδελφήν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μαθὼν τὸ συμβὰν ηχθετο μέν, λυπῆσαι δὲ τὸν ̓Αμνὼν οὐκ ηθελεν, οτι πρωτότοκος ην αὐτῷ. διετηρίδος δὲ παρελθούσης κείρειν εμελλεν αρτι τὰ ιδια ποίμνια ὁ ̓Αβεσαλώμ, καὶ εἰς πότον τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς συνεκάλεσεν. ἐνετείλατο δὲ τοῖς ὑπηρετουμένοις αὐτῷ προχωροῦντος τοῦ πότου πατάξαι τὸν ̓Αμνὼν καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι. καὶ ἐποίησαν ουτως οἱ παῖδες ̓Αβεσαλώμ. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ λοιποὶ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱοὶ τὸ γενόμενον εφυγον. φήμης δὲ προελθούσης ὡς εκτεινε πάντας τοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως υἱοὺς ὁ ̓Αβεσαλώμ, διέρρηξε τὴν ἐσθῆτα αὐτοῦ ὁ ∆αβὶδ καὶ επεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν θρηνῶν. ἐν τοσούτῳ δ' ηκασιν οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱοὶ καὶ τὸν φόνον τοῦ ̓Αμνὼν πενθοῦντες ἀπήγγειλαν. ̓Αβεσαλὼμ δὲ ἀπέδρα πρὸς τὸν πάππον τὸν πρὸς μητρός, τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Γέθ, καὶ ἐπὶ τριετίαν ην διάγων ἐκεῖ. τῆς ὀργῆς δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ λωφησάσης καταλλαγῆναι τὸν βασιλέα τῷ ̓Αβεσαλὼμ ἐσοφίσατο ὁ ̓Ιωάβ. γύναιον γάρ τι παρεσκεύασεν ὡς πενθοῦν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθεῖν καὶ ἀποδύρεσθαι, οτι δύο παίδων οντων αὐτῇ, καὶ θατέρου τὸν ετερον κτείναντος, οἱ συγγενεῖς ἀνελεῖν ζητοῦσι τὸν περιόντα 1.110 διὰ τὸν φόνον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ· καὶ δέεσθαι τοῦ βασιλέως χαρίσασθαι αὐτῇ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς σωτηρίαν. ἡ μὲν ουν προσελθοῦσα τῷ βασιλεῖ περιπαθῶς ειπε ταῦτα, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν ζωὴν αὐτῇ χαρίσασθαι τοῦ παιδὸς ἐπηγγείλατο. καὶ ἡ γυνὴ χάριτας ὡμολόγει αὐτῷ· "ινα