2 Samuel 11:1

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

11:1 In the spring of the year, at the time when kings ¹  normally conduct wars, ²  David sent out Joab with his officers ³  and the entire Israelite army. ⁴  They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. ⁵ 

2 Samuel 15:14

15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, ⁶  “Come on! ⁷  Let’s escape! ⁸  Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring ⁹  disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” ¹⁰ 

2 Samuel 16:3

16:3 The king asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” ¹¹  Ziba replied to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem, ¹²  for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather’s ¹³  kingdom.’”

¹ tc Codex Leningrad (B19A), on which BHS is based, has here “messengers” (הַמַּלְאכִים, hammal’khim), probably as the result of contamination from the occurrence of that word in v. 4. The present translation follows most Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, which read “kings” (הַמֶּלָאכִים, hammela’kim).

² tn Heb “go out.”

³ tn Heb “and his servants with him.”

⁴ tn Heb “all Israel.”

⁵ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts David’s inactivity with the army’s activity.

⁶ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁷ tn Heb “Arise!”

⁸ tn Heb “let’s flee.”

⁹ tn Heb “thrust.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

¹¹ tn Heb “son.”

¹² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹³ tn Heb “my father’s.”