2 Samuel 12:1-15

Nathan the Prophet Confronts David

12:1 So the Lord sent Nathan ¹  to David. When he came to David, ²  Nathan ³  said, ⁴  “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 12:2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 12:3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. ⁵  It used to ⁶  eat his food, ⁷  drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. ⁸  It was just like a daughter to him.

12:4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, ⁹  he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed ¹⁰  the traveler who had come to visit him. ¹¹  Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked ¹²  it for the man who had come to visit him.”

12:5 Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! ¹³  12:6 Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!” ¹⁴ 

12:7 Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose ¹⁵  you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 12:8 I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your arms. ¹⁶  I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well! 12:9 Why have you shown contempt for the word of the Lord by doing evil in my ¹⁷  sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife as your own! ¹⁸  You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 12:10 So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!’ 12:11 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you ¹⁹  from inside your own household! ²⁰  Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion. ²¹  He will have sexual relations with ²²  your wives in broad daylight! ²³  12:12 Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.’” ²⁴ 

12:13 Then David exclaimed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord!” Nathan replied to David, “Yes, and the Lord has forgiven ²⁵  your sin. You are not going to die. 12:14 Nonetheless, because you have treated the Lord with such contempt ²⁶  in this matter, the son who has been born to you will certainly die.”

12:15 Then Nathan went to his home. The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill. ²⁷ 

Job 4:3-4

4:3 Look, ²⁸  you have instructed ²⁹  many;

you have strengthened ³⁰  feeble hands. ³¹ 

4:4 Your words have supported ³²  those

who stumbled, ³³ 

and you have strengthened the knees

that gave way. ³⁴ 

Isaiah 35:3-4

35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,

steady the knees that shake! ³⁵ 

35:4 Tell those who panic, ³⁶ 

“Be strong! Do not fear!

Look, your God comes to avenge!

With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.” ³⁷ 

Ezekiel 34:16

34:16 I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them – with judgment!

Matthew 9:13

9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ³⁸  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 18:12-15

18:12 What do you think? If someone ³⁹  owns a hundred ⁴⁰  sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? ⁴¹  18:13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, ⁴²  he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.

Restoring Christian Relationships

18:15 “If ⁴³  your brother ⁴⁴  sins, ⁴⁵  go and show him his fault ⁴⁶  when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.

Luke 15:4-7

15:4 “Which one ⁴⁷  of you, if he has a hundred ⁴⁸  sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture ⁴⁹  and go look for ⁵⁰  the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵¹  15:5 Then ⁵²  when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 15:6 Returning ⁵³  home, he calls together ⁵⁴  his ⁵⁵  friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ⁵⁶  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ⁵⁷  who have no need to repent. ⁵⁸ 

Luke 15:22-32

15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ⁵⁹  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ⁶⁰  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ⁶¹  and sandals ⁶²  on his feet! 15:23 Bring ⁶³  the fattened calf ⁶⁴  and kill it! Let us eat ⁶⁵  and celebrate, 15:24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ⁶⁶  So ⁶⁷  they began to celebrate.

15:25 “Now his older son was in the field. As ⁶⁸  he came and approached the house, he heard music ⁶⁹  and dancing. 15:26 So ⁷⁰  he called one of the slaves ⁷¹  and asked what was happening. 15:27 The slave replied, ⁷²  ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf ⁷³  because he got his son ⁷⁴  back safe and sound.’ 15:28 But the older son ⁷⁵  became angry ⁷⁶  and refused ⁷⁷  to go in. His father came out and appealed to him, 15:29 but he answered ⁷⁸  his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave ⁷⁹  for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet ⁸⁰  you never gave me even a goat ⁸¹  so that I could celebrate with my friends! 15:30 But when this son of yours ⁸²  came back, who has devoured ⁸³  your assets with prostitutes, ⁸⁴  you killed the fattened calf ⁸⁵  for him!’ 15:31 Then ⁸⁶  the father ⁸⁷  said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours. 15:32 It was appropriate ⁸⁸  to celebrate and be glad, for your brother ⁸⁹  was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” ⁹⁰ 

Hebrews 12:13

12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, ⁹¹  so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

James 5:19-20

5:19 My brothers and sisters, ⁹²  if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 5:20 he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path ⁹³  will save that person’s ⁹⁴  soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

James 5:1

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ⁹⁵  over the miseries that are coming on you.

James 5:16

5:16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. ⁹⁶ 

Jude 1:22-23

1:22 And have mercy on those who waver; 1:23 save ⁹⁷  others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy ⁹⁸  on others, coupled with a fear of God, ⁹⁹  hating even the clothes stained ¹⁰⁰  by the flesh. ¹⁰¹ 

[12:1]  ¹ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add “the prophet.” The words are included in a few modern English version (e.g., TEV, CEV, NLT).

[12:1]  ² tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text repeats “to him.”

[12:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his sons.”

[12:3]  ⁶ tn The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.

[12:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “from his morsel.”

[12:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lay.”

[12:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “came to the rich man.” In the translation “arrived at the rich man’s home” has been used for stylistic reasons.

[12:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he refused to take from his flock and from his herd to prepare [a meal] for.”

[12:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “who had come to him” (also a second time later in this verse). The word “visit” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.

[12:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and prepared.”

[12:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the man doing this [is] a son of death.” See 1 Sam 20:31 for another use of this expression, which must mean “he is as good as dead” or “he deserves to die,” as 1 Sam 20:32 makes clear.

[12:6]  ¹⁴ tc With the exception of the Lucianic recension, the Old Greek translation has here “sevenfold” rather than “fourfold,” a reading that S. R. Driver thought probably to be the original reading (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 291). However, Exod 22:1 [21:37 HT] specifies fourfold repayment for a stolen sheep, which is consistent with 2 Sam 12:6. Some mss of the Targum and the Syriac Peshitta exaggerate the idea to “fortyfold.”

[12:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “anointed.”

[12:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the wives of your lord into your chest [or “lap”].” The words “I put” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

[12:9]  ¹⁷ tc So the Qere; the Kethib has “his.”

[12:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “to you for a wife.” This expression also occurs at the end of v. 10.

[12:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “raise up against you disaster.”

[12:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); NCV, TEV, CEV “family.”

[12:11]  ²¹ tn Or “friend.”

[12:11]  ²² tn Heb “will lie with” (so NIV, NRSV); TEV “will have intercourse with”; CEV, NLT “will go to bed with.”

[12:11]  ²³ tn Heb “in the eyes of this sun.”

[12:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and before the sun.”

[12:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “removed.”

[12:14]  ²⁶ tc The MT has here “because you have caused the enemies of the Lord to treat the Lord with such contempt.” This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this ancient tradition, the scribes changed the text in order to soften somewhat the negative light in which David was presented. If that is the case, the MT reflects the altered text. The present translation departs from the MT here. Elsewhere the Piel stem of this verb means “treat with contempt,” but never “cause someone to treat with contempt.”

[12:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and the Lord struck the child…and he was ill.” It is necessary to repeat “the child” in the translation to make clear who became ill, since “the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became very ill” could be understood to mean that David himself became ill.

[4:3]  ²⁸ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) summons attention; it has the sense of “consider, look.”

[4:3]  ²⁹ tn The verb יָסַר (yasar) in the Piel means “to correct,” whether by words with the sense of teach, or by chastening with the sense of punish, discipline. The double meaning of “teach” and “discipline” is also found with the noun מוּסָר (musar).

[4:3]  ³⁰ tn The parallelism again uses a perfect verb in the first colon and an imperfect in the second; but since the sense of the line is clearly what Job has done in the past, the second verb may be treated as a preterite, or a customary imperfect – what Job repeatedly did in the past (GKC 315 §107.e). The words in this verse may have double meanings. The word יָסַר (yasar, “teach, discipline”) may have the idea of instruction and correction, but also the connotation of strength (see Y. Hoffmann, “The Use of Equivocal Words in the First Speech of Eliphaz [Job IV–V],” VT 30 [1980]: 114-19).

[4:3]  ³¹ tn The “feeble hands” are literally “hands hanging down.” This is a sign of weakness, helplessness, or despondency (see 2 Sam 4:1; Isa 13:7).

[4:4]  ³² tn Both verbs in this line are imperfects, and probably carry the same nuance as the last verb in v. 3, namely, either customary imperfect or preterite. The customary has the aspect of stressing that this was what Job used to do.

[4:4]  ³³ tn The form is the singular active participle, interpreted here collectively. The verb is used of knees that give way (Isa 35:3; Ps 109:24).

[4:4]  ³⁴ tn The expression is often translated as “feeble knees,” but it literally says “the bowing [or “tottering”] knees.” The figure is one who may be under a heavy load whose knees begin to shake and buckle (see also Heb 12:12).

[35:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”

[35:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.

[35:4]  ³⁷ tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (vÿyosha’akhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.

[9:13]  ³⁸ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[18:12]  ³⁹ tn Grk “a certain man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[18:12]  ⁴⁰ sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[18:12]  ⁴¹ sn Look for the one that went astray. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.

[18:13]  ⁴² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:15]  ⁴³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. All the “if” clauses in this paragraph are third class conditions in Greek.

[18:15]  ⁴⁴ tn The Greek term “brother” can mean “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a) whether male or female. It can also refer to siblings, though here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God. Therefore, because of the familial connotations, “brother” has been retained in the translation here in preference to the more generic “fellow believer” (“fellow Christian” would be anachronistic in this context).

[18:15]  ⁴⁵ tc ‡ The earliest and best witnesses lack “against you” after “if your brother sins.” It is quite possible that the shorter reading in these witnesses (א B, as well as 0281 ˹ 579 pc sa) occurred when scribes either intentionally changed the text (to make it more universal in application) or unintentionally changed the text (owing to the similar sound of the end of the verb ἁμαρτήσῃ [Jamarthsh] and the prepositional phrase εἰς σέ [eis se]). However, if the mss were normally copied by sight rather than by sound, especially in the early centuries of Christianity, such an unintentional change is not as likely for these mss. And since scribes normally added material rather than deleted it for intentional changes, on balance, the shorter reading appears to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “go reprove him.”

[15:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[15:4]  ⁴⁸ sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[15:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

[15:4]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

[15:4]  ⁵¹ sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.

[15:5]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “And coming into his…” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:6]  ⁵⁴ sn A touch of drama may be present, as the term calls together can mean a formal celebration (1 Kgs 1:9-10).

[15:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215). It occurs before “neighbors” as well (“his friends and his neighbors”) but has not been translated the second time because of English style.

[15:7]  ⁵⁶ sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

[15:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[15:22]  ⁵⁹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[15:22]  ⁶⁰ sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

[15:22]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

[15:22]  ⁶² sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.

[15:23]  ⁶³ tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:23]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

[15:23]  ⁶⁵ tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:24]  ⁶⁶ sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.

[15:24]  ⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.

[15:25]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:25]  ⁶⁹ sn This would have been primarily instrumental music, but might include singing as well.

[15:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the older son hearing the noise of the celebration in progress.

[15:26]  ⁷¹ tn The Greek term here, παῖς (pais), describes a slave, possibly a household servant regarded with some affection (L&N 87.77).

[15:27]  ⁷² tn Grk “And he said to him.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated. The rest of the phrase has been simplified to “the slave replied,” with the referent (the slave) specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:27]  ⁷³ tn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.

[15:27]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the younger son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:28]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the older son, v. 25) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:28]  ⁷⁶ tn The aorist verb ὠργίσθη (wrgisqh) has been translated as an ingressive aorist, reflecting entry into a state or condition.

[15:28]  ⁷⁷ sn Ironically the attitude of the older son has left him outside and without joy.

[15:29]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”

[15:29]  ⁷⁹ tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.

[15:29]  ⁸⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.

[15:29]  ⁸¹ sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”

[15:30]  ⁸² sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

[15:30]  ⁸³ sn This is another graphic description. The younger son’s consumption had been like a glutton. He had both figuratively and literally devoured the assets which were given to him.

[15:30]  ⁸⁴ sn The charge concerning the prostitutes is unproven, but essentially the older brother accuses the father of committing an injustice by rewarding his younger son’s unrighteous behavior.

[15:30]  ⁸⁵ sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.

[15:31]  ⁸⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.

[15:31]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:32]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “necessary.”

[15:32]  ⁸⁹ sn By referring to him as your brother, the father reminded the older brother that the younger brother was part of the family.

[15:32]  ⁹⁰ sn The theme he was lost and is found is repeated from v. 24. The conclusion is open-ended. The reader is left to ponder with the older son (who pictures the scribes and Pharisees) what the response will be. The parable does not reveal the ultimate response of the older brother. Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned.

[12:13]  ⁹¹ sn A quotation from Prov 4:26. The phrase make straight paths for your feet is figurative for “stay on God’s paths.”

[5:19]  ⁹² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[5:20]  ⁹³ tn Grk “from the error of his way” (using the same root as the verb “to wander, to err” in the first part of the verse).

[5:20]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “his soul”; the referent (the sinner mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:1]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[5:16]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “the fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful”; Grk “is very powerful in its working.”

[1:23]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “and save.”

[1:23]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “and have mercy.”

[1:23]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “with fear.” But as this contrasts with ἀφόβως (afobw") in v. 12 (without reverence), the posture of the false teachers, it most likely refers to reverence for God.

[1:23]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The imagery here suggests that the things close to the sinners are contaminated by them, presumably during the process of sinning.

[1:23]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “hating even the tunic spotted by the flesh.” The “flesh” in this instance could refer to the body or to the sin nature. It makes little difference in one sense: Jude is thinking primarily of sexual sins, which are borne of the sin nature and manifest themselves in inappropriate deeds done with the body. At the same time, he is not saying that the body is intrinsically bad, a view held by the opponents of Christianity. Hence, it is best to see “flesh” as referring to the sin nature here and the language as metaphorical.