2 Samuel 11:16-25

11:16 So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers ¹  were. 11:17 When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers ²  fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.

11:18 Then Joab sent a full battle report to David. ³  11:19 He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king, 11:20 if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall? 11:21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone ⁴  down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ just say to him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”

11:22 So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him. 11:23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and attacked us ⁵  in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way ⁶  to the door of the city gate. 11:24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers ⁷  died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” 11:25 David said to the messenger, “Tell Joab, ‘Don’t let this thing upset you. ⁸  There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down. ⁹  Press the battle against the city and conquer ¹⁰  it.’ Encourage him with these words.” ¹¹ 

2 Samuel 12:26-31

David’s Forces Defeat the Ammonites

12:26 ¹² So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 12:27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city. ¹³  12:28 So now assemble the rest of the army ¹⁴  and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.”

12:29 So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. 12:30 He took the crown of their king ¹⁵  from his head – it was gold, weighed about seventy-five pounds, ¹⁶  and held a precious stone – and it was placed on David’s head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder. 12:31 He removed ¹⁷  the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy ¹⁸  with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ 

[11:16]  ¹ tn Heb “the valiant men.” This refers in context to the strongest or most valiant defenders of the city Joab and the Israelite army were besieging, so the present translation uses “the best enemy soldiers” for clarity.

[11:17]  ² tn Heb “some of the people from the servants of David.”

[11:18]  ³ tn Heb “Joab sent and related to David all the matters of the battle.”

[11:21]  ⁴ sn The upper millstone (Heb “millstone of riding”) refers to the heavy circular stone that was commonly rolled over a circular base in order to crush and grind such things as olives.

[11:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “and came out to us.”

[11:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “but we were on them.”

[11:24]  ⁷ tc The translation follows the Qere (“your servants”) rather than the Kethib (“your servant”).

[11:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “let not this matter be evil in your eyes.”

[11:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “according to this and according to this the sword devours.”

[11:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “overthrow.”

[11:25]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text does not have “with these words.” They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[12:26]  ¹² sn Here the narrative resumes the battle story that began in 11:1 (see 11:25). The author has interrupted that story to give the related account of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. He now returns to the earlier story and brings it to a conclusion.

[12:27]  ¹³ sn The expression translated the water supply of the city (Heb “the city of the waters”) apparently refers to that part of the fortified city that guarded the water supply of the entire city. Joab had already captured this part of the city, but he now defers to King David for the capture of the rest of the city. In this way the king will receive the credit for this achievement.

[12:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “people.” So also in vv. 29, 31.

[12:30]  ¹⁵ tn Part of the Greek tradition wrongly understands Hebrew מַלְכָּם (malkam, “their king”) as a proper name (“Milcom”). Some English versions follow the Greek here, rendering the phrase “the crown of Milcom” (so NRSV; cf. also NAB, CEV). TEV takes this as a reference not to the Ammonite king but to “the idol of the Ammonite god Molech.”

[12:30]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and its weight [was] a talent of gold.” The weight of this ornamental crown was approximately 75 lbs (34 kg). See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 313.

[12:31]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “brought out.”

[12:31]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and so he would do.”

[12:31]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.