But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.

So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.

In the letter he wrote: “Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”

The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and attacked us in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way to the door of the city gate.

Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.”

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!

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.

When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he realized that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” They replied, “Yes, he’s dead.”

Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.

So David sent Tamar to the house saying, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare some food for him.”

But she said to him, “No I won’t, for sending me away now would be worse than what you did to me earlier!” But he refused to listen to her.

Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work. Let the king and his servants go with me.”

While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!”

But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David grieved over his son every day.

So the Tekoan woman went to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me, O king!”

The Tekoan woman said to the king, “My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!”

Then the king said to Joab, “All right! I will do this thing! Go and bring back the young man Absalom!

Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?”

Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty of the citizens of Israel.

After four years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron.