<p class="bodytext">Then the king said to his servants, &#8220;Do you not realize that a great leader<n id="1" /> has fallen this day in Israel?

So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?&#8221;p>

Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Abner called out to Joab, &#8220;Must the sword devour forever? Don&#8217;t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?&#8221;

Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept<n id="1" /> in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove<n id="2" /> you from the earth?&#8221;p>

the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, &#8220;Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy?<n id="1" /> No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">So they informed David, &#8220;Uriah has not gone down to his house.&#8221; So David said to Uriah, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven&#8217;t you gone down to your house?&#8221;

if the king becomes angry and asks you, &#8216;Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn&#8217;t you realize they would shoot from the wall?

Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn&#8217;t a woman throw an upper millstone<n id="1" /> down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?&#8217; just say to him, &#8216;Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.&#8217;&#8221;p>

He asked Amnon,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Why are you, the king&#8217;s son,<n id="2" /> so depressed every morning? Can&#8217;t you tell me?&#8221; So Amnon said to him, &#8220;I&#8217;m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Absalom instructed his servants, &#8220;Look! When Amnon is drunk<n id="1" /> and I say to you, &#8216;Strike Amnon down,&#8217; kill him then and there. Don&#8217;t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!&#8221;<n id="2" />

Say to Amasa, &#8216;Are you not my flesh and blood?<n id="1" /> God will punish me severely,<n id="2" /> if from this time on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!&#8217;&#8221;p>

But David said, &#8220;What do we have in common,<n id="1" /> you sons of Zeruiah? You are like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don&#8217;t you realize that today I am king over Israel?&#8221;