David and Bathsheba
King David had done something deeply wrong -- he had wronged a man named Uriah and hurt his family -- and for a long time, David said nothing about it. So God sent the prophet Nathan to speak to him.
Nathan told David a story: in a certain town, there was a rich man with many flocks and herds, and a poor man who had nothing but one little ewe lamb he had raised like a daughter, sharing his food and cup with it. When a traveler came to visit the rich man, instead of taking one of his own many animals to feed his guest, the rich man took the poor man's only lamb and prepared it instead.
David was furious. "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!" he said. "He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." Nathan looked at David and said simply, "You are that man."
David's heart broke. "I have sinned against the LORD," he said. Nathan told him that the LORD had taken away his sin -- David would not die for it -- though there would still be painful consequences ahead. David's honest confession, and God's readiness to forgive him, became one of the Bible's clearest pictures of repentance and grace.
Read the Bible passage
See the full scripture text this story is based on.
- 12:1And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
- 12:2The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
- 12:3But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
- 12:4And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
- 12:5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
- 12:6And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
- 12:7And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
- 12:8And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
- 12:9Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
- 12:10Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
- 12:11Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
- 12:12For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
- 12:13And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
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