And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth to war, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem.

Factum est autem, vertente anno, eo tempore quo solent reges ad bella procedere, misit David Joab, et servos suos cum eo, et universum Israël, et vastaverunt filios Ammon, et obsederunt Rabba: David autem remansit in Jerusalem.

And now spring returned, the time when kings march out to battle; and David sent Joab, with other servants of his and the whole army of Israel, to lay waste the Ammonite country and besiege Rabba, while he himself remained at Jerusalem.

In the mean time it happened that David arose from his bed after noon, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and he saw from the roof of his house a woman washing herself, over against him: and the woman was very beautiful.

Dum hæc agerentur, accidit ut surgeret David de strato suo post meridiem, et deambularet in solario domus regiæ: viditque mulierem se lavantem ex adverso super solarium suum: erat autem mulier pulchra valde.

One day, he had risen from his mid-day rest, and was walking on the roof of his palace, when he saw a woman come up to bathe on the roof of a house opposite, a woman of rare beauty.

And the king sent, and inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias the Hethite.

Misit ergo rex, et requisivit quæ esset mulier. Nuntiatumque est ei quod ipsa esset Bethsabee filia Eliam, uxor Uriæ Hethæi.

So the king sent to enquire who she was, and was told that it was Bethsabee, Eliam’s daughter, wife to Urias the Hethite.

And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in to him, and he slept with her: and presently she was purified from her uncleanness:

Missis itaque David nuntiis, tulit eam: quæ cum ingressa esset ad illum, dormivit cum ea: statimque sanctificata est ab immunditia sua,

Thereupon he sent messengers to bring her to him; she came, and he mated with her, and as soon as she was cleansed from her defilement, back she went to her home.

And she returned to her house having conceived. And she sent and told David, and said: I have conceived.

et reversa est domum suam concepto fœtu. Mittensque nuntiavit David, et ait: Concepi.

Then, finding she had conceived, she sent the news of her conception to David.

And David sent to Joab, saying: Send me Urias the Hethite. And Joab sent Urias to David.

Misit autem David ad Joab, dicens: Mitte ad me Uriam Hethæum. Misitque Joab Uriam ad David.

Therewith came a message to Joab, summoning Urias the Hethite to David’s presence. So Joab sent him;

And Urias came to David. And David asked how Joab did, and the people, and how the war was carried on.

Et venit Urias ad David. Quæsivitque David quam recte ageret Joab et populus, et quomodo administraretur bellum.

and David, when Urias reached him, asked whether all was well with Joab and the army, and how the fighting went;

And David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet. And Urias went out from the king’s house, and there went out after him a mess of meat from the king.

Et dixit David ad Uriam: Vade in domum tuam, et lava pedes tuos. Et egressus est Urias de domo regis, secutusque est eum cibus regius.

then he bade him go back home and wash the dust from his feet. So Urias left the palace, and the king sent food after him from the royal table;

But Urias slept before the gate of the king’s house, with the other servants of his lord, and went not down to his own house.

Dormivit autem Urias ante portam domus regiæ cum aliis servis domini sui, et non descendit ad domum suam.

but Urias slept the night at the palace gate among his master’s attendants; go home he would not.

And it was told David by some that said: Urias went not to his house. And David said to Urias: Didst thou not come from thy journey? why didst thou not go down to thy house?

Nuntiatumque est David a dicentibus: Non ivit Urias in domum suam. Et ait David ad Uriam: Numquid non de via venisti? quare non descendisti in domum tuam?

Then David, learning from common talk that Urias had not gone home, said to him, Thou art newly come from a journey; why wouldst thou not go back to thy house?

And Urias said to David: The ark of God and Israel and Juda dwell in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide upon the face of the earth: and shall I go into my house, to eat and to drink, and to sleep with my wife? By thy welfare and by the welfare of thy soul I will not do this thing.

Et ait Urias ad David: Arca Dei et Israël et Juda habitant in papilionibus, et dominus meus Joab et servi domini mei super faciem terræ manent: et ego ingrediar domum meam, ut comedam et bibam, et dormiam cum uxore mea? Per salutem tuam, et per salutem animæ tuæ, non faciam rem hanc.

What, answered Urias, here are the ark of God and all Israel and all Juda encamped in tents, here are my lord Joab and all those other servants of my master sleeping on the hard ground; should I go home, and eat, and drink, and bed with my wife? The Lord save thee and keep thee, never that!

Then David said to Urias: Tarry here to day, and to morrow I will send thee away. Urias tarried in Jerusalem that day and the next.

Ait ergo David ad Uriam: Mane hic etiam hodie, et cras dimittam te. Mansit Urias in Jerusalem in die illa et altera:

David bade him stay one day more; he would let him go on the morrow. That day and the next Urias spent in Jerusalem,

And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went not down into his house.

et vocavit eum David ut comederet coram se et biberet, et inebriavit eum: qui egressus vespere, dormivit in strato suo cum servis domini sui, et in domum suam non descendit.

and ever he must eat and drink in the king’s presence, till he was bemused with wine; but still, when he went out at night, he made his bed beside his master’s attendants, and never returned to his home.

And when the morning was come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand of Urias,

Factum est ergo mane, et scripsit David epistolam ad Joab: misitque per manum Uriæ,

Next morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, which he despatched by Urias himself;

Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him, that he may be wounded and die.

scribens in epistola: Ponite Uriam ex adverso belli, ubi fortissimum est prælium: et derelinquite eum, ut percussus intereat.

and this was its purport, You are to find a place for Urias in the first line, where the fighting is bitterest; there leave him unaided, to die by the enemy’s hands.

Wherefore as Joab was besieging the city, he put Urias in the place where he knew the bravest men were.

Igitur cum Joab obsideret urbem, posuit Uriam in loco ubi sciebat viros esse fortissimos.

So, when he next made an assault upon the city, Joab gave Urias the post where he knew the defenders were strongest;

And the men coming out of the city, fought against Joab, and there fell some of the people of the servants of David, and Urias the Hethite was killed also.

Egressique viri de civitate, bellabant adversum Joab, et ceciderunt de populo servorum David, et mortuus est etiam Urias Hethæus.

and some of these made a sally against Joab’s men, killing Urias and other of David’s men besides.

Then Joab sent, and told David all things concerning the battle.

Misit itaque Joab, et nuntiavit David omnia verba prælii:

Then Joab sent David a full account of the battle;

And he charged the messenger, saying: When thou hast told all the words of the battle to the king,

præcepitque nuntio, dicens: Cum compleveris universos sermones belli ad regem,

and this was his word to the messenger who carried it: When thou hast finished giving the king the report of the battle,

If thou see him to be angry, and he shall say: Why did you approach so near to the wall to fight? knew you not that many darts are thrown from above off the wall?

si eum videris indignari, et dixerit: Quare accessistis ad murum, ut præliaremini? an ignorabatis quod multa desuper ex muro tela mittantur?

it may be he will shew indignation. Why did you go so close to the wall, he will ask, when you were attacking it? You must have known that weapons fall thick under the battlements.

Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerobaal? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, and slew him in Thebes? Why did you go near the wall? Thou shalt say: Thy servant Urias the Hethite is also slain.

Quis percussit Abimelech filium Jerobaal? nonne mulier misit super eum fragmen molæ de muro, et interfecit eum in Thebes? quare juxta murum accessistis? dices: Etiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus occubuit.

How fell Abimelech, that was son to Jerobaal? Was it not a piece of mill-stone, thrown by a woman, that killed him, there at Thebes? Why did you go so close to the wall? Then let this be thy answer, Thy servant Urias the Hethite is among the dead.

So the messenger departed, and came and told David all that Joab had commanded him.

Abiit ergo nuntius, et venit, et narravit David omnia quæ ei præceperat Joab.

So the messenger left him, and when he came into David’s presence he gave him all Joab’s message.

And the messenger said to David: The men prevailed against us, and they came out to us into the field: and we vigorously charged and pursued them even to the gate of the city.

Et dixit nuntius ad David: Prævaluerunt adversum nos viri, et egressi sunt ad nos in agrum: nos autem facto impetu persecuti eos sumus usque ad portam civitatis.

The enemy were too strong for us, he told David; they sallied out to fight us in the open, so we went to the attack, and chased them back to the very gate of the city.

And the archers shot their arrows at thy servants from off the wall above: and some of the king’s servants are slain, and thy servant Urias the Hethite is also dead.

Et direxerunt jacula sagittarii ad servos tuos ex muro desuper, mortuique sunt de servis regis: quin etiam servus tuus Urias Hethæus mortuus est.

But here the archers were shooting at us from the wall above, and many of the king’s men fell; thy servant Urias the Hethite is among the dead.

And David said to the messenger: Thus shalt thou say to Joab: Let not this thing discourage thee: for various is the event of war: and sometimes one, sometimes another is consumed by the sword: encourage thy warriors against the city, and exhort them that thou mayest overthrow it.

Et dixit David ad nuntium: Hæc dices Joab: Non te frangat ista res: varius enim eventus est belli, nunc hunc, et nunc illum consumit gladius: conforta bellatores tuos adversus urbem ut destruas eam, et exhortare eos.

Upon this, David sent him back with a message for Joab: Never be daunted by what has befallen; still uncertain are the chances of war; now one, now another, the sword claims for its prey. Hurl thy men ever more strongly against the city, and destroy it; bid them keep their courage high.

And the wife of Urias heard that Urias her husband was dead, and she mourned for him.

Audivit autem uxor Uriæ quod mortuus esset Urias vir suus, et planxit eum.

When Urias’ wife heard that he was dead, she mourned for him;

And the mourning being over, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore him a son: and this thing which David had done, was displeasing to the Lord.

Transacto autem luctu, misit David, et introduxit eam in domum suam, et facta est ei uxor, peperitque ei filium: et displicuit verbum hoc quod fecerat David, coram Domino.

her mourning over, David sent and fetched her to his palace, wedded her and had a son by her. But meanwhile David’s act had earned the Lord’s displeasure.