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2 Samuel 11:17

Verse 17 of 27. The 11th of 24 chapters in 2 Samuel, in History.

13When David had called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. At evening, he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but didn’t go down to his house.

14In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15He wrote in the letter, saying, “Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck and die.”

16When Joab kept watch on the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.

17The men of the city went out and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of David’s servants; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

19and he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king,

20it shall be that, if the king’s wrath arise, and he asks you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall?

21Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”

Read 2 Samuel 11

World English Bible. Public domain. Set as prose throughout, including the poetry, because the text is published to us without its lines.