1 Now after these things, it happened that the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned after him.
2 And David said, “I will show mercy to Hanun, the son of Nahash, just as his father showed mercy to me.” Therefore, David sent consolation to him, by his servants, over the passing of his father. But when the servants of David had arrived in the land of the sons of Ammon,
3 the leaders of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, their lord: “Do you think it was because of the honor of your father that David sent consolers to you? And did not David send his servants to you, so that he might investigate and explore the city, and so that he might overthrow it?”
4 And so, Hanun took the servants of David, and he shaved off one half part of their beards, and he cut their garments at the middle, as far as the buttocks, and he sent them away.
5 And when this had been reported to David, he sent to meet them. And the men were greatly disturbed by shame. And David commanded them, “Remain in Jericho, until your beards grow, and then return.”
6 Now the sons of Ammon, seeing that they had done an injury to David, sent for, and paid wages to, the Syrians of Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and from the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and from Tob, twelve thousand men.
7 And when David had heard this, he sent Joab and the entire army of warriors.
8 Then the sons of Ammon went forth, and they positioned their battle line before the very entrance of the gates. But the Syrians of Zobah, and of Rehob, and of Tob, and of Maacah, were by themselves in the field.
9 And so, seeing that the battle had been prepared against him, both facing him and behind, Joab chose some from all of the elect men of Israel, and he set up a battle line opposite the Syrians.
10 But the remaining part of the people he delivered to his brother Abishai, who formed a battle line against the sons of Ammon.
11 And Joab said: “If the Syrians prevail against me, then you shall assist me. But if the sons of Ammon prevail against you, then I will assist you.
12 Be valiant men. And let us fight on behalf of our people and the city of our God. Then the Lord will do what is good in his own sight.”
13 And so, Joab, and the people who were with him, undertook the conflict against the Syrians, who immediately fled before their face.
14 Then, seeing that the Syrians had fled, the sons of Ammon themselves also fled from the face of Abishai, and they entered into the city. And Joab returned from the sons of Ammon, and he went to Jerusalem.
15 And so, the Syrians, seeing that they had fallen before Israel, gathered themselves together.
16 And Hadadezer sent and brought the Syrians who were beyond the river, and he led in their army. And Shobach, the rule of the military of Hadadezer, was their leader.
17 And when this had been reported to David, he drew together all of Israel. And he crossed over the Jordan, and he went to Helam. And the Syrians formed a battle line opposite David, and they fought against him.
18 And the Syrians fled before the face of Israel. And David killed, among the Syrians, the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen. And he struck down Shobach, the leader of the military, who immediately died.
19 Then all the kings who were in the reinforcements of Hadadezer, seeing themselves to be defeated by Israel, were very afraid and they fled: fifty-eight thousand men before Israel. And they made peace with Israel, and they served them. And the Syrians were afraid to offer assistance to the sons of Ammon anymore.
1 Now it happened that, at the turn of the year, in the time when kings usually go forth to war, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all of Israel, and they laid waste to the sons of Ammon, and they besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 While these things were taking place, David happened to arise from his bed after midday, and he walked upon the terrace of the king’s house. And he saw, across from his terrace, a woman washing herself. And the woman was very beautiful.
3 Therefore, the king sent and inquired who the woman might be. And it was reported to him that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite.
4 And so, David sent messengers, and he took her. And when she had entered to him, he slept with her. And presently, she was purified from her uncleanness.
5 And she returned to her house, having conceived an unborn child. And sending, she informed David, and she said, “I have conceived.”
6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah, the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 And Uriah went to David. And David inquired whether Joab was doing well, and about the people, and how the war was being conducted.
8 And David said to Uriah, “Go into your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah departed from the house of the king. And a meal from the king followed after him.
9 But Uriah slept before the gate of the king’s house, with the other servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his own house.
10 And it was reported to David by some, saying, “Uriah did not go into his house.” And David said to Uriah: “Did you not arrive from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
11 And Uriah said to David: “The ark of God, and Israel and Judah, dwell in tents, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, stay upon the face of the earth. And should I then go into my own house, so that I may eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By your welfare and by the welfare of your soul, I will not do this thing.”
12 Therefore, David said to Uriah, “Even so, remain here today, and tomorrow I will send you away.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem, on that day and the next.
13 And David called him, so that he might eat and drink before him, and he made him inebriated. And departing in the evening, he slept on his bedding, with the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his own house.
14 Therefore, when morning arrived, David wrote a letter to Joab. And he sent it by the hand of Uriah,
15 writing in the letter: “Place Uriah opposite the warfare, where the battle is the strongest, and then abandon him, so that, having been wounded, he may die.”
16 And so, when Joab was besieging the city, he positioned Uriah in the place where he knew the strongest men to be.
17 And the men, departing from the city, made war against Joab. And some of the people among the servants of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 And so, Joab sent and reported to David every word about the battle.
19 And he instructed the messenger, saying: “When you have completed all the words about the war to the king,
20 if you see him to be angry, and if he says: ‘Why did you draw near to the wall in order to fight? Are you ignorant that many darts are thrown from above the wall?
21 Who struck down Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman throw a fragment of a millstone upon him from the wall, and so kill him at Thebez? Why did you approach beside the wall?’ then you shall say: ‘Your servant Uriah, the Hittite, also lies dead.’ “
22 Therefore, the messenger departed. And he went and described to David all that Joab had instructed him.
23 And the messenger said to David: “The men prevailed against us, and they went out to us in the field. Then we pursued them, making an assault, even to the gate of the city.
24 And the archers directed their arrows at your servants from the wall above. And some of the king’s servants died, and then also your servant Uriah the Hittite died.”
25 And David said to the messenger: “You shall say these things to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter dishearten you. For varied are the events of war. Now this one, and now that one, is consumed by the sword. Encourage your warriors against the city and exhort them, so that you may destroy it.’ “
26 Then the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, and she mourned for him.
27 But when the lamentation was completed, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore a son to him. And this word, which David had done, was displeasing in the sight of the Lord.
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20 The soul that sins, the same shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The justice of the just man shall be upon himself, but the impiety of the impious man shall be upon himself.
21 But if the impious man does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and if he keeps all my precepts, and accomplishes judgment and justice, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.
22 I will not remember all his iniquities, which he has worked; by his justice, which he has worked, he shall live.
23 How could it be my will that an impious man should die, says the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?
24 But if a just man turns himself away from his justice, and does iniquity in accord with all the abominations that the impious man so often does, why should he live? All his justices, which he has accomplished, shall not be remembered. By the transgression, in which he has transgressed, and by his sin, in which he has sinned, by these he shall die.
25 And you have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore, listen, O house of Israel. How could it be that my way is not fair? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?
26 For when the just man turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he shall die by this; by the injustice that he has worked, he shall die.
27 And when the impious man turns himself away from his impiety, which he has done, and accomplishes judgment and justice, he shall cause his own soul to live.
28 For by considering and turning himself away from all his iniquities, which he has worked, he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.
29 And yet the sons of Israel say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ How could it be that my ways are not fair, O house of Israel? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?
30 Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge each one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities, and then iniquity will not be your ruin.
31 Cast all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, away from you, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And then why should you die, O house of Israel?
32 For I do not desire the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. So return and live.”
1 Unto the end, corrupt not, a psalm of a canticle for Asaph.
2 We will praise thee, O God: we will praise, and we will call upon thy name. We will relate thy wondrous works:
3 When I shall take a time, I will judge justices.
4 The earth is melted, and all that dwell therein: I have established the pillars thereof.
5 I said to the wicked: Do not act wickedly: and to the sinners: Lift not up the horn.
6 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not iniquity against God.
26 Therefore, when Jesus had seen his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.”
27 Next, he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that hour, the disciple accepted her as his own.
28 After this, Jesus knew that all had been accomplished, so in order that the Scripture might be completed, he said, “I thirst.”
29 And there was a container placed there, full of vinegar. Then, placing a sponge full of vinegar around hyssop, they brought it to his mouth.
30 Then Jesus, when he had received the vinegar, said: “It is consummated.” And bowing down his head, he surrendered his spirit.
31 Then the Jews, because it was the preparation day, so that the bodies would not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a great day), they petitioned Pilate in order that their legs might be broken, and they might be taken away.
32 Therefore, the soldiers approached, and, indeed, they broke the legs of the first one, and of the other who was crucified with him.
33 But after they had approached Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers opened his side with a lance, and immediately there went out blood and water.
35 And he who saw this has offered testimony, and his testimony is true. And he knows that he speaks the truth, so that you also may believe.
36 For these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “You shall not break a bone of him.”
37 And again, another Scripture says: “They shall look upon him, whom they have pierced.”
38 Then, after these things, Joseph from Arimathea, (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews) petitioned Pilate so that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave permission. Therefore, he went and took away the body of Jesus.
39 Now Nicodemus also arrived, (who had gone to Jesus at first by night) bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloe, weighing about seventy pounds.
40 Therefore, they took the body of Jesus, and they bound it with linen cloths and the aromatic spices, just as it is the manner of the Jews to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden there was a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid.
42 Therefore, because of the preparation day of the Jews, since the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.
