2 Samuel 12:1-7 — Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh Sends Nathan to David

12Then Yahweh sent ^aNathan to David. And ^bhe came to him and ¹said, “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

²“The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.³“But the poor man had nothing except ^aone little ewe lambWhich he bought and nourished;And it grew up together with him and his children.It would eat his morsel of bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,And was like a daughter to him.⁴“Now a visitor came to the rich man,And he ¹was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd,To prepare for the traveler who had come to him;Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

⁵Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, surely the man who has done this ¹^,^adeserves to die. ⁶“And he must make restitution for the lamb ^afourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”

⁷Nathan then said to David, “^aYou are the man! Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘^bIt is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.