ointed thee
king upon Israel, and kept thee from the hand of Saul, and I have given
to thee an house to keep in thine household and wives in thy bosom. I
have given to thee the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and if
these be small things I shall add and give to thee much more and
greater. Why hast thou therefore despised the word of God and hast done
evil in the sight of our Lord? Thou hast slain Uriah with a sword, and
his wife hast thou taken unto thy wife, and thou hast slain him with the
sword of the sons of Ammon. Therefore the sword shall not go from thy
house, world without end, forasmuch as thou hast despised me and hast
taken Uriah's wife unto thy wife. This said our Lord: I shall raise evil
against thee, and shall take thy wives in thy sight and give them to thy
neighbor. Thou hast done it privily, but I shall make this to be done
and open in the sight of all Israel. And then said David to Nathan:
Peccavi! I have sinned against our Lord. Nathan said: Our Lord hath
taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die, but forasmuch as thou hast made
the enemy to blaspheme the name of God, therefore the son that is born
to thee shall die by death. And Nathan returned to his house. And for
this sin David made this psalm: Miserere mei deus [Have pity on me, O
God!], which is a psalm of mercy, for David did great penance for these
sins of adultery and also of homicide.

Therefore God took away this sin, and forgave it him, but the son that
she brought forth died. And after this Bathsheba, that had been Uriah's
wife, brought forth another son named Solomon, which was well-beloved of
God, and after David, Solomon was king.

After this David had much war and trouble and anger, insomuch that on a
time Amnon, oldest son of David, loved Thamar his sister. David knew
hereof, and was right sorry for it, but he would not rebuke his son
Amnon for it, for he loved him because he was his first begotten son.
Absalom hated Amnon ever after, and when Absalom on a time did do shear
his sheep he prayed all his brethren to come eat with him, and made them
a feast like a king's feast. At which feast he did do slay his brother
Amnon; and anon it was told to the King David that Absalom had slain all
the king's sons. Wherefore the king was in great heaviness and sorrow,
but anon after it was told him that there was no more slain but Amnon,
and the other sons came home. And Absalom fled into Geshur, and was
there three years, and durst not co