Defiling B.Sheba & Murdering Her Husband Poem by Daniel Partlow

And in the spring, when kings go forth to battle,
David sent out his army to destroy and besiege.
So General Joab took Ammon, and attacked Rabbah.
But he was not joined by his King and liege.

And it came to pass at evening tide, that David arose from bed,
and upon the roof he strolled
And from his vantage saw a woman bathing;
she was very beautiful - an angel to behold.

Who? ! Is not this Bathsheba,
the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
There is no other on earth with the beauty
of this rare radiant maiden. Bring me her tonight.

And she came to him clean and pure;
then he lay with her; and sent her home defiled.
And the woman conceived, and sent to David,
Behold, I bear your child.

Go to Joab, saying,
Send me Uriah the Hittite.
Go now and send him
back to me this very night!

Uriah, how prospers the war –
who have you and Joab beat?
Go down to your house, wash your feet,
Take a rest – I shall send you a roasted meat.

But Uriah slept at the king’s door
with all the servants, and went not to his house.
Camest you not from battle?
Why not go down to warm thy bed and spouse?

The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents;
My Lord Joab, and your servants, all at war risking life.
My men are encamped in the open fields;
shall I then go into my house, eat and drink, and lie with my wife?

As you livest,
and as thy soul liveth,
Such a thing I can not do,
no matter who shall giveth.

Tarry here today, and tomorrow I will let you depart.
So he feasted and drank with him; and made Uriah drunk
But at evening he went not to his house,
but to the servants of his Lord and made his bunk.

And in the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab,
and sent it by Uriah’s own hand.
Set ye Uriah in the front of hot battle and retire from him,
that alone at the front shall he stand.

And it came to pass, that Joab assigned Uriah
a place where he knew the enemy was valiant.
And there fell some servants of David
including Uriah, the Hittite, the Gallant.

And when Bathsheeba heard her husband had died,
greatly for Uriah did she mourn
Then, David sent and fetched her,
she became his wife, and a son was born.

But the selfish iniquity
that David had done,
Displeased the Lord,
So he took his son.

David, There were two neighbors; one was rich
and idle, the other poor but true, with little in his pot.
The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds:
But the poor had nearly naught

Nothing, save a little lamb, which he had bought and nourished;
he raised it with his daughter;
It ate from his table, drank from his cup, lay in his bosom,
indeed, he could never slaughter.

And there came a traveler unto the rich man,
who spared his own herd and flock,
But to feed this guest he took the poor man's only lamb,
he took his only stock.

As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this
shall surely die and be thrown outside the city
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold,
because he sinned and had no pity.

You art the man David, Thus saith God,
I anointed you king over all towns, pastures, and farms Israeli
I delivered you out of the hand of Saul and gave you
all his wives into your arms, his house and bailey.

I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah;
and if that had been too little,
I would have given unto you great possessions –
a feast with every taste and victual.

You despised the commandment of the Lord,
to do evil in his sight by taking life.
You have killed the Hittite with a sword,
but have taken his to be your wife,

You have slain Uriah
using the children of Ammon as a sword.
Now it shall never depart from your house,
for you despised me, saith the Lord

Behold, I will raise up evil against you before your eyes,
from your own house take your wives,
I’ll give them to your neighbor. In the sight of sun
with them is he, while you remain in fettered gyves.

For you performed your sin in
dark secrecy and hidden shame.
But I will do this thing before all
and in the light of heavenly flame.

I have sinned against the Lord.
But He also hath put away your sin; indeed, you shall not die.
Howbeit, by this deed you have given
great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme and deny

For your sins, the child that is born unto you shall die
taking ill almost from his birth.
David therefore besought God for the child;
fasted, and lay all night upon barren earth...

From Sunrise On The Mount - Published on Lulu.com - search 'Partlow'