13. Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”Nathan answered, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die.
14. But what you did caused the Lord’s enemies to lose all respect for him. For this reason the son who was born to you will die.”
15. Then Nathan went home. And the Lord caused the son of David and Bathsheba, Uriah’s widow, to become very sick.
16. David prayed to God for the baby. David refused to eat or drink. He went into his house and stayed there. He lay on the ground all night.
17. The elders of David’s family came to him. They tried to pull him up from the ground. But he refused to get up. And he refused to eat food with them.
18. On the seventh day the baby died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the baby was dead. They said, “Look, we tried to talk to David while the baby was alive. But he refused to listen to us. If we tell him the baby is dead, he may harm himself.”
19. But David saw his servants whispering. Then he understood that the baby was dead. So he asked them, “Is the baby dead?”They answered, “Yes, he is dead.”
20. Then David got up from the floor. He washed himself, put lotions on himself and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord’s house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.
21. David’s servants said to him, “Why are you doing this? When the baby was still alive, you refused to eat. You cried. But when the baby died, you got up and ate food.”
22. David said, “While the baby was still alive, I refused to eat, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.’
23. But now the baby is dead. So why should I go without food? I can’t bring him back to life. Some day I will go to him. But he cannot come back to me.”