7. When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.
8. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.” When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him.
9. But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.
10. So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?”
11. Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations with my wife? As surely as you are alive, I will not do this thing!”
12. So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.
13. Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house.
14. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
15. In the letter he wrote: “Station Uriah in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”
16. So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers were.
17. When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.
18. Then Joab sent a full battle report to David.
19. He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king,
20. if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall?