David prophesies the punishment that will fall upon him, stating "the sword shall never depart from your house." When David acknowledges that he has sinned, Nathan advises him that his sin is forgiven and he will not die, but the child will. In fulfillment of Nathan's words, David's son Absalom, fueled by vengeance and lust for power, rebels. Absalom's forces are routed at the battle of the Wood of Ephraim, and he is caught by his long hair in the branches of a tree where, contrary to David's order, he is killed by Joab, the commander of David's army. David laments
Nathan (son of David) Nathan (son of David) Nathan () was the third of four sons born to King David and Bathsheba in Jerusalem. He was a younger brother of Shammuah (sometimes referred to as Shammua or Shimea), Shobab, and an older brother of Solomon. Although Nathan is the third son raised by David and Bathsheba, he is the fourth born to Bathsheba. The first died before he could be named. [For an alternative view of this, see under 'Other Sons of David' below.] Nathan was the first child of Bathsheba that she was given the right to name. Her first child died as