21His officials asked him, "Why are you acting this way? You fasted and cried over the child when he was alive. But as soon as the child died, you got up and ate." 22David answered, "As long as the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23But why should I fast now that he's dead? Can I bring him back? [Someday] I'll go to him, but he won't come back to me." 24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to bed with her, and she later gave birth to a son. David named him Solomon. The LORD loved the child 25and sent a message through the prophet Nathan to name the baby Jedidiah [The LORD's Beloved]. 26Meanwhile, Joab fought against the Ammonite city of Rabbah and captured its royal fortress. 27So he sent messengers to tell David, "I fought against Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding its water supply. 28Gather the rest of the troops, surround the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I will capture the city, and it will be named after me." 29So David gathered all the troops and went to Rabbah. He fought against the city and captured it. 30He took the gold crown from the head of Rabbah's king and put it on his own head. (The crown weighed 75 pounds and contained a precious stone.) David also took a lot of goods from the city. 31He brought out the troops who were there and put them to work with saws, hoes, and axes. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.
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