The story of King David and Bathsheba is one of the most well-known and complex narratives in the Bible, found in 2 Samuel 11-12.
The tale begins with King David, who one evening walked upon the roof of his palace and saw a beautiful woman, Bathsheba, bathing. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a loyal soldier in David's army.
Driven by his desire for Bathsheba, David inquired about her and learned of her marriage to Uriah. Despite this, he sent for her, and she came to him. Their encounter led to Bathsheba becoming pregnant. In an attempt to conceal the affair, David summoned Uriah from the battlefield, hoping he would lie with his wife, and the child could be passed off as Uriah's. However, Uriah, feeling it would be dishonorable to enjoy such comforts while his comrades were in battle, refused to go to his house.

Faced with Uriah's integrity, David devised a more desperate plan. He sent a letter by Uriah's hand to Joab, his military commander, instructing that Uriah be placed in the forefront of the hottest battle and then abandoned, ensuring his death. The plan succeeded, and Uriah was killed.
After Uriah's death, David took Bathsheba as his wife, and she bore him a son. However, the Lord was displeased with David's actions. God sent Nathan the prophet to David. Nathan told David a parable about a rich man who, despite having many flocks, took a poor man's only lamb to serve to a guest. David, angered by the injustice in the story, pronounced judgment on the rich man, only for Nathan to reveal that the parable was an allegory for David's own actions against Uriah.
Confronted with his sin by Nathan, David confessed and repented, but the consequences of his actions were severe. Nathan prophesied that the sword would never depart from David's house and that the child born from his union with Bathsheba would die, which later came to pass.

This story is pivotal in the biblical narrative, illustrating themes of power, temptation, sin, and the profound consequences of personal actions. It also demonstrates God's justice and mercy, as David, despite his grave sin, is confronted and given the opportunity to repent, setting the stage for his continued, albeit troubled, reign and the eventual establishment of his lineage, which is central to biblical messianic prophecies.