In this pivotal chapter, David remains in Jerusalem while his army besieges Rabbah. From his palace roof, he observes Bathsheba bathing, summons her, and commits adultery. When she reports her pregnancy, David attempts a cover-up by recalling her husband Uriah from battle, hoping he will sleep with his wife. When the loyal soldier refuses domestic comforts while his comrades remain at war, David sends him back carrying orders for Joab to position Uriah where he will be killed in battle. After Uriah's death, David marries Bathsheba, but "the thing David had done displeased the Lord." This moral collapse at the height of David's power demonstrates that no one—not even the man after God's heart—is beyond temptation's reach, while establishing the context for understanding the subsequent troubles in David's reign as consequences of this sin.