2 Samuel 18–19

Chapter 18

¹And David marshalled the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. ²And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. ³But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth, for if we should in any case flee, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us; for thou art worth ten thousand of us; and now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. ⁴And the king said to them, I will do what is good in your sight. And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. ⁶And the people went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷And the people of Israel were routed before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day: twenty thousand men. ⁸And the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹And Absalom found himself in the presence of David’s servants. And Absalom was riding upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of the great terebinth, and his head caught in the terebinth, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. ¹⁰And a man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth. ¹¹And Joab said to the man that told him, And behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten silver pieces and a girdle. ¹²And the man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand silver pieces in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care, whoever it be of you, of the young man Absalom. ¹³Or I should have acted falsely against mine own life, for there is no matter concealed from the king, and thou wouldest have set thyself against me. ¹⁴Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three spears in his hand, and thrust them into Absalom’s body, while he was yet alive in the midst of the terebinth. ¹⁵And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour surrounded and smote Absalom, and killed him. ¹⁶And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab kept back the people. ¹⁷And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and raised a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled every one to his tent. ¹⁸Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a monument, which is in the king’s dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance; and he called the monument after his own name; and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s memorial.

¹⁹And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Let me run, I pray, and carry the king the news that Jehovah has avenged him of his enemies. ²⁰And Joab said to him, Thou shalt not be a bearer of news to-day, but thou shalt carry the news another day; but to-day thou shalt carry no news, because the king’s son is dead. ²¹Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. And the Cushite bowed himself to Joab, and ran. ²²And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, Come what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why wilt thou run, my son, seeing that there is no news suited to thee? ²³—But, come what may, let me run. And he said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outstripped the Cushite. ²⁴And David sat between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, on to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running alone. ²⁵And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is news in his mouth. And he came on and drew near. ²⁶And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the porter and said, Behold a man running alone. And the king said, He also is a bearer of news. ²⁷And the watchman said, I see the running of the foremost like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man; and comes with good news. ²⁸And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, Peace! And he fell down to the earth on his face before the king, and said, Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who has delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. ²⁹And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz said, I saw a great tumult when Joab sent the king’s servant, and me thy servant; but I knew not what it was. ³⁰And the king said, Turn aside and stand here. And he turned aside and stood still. ³¹And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Let my lord the king receive good tidings, for Jehovah has avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. ³²And the king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite said, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee for evil, be as that young man. ³³And the king was much moved, and went up to the upper chamber of the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said thus: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died in thy stead, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Chapter 19

¹And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom. ²And the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard say that day, The king is grieved for his son. ³And the people stole away that day into the city, as people steal away when ashamed of fleeing in battle. ⁴And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son! ⁵And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast put to shame this day the faces of all thy servants who have this day saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives and the lives of thy concubines; ⁶in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest those that love thee. For thou hast declared this day, that neither princes nor servants are anything to thee: for to-day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died to-day, then it would have been right in thine eyes. ⁷But now arise, go forth, and speak consolingly to thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night; and that would be worse to thee than all the evil that has befallen thee from thy youth until now. ⁸Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate. And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.

⁹And all the people were at strife throughout the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land because of Absalom. ¹⁰And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle; and now why are ye silent as to bringing the king back? ¹¹And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, to his house. ¹²Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh; and why will ye be the last to bring back the king? ¹³And say to Amasa, Art thou not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually instead of Joab. ¹⁴And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah as of one man; and they sent to the king, Return, thou and all thy servants. ¹⁵And the king returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, who was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. ¹⁷And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they forded the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸And a ferry boat passed to and fro to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was just crossing over the Jordan. ¹⁹And he said to the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity to me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart. ²⁰For thy servant knows that I have sinned; and behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king. ²¹And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Should not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah’s anointed? ²²And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries to me? Should there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? ²³And the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore to him.

²⁴And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. Now he had neither washed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. ²⁵And as soon as Jerusalem came to meet the king, the king said to him, Why didst thou not go with me, Mephibosheth? ²⁶And he…