2 Samuel 18–19

Absalom’s Defeat

18David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of hundreds and of thousands over them. ²He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I will also march out with you.”

³“You must not go!” ^bthe people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth ^c10,000 of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”

⁴“I will do whatever you think is best,” the king replied to them. So he stood beside the gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. ⁵The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

⁶Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷The people of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day—20,000 casualties. ⁸The battle spread over the entire region, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword.

Absalom’s Death

⁹Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David’s soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair. ^d10One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

¹¹“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. ^e“Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you 10 silver pieces ^fand a belt!”

¹²The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of 1,000 pieces of silver ^gin my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’ ^hi13If I had jeopardized my own ^jlife—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”

¹⁴Joab said, “I’m not going to waste time with you!” He then took three spears in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the oak tree, ¹⁵and 10 young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶Afterward, Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. ¹⁷They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. ^kAnd all Israel fled, each to his tent. ^l

¹⁸When he was alive, Absalom had set up a pillar ^mfor himself in the King’s Valley, ⁿfor he had said, “I have no son ^oto preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.

¹⁹Ahimaaz son of Zadok ^psaid, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has delivered him from his enemies.”

²⁰Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren’t taking good news, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹Joab then said to the Cushite, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

²²However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”

Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a reward?”

²³“No matter what, I want to run!”

“Then run!” Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

²⁴David was sitting between the two gates ^qwhen the watchman went up to the roof of the gate and over to the wall. ^rThe watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. ²⁵He called out and told the king.

The king said, “If he’s alone, he bears good news.”

As the first runner came closer, ²⁶the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”

“This one is also bringing good news,” said the king.

²⁷The watchman said, “The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs.” ^s

“This is a good man; he comes with good news,” ^tthe king commented.

²⁸Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well,” and then bowed down to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, “May the Lord your God be praised! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”

²⁹The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”

³⁰The king said, “Move aside and stand here.” So he stood to one side.

³¹Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: today the Lord has delivered you from all those rising up against you!”

³²The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

The Cushite replied, “May what has become of the young man happen to the enemies of my lord the king and to all who rise up against you with evil intent.” ^u

^33vThe king was deeply moved and went up to the gate chamber and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” ^w

David’s Kingdom Restored

19It was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping. He’s mourning over Absalom.” ²That day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the troops because on that day the troops heard, “The king is grieving over his son.” ³So they returned to the city quietly that day like people come in when they are humiliated after fleeing in battle. ⁴But the king hid his face ^xand cried out at the top of his voice, “My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed all your soldiers—those who rescued your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, your wives, and your concubines. ⁶You love your enemies and hate those who love you! Today you have made it clear that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. In fact, today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would be fine with you! ^y

⁷“Now get up! Go out and encourage ^zyour soldiers, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. ^aThis will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now!”

⁸So the king got up and sat in the gate, ^band all the people were told: “Look, the king is sitting in the gate.” Then they all came into the king’s presence.

Meanwhile, each Israelite had fled to his tent. ^c9All the people among all the tribes of Israel were arguing: “The king delivered us from the grasp of our enemies, ^dand he rescued us from the grasp of the Philistines, ^ebut now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. ^f10But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”

¹¹King David sent word to the priests, Zadok and Abiathar: ^g“Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to restore the king to his palace? The talk of all Israel has reached the king at his house. ¹²You are my brothers, my flesh and blood. ^hSo why should you be the last to restore the king?’ ¹³And tell Amasa, ⁱ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me and do so severely if you don’t become commander of the army from now on instead of Joab!’ ”

¹⁴So he won over ^jall the men of Judah, and they sent word to the king: “Come back, you and all your servants.” ¹⁵Then the king returned. When he arrived at the Jordan, Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and escort him across the Jordan.

¹⁶Shimei son of Gera, ^ka Benjaminite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷There were 1,000 men from Benjamin with him. Ziba, an attendant from the house of Saul, ^lwith his 15 sons and 20 servants also rushed down to the Jordan ahead of the king. ¹⁸They forded the Jordan to bring the king’s household across and do whatever the king desired. ^m

When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king ¹⁹and said to him, “My lord, don’t hold me guilty, and don’t remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. ⁿMay the king not take it to heart. ²⁰For your servant knows that I have sinned. But look! Today I am the first one of the entire house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”

²¹Abishai son of Zeruiah asked, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” ^o

²²David answered, “Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? ^pHave you become my adversary today? Should any man be killed in Israel today? Am I not aware that today I’m king over Israel?” ²³So the king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” Then the king gave him his oath. ^q

²⁴Mephibosheth, ^rSaul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. ²⁵When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Mephibosheth, why didn’t you come with me?”

²⁶“My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said: ‘I’ll saddle the donkey for myself ^sso that I may ride it and go with the king’—for your servant is lame. ^t27Ziba slandered your servant to my lord the king. ^uBut my lord the king is like the Angel of God, ^vso do whatever you think best. ^w28For my grandfather’s entire family deserves death from my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. ^xSo what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king?”

²⁹The king said to him, “Why keep on speaking about these matters of yours? I hereby declare: you and Ziba are to divide the land.” ^y

³⁰Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has come to his palace safely, let Ziba take it…