2 Samuel 18:33–20:26

^33r The king was upset, and he went up to the upper room of the gate and wept. He said as he went, “My son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom. If only^s I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son.”

King David Weeps for Absalom

19And it was told to Joab that the king was weeping and he mourned over Absalom, ²so the victory turned to mourning on that day for all the army, because they had heard that day, “The king is grieving over his son.” ³The army came secretly^a into the city on that day because the army was disgraced when they fled in the battle, ⁴and because the king had covered his face and cried with a loud voice, “My son, Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.”

⁵Then Joab came to the king’s house and said, “Today you have humiliated the faces of all of your servants who have saved your life this day, and the life of your sons and your daughters, the life of your wives, and the life of your concubines, ⁶by loving those who hate you and hating those who love you. Indeed, you have made clear this day that you have no regard for your commanders or officers, for I have realized today that were Absalom alive, and all of us were dead, then that would have been right in your eyes! ⁷So then, get up and go out and speak kindly to your servants,^b for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go out, no man will lodge this night with you, and this disaster will be greater for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your childhood until now!” ⁸So the king got up and he sat in the gate, and they told all the army, “Look, the king is sitting in the gate.” Then all the army came before the king; whereas all of Israel had fled, each to his tent.

David Returns from Exile

⁹Then it happened that all the people were disputing among all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. ¹⁰Now Absalom whom we anointed as king over us has died in the battle; so then, why are you taking no action to restore the king?” ¹¹Then King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah: ‘Why are you last to bring back the king to his house? The talk of all Israel has come to the king in his house. ¹²My brothers, you are my bones and you are my flesh. Why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³To Amasa you shall say: ‘Are you not my bones and my flesh? May God punish me^c if you are not the commander of my army before me forever, in place of Joab.’ ” ¹⁴So he turned the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, and they sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your servants.”

¹⁵Then the king returned and he came to the Jordan; Judah had come to Gilgal to come to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan. ¹⁶Then Shimei the son of Gera, the son of the Benjaminite, who was from Bahurim quickly came down with the men of Judah to meet King David, ¹⁷and a thousand men were with him from Benjamin. Too, Ziba the servant of the household of Saul and fifteen of his sons and twenty of his servants were with him, and they rushed to the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸The crossing took place^d to bring the household of the king over and to do good in his eyes. Then Shimei the son of Gera fell before the king when he crossed over the Jordan, ¹⁹and he said to the king, “May not my lord hold me guilty, and may you not remember how your servant did wrong on the day that my lord the king went out from Jerusalem, by taking it to heart! ²⁰For your servant knows that I have sinned; look, I have come this day as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah responded and said, “Because of this, should not Shimei be put to death, for he cursed the anointed one of Yahweh?” ²²Then David said, “What is it to me or to you, sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel? Do I not know today that I am king over Israel?” ²³Then the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die,” and so the king swore to him.

²⁴Now, Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; he had not taken care of his feet nor trimmed his moustache nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came back in peace. ²⁵It happened that when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not come with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶Then he said, “My lord the king, my servant deceived me, for your servant had said, ‘Let me saddle the donkey that I may ride on her and go with the king,’ for your servant is lame. ²⁷But he slandered against your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like the angel of God; do as you see fit..”^{e 28}For there was no one in all the house of my father who were not doomed to death^f before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. Do I have any righteousness any longer except to cry out to the king?” ²⁹Then the king said to him, “Why should you speak any more about the matter? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” ³⁰Then Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take the whole thing, since my lord the king has come safely^g to his house.”

³¹Then Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and crossed with the king over the Jordan to escort him through the Jordan. ³²Now Barzillai was very old, eighty years old.^h Now he had provided the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. ³³The king said to Barzillai, “You cross over with me, and I will provide for you to dwell with me in Jerusalem.” ³⁴Then Barzillai said to the king, “What are the days of the years of my life, that I should go with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵I am eighty years oldⁱ today.^j Can I discern between good and bad? Or can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Or can I still hear the voice of singing men and women? Why should your servant be a burden any longer to my lord the king? ³⁶Your servant shall go over the Jordan with the king a little way, but why should the king recompense me with this reward? ³⁷Please let your servant return, and let me die in my city in the tomb of my father and my mother. Here is your servant Kimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him that which is good in your eyes.” ³⁸The king said, “Let Kimham go over with me, and I will do for him the good in your eyes, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.”

³⁹Then all the people crossed over the Jordan, and the king crossed and kissed Barzillai and blessed him; then he returned to his place. ⁴⁰The king went over to Gilgal, and Kimham went over with him. All the people of Judah went over with the king, and half of the people of Israel too. ⁴¹Suddenly, all the men of Israel were coming to the king. They said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, with all the men of David?” ⁴²Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is my close relative! Why are you this angry over this matter? Have we by any means eaten anything from the king? Did we take by any means anything that was not ours?”^{k 43}Then the people of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “I have ten times as much^l in the king, moreover in David I have more than you. Why did you treat me with contempt by not giving me first chance^m to bring back my king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the word of the men of Israel.

Sheba Leads a Revolt

20Now a man of wickedness was found there whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. He blew the horn and said, “There is no share for us in David, and there is no inheritance for us in the son of Jesse; each to his tents, O Israel!” ²Then all the men of Israel went up from following after David, following instead after Sheba the son of Bicri, but the men of Judah stuck to their king from the Jordan up to Jerusalem. ³David went up to his house in Jerusalem, then the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and he put them under confinement.^a However, he provided for them, but he did not sleep with them.^b So they were confined until the day of their death, like a lifetime of widowhood.

Joab Assassinates Amasa

⁴Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon for me the men of Judah within three days, and be here yourself.”^{c 5}So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he tarried more than the appointed time which he had set for him. ⁶Then David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bicri will do us more harm than Absalom. You take the servants of your lord and pursue after him, lest he find fortified cities for himself and escape from us.” ⁷Then the men of Joab, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty warriors went out after him; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bicri. ⁸They were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, and Amasa came before them. Joab was dressed in his military clothing,^d with a utility belt on him and a sword strapped to his waist in its scabbard. Now he went out, and it fell out. ⁹Then Joab said to Amasa, “Is it peace, O you my brother?” Then the right hand of Joab took hold of the beard of Amasa as if to kiss him. ¹⁰Now Amasa was not on his guard against the sword that was in Joab’s hand, and he struck him with it into the stomach, and his entrails poured out to the ground. He did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bicri. ¹¹A young man stood over him, from the young men of Joab, and he said, “Whoever takes delight in Joab and whoever is for David, follow after Joab.” ¹²Now Amasa was wallowing in the blood in the middle of the highway; when the man saw that all the people stood there, he turned Amasa over from the highway into the field, and he threw a garment…