2 Samuel 19:8–15

David Returns to Jerusalem

⁸So the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, “Behold, the king is ^asitting in the gate.” Then all the people came before the king.

Now ^bIsrael had fled, each to his tent.

⁹And it happened that all the people were disputing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “^aThe king delivered us from the ¹hand of our enemies and ^bprovided us escape from the ²hand of the Philistines, but now ^che has fled out of the land from Absalom.

¹⁰“However, Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So now, why are you silent about having the king return?”

¹¹Now King David had sent to ^aZadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to have the king return to his house, while the word of all Israel has come to the king, even to his house?

¹²‘You are my brothers; ^ayou are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to have the king return?’

¹³“And say to ^aAmasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? ^bMay God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be ^ccommander of the army before me continually ^din place of Joab.’”

¹⁴Thus he inclined the hearts of all the men of Judah ^aas one man, so they sent word to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.”

¹⁵The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to ^aGilgal in order to go to meet the king, to cause the king to pass over across the Jordan.