2 Samuel 15:1–10

Absalom’s Conspiracy

15In the course of time,^g Absalom provided himself with a chariot^h and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. ²He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate.ⁱ Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” ³Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.”^{j 4}And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land!^k Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”

⁵Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts^l of the people of Israel.

⁷At the end of four^a years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. ⁸While your servant was living at Geshur^m in Aram, I made this vow:ⁿ ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.^b’ ”

⁹The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.

¹⁰Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,^o then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’ ”