¹⁶ Then Joab^(A) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up^(B) a large heap of rocks^(C) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley^(D) as a monument^(E) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son^(F) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

David Mourns

¹⁹ Now Ahimaaz^(G) son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.^(H)”

²⁰ “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

²² Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”

But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”

²³ He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”

So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain^[a] and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman^(I) went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵ The watchman called out to the king and reported it.

The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.

²⁶ Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”

The king said, “He must be bringing good news,^(J) too.”

²⁷ The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like^(K) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”

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

Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”

³⁰ The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.

³¹ Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

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

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”^(L)

³³ The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died^(M) instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”^[b](N)

19 ^[c]Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ² And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” ³ The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. ⁴ The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵ Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. ⁶ You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. ⁷ Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.”^(O)

⁸ So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,^(P)” they all came before him.

Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.

David Returns to Jerusalem

⁹ Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines.^(Q) But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom;^{(R) 10} and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.^{(A) 31} When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,^(B) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”^(C)

³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^(D) in spirit and troubled.^{(E) 34} “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

³⁵ Jesus wept.^(F)

³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”^(G)

³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man^(H) have kept this man from dying?”^(I)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved,^(J) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.^{(K) 39} “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”^(L)

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,^(M) you will see the glory of God?”^(N)

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up^(O) and said, “Father,^(P) I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,^(Q) that they may believe that you sent me.”^(R)

⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”^{(S) 44} The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,^(T) and a cloth around his face.^(U)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”