Chapter 18

Preparation for Battle. ¹ David mustered the men who were with him, and he appointed commanders to be in charge of units of a thousand and units of a hundred.^{[a] 2} Then David divided his army into three groups: one under the command of Joab, another under the command of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Joab, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. After that, the king said to the soldiers: “I myself will also march forth with you.”

³ However, the soldiers replied: “You must not come with us. If we are forced to flee, they will not be concerned about us, not even if half of us should die. However, you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better if you remain in the city to supply whatever help we may need.”

⁴ The king said to them: “I shall do whatever seems best to you.” Then he stood beside the gate while all the soldiers marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵ He also gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with the young man Absalom.” And all of the soldiers heard the king give this directive to the commanders in regard to Absalom.

Defeat of Absalom. ⁶ Then the army marched into the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim. ⁷ The Israelite forces were defeated there by the forces of David, and the casualties numbered twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread over the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Death of Absalom. ⁹ Meanwhile, Absalom, by chance, happened to encounter some of David’s men. He was riding on his mule, and as it passed under the thick branches of a large oak, his head became caught in its branches, and he was left hanging in midair while the mule he had been riding continued on. ¹⁰ Someone who had seen this reported to Joab: “I saw Absalom hanging from an oak.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had informed him: “If you actually saw him, why then did you not strike him to the ground then and there? I would have willingly given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”

¹² However, the man replied to Joab: “Even if you were to weigh out a thousand shekels of silver and place them in the palm of my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai: ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ¹³ On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously with Absalom and thereby placed my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—then you would have dissociated yourself from me.”

¹⁴ Joab then answered him bluntly: “I cannot waste my time arguing with you.” Thereupon he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive, hanging in midair from the oak tree. ¹⁵ Then ten young men who served as Joab’s armor-bearers closed in on Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶ After that, Joab ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and the soldiers ceased their pursuit of Israel because he had ordered them to halt. ¹⁷ They picked up Absalom, flung his body into a large pit in the forest, and piled up a great mound of stones over him. Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their tents.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it for himself in the King’s Valley, for he said: “I have no son to perpetuate the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and to the present day it is still called Absalom’s Monument.

¹⁹ David Told of Absalom’s Death. Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab: “Grant me permission to take the good news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.” ²⁰ But Joab replied: “Today you would not be the bearer of good news. On some other day, you may do so, but you shall not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Then Joab said to an Ethiopian: “Go forth and report to the king what you have witnessed.” The Ethiopian bowed down before Joab and ran off. ²² Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, again said to Joab: “Come what may, allow me to run after the Ethiopian.”

Joab replied: “My son, why do you wish to go? You will not receive any reward for the news you bring.” ²³ “Come what may,” he answered, “I want to run.” Joab finally relented, and he said: “I grant you leave to depart.” Then Ahimaaz sped off by way of the plain of the Jordan and outran the Ethiopian.

²⁴ While David was sitting between the inner and the outer wall, a sentry went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he looked up, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵ The sentry called down to the king and reported this to him. “If he is alone,” said the king, “he has some news to tell us.”

²⁶ As the man continued to draw nearer, the sentry beheld another man running, and he shouted to the gatekeeper, saying: “Look! Here comes another man running alone.” The king asserted: “He must also be bringing good news.” ²⁷ The sentry added: “The first one runs just like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” The king replied: “He is a good man, and I feel certain that he comes with good news to report.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king: “All is well!” After that he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said: “Blessed be the Lord, your God, for he has delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”

²⁹ Thereupon the king asked: “Is all well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered: “When the king’s servant Joab sent your servant forth, I was aware of a great commotion, but I do not know what it was all about.” ³⁰ The king said: “Stand off to the side and wait over there.” Therefore, he stepped aside and remained there.

³¹ When the Ethiopian arrived, he said: “I bring good news for my lord the king. For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all those who rebelled against you.” ³² Then the king asked the Ethiopian: “Has all gone well with the young man Absalom?” The Ethiopian answered: “May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up to harm you share the fate of that young man.”

³³ Greatly shaken, the king went up to the chamber over the gate, weeping incessantly. And as he went, he cried out: “O my son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”^[b]