Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

2 Samuel 15
New English Translation

Absalom Leads an Insurrection against David

15 Some time later Absalom managed to acquire[a] a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.[b] 2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant,[c] am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate.[d] But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me[e] a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint[f] could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”

5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom[g] would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty[h] of the citizens[i] of Israel.

7 After four[j] years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron. 8 For I made this vow[k] when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, I will serve the Lord.’” 9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom[l] got up and went to Hebron.

10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume[m] that Absalom rules in Hebron.” 11 Now 200 men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning.[n] 12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser,[o] to come from his city, Giloh.[p] The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.

David Flees from Jerusalem

13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!”[q] 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come on![r] Let’s escape![s] Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring[t] disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.”[u] 15 The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.”[v]

16 So the king and all the members of his royal court[w] set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines[x] to attend to the palace. 17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing[y] at a spot[z] some distance away. 18 All his servants were leaving with him,[aa] along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—some 600 men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with[ab] the king.

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new[ac] king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.[ad] 20 It seems as if you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men[ae] with you. May genuine loyal love[af] protect[ag] you!”

21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means death or life, there I[ah] will be as well!” 22 So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.”[ai] So Ittai the Gittite went along,[aj] accompanied by all his men and all the dependents[ak] who were with him.

23 All the land was weeping loudly[al] as all these people were leaving.[am] As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving[an] on the road that leads to the desert. 24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving[ao] the city.

25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 26 However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”[ap]

27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer?[aq] Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar.[ar] 28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you[as] reaches me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David[at] had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom.” So David prayed,[au] “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord.”

32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you leave[av] with me you will be a burden to me. 34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you.[aw] Everything you hear in the king’s palace[ax] you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.”[ay]

37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 15:1 tn Heb “acquired for himself.”
  2. 2 Samuel 15:1 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
  3. 2 Samuel 15:2 tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.
  4. 2 Samuel 15:3 tn Heb “good and straight.”
  5. 2 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “Who will make me?”
  6. 2 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.
  7. 2 Samuel 15:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 2 Samuel 15:6 tn Heb “stole the heart.”
  9. 2 Samuel 15:6 tn Heb “the men.”
  10. 2 Samuel 15:7 tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara etē), the Syriac Peshitta (ʾarbaʿ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”
  11. 2 Samuel 15:8 tn Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.
  12. 2 Samuel 15:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 2 Samuel 15:10 tn Heb “say.”
  14. 2 Samuel 15:11 tn Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”
  15. 2 Samuel 15:12 tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.
  16. 2 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.
  17. 2 Samuel 15:13 tn Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”
  18. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “Arise!”
  19. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “let’s flee.”
  20. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “thrust.”
  21. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
  22. 2 Samuel 15:15 tn Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”
  23. 2 Samuel 15:16 tn Heb “and all his house.”
  24. 2 Samuel 15:16 tn Heb “women, concubines.”
  25. 2 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “and they stood.”
  26. 2 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “house.”
  27. 2 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “crossing over near his hand.”
  28. 2 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “crossing over near the face of.”
  29. 2 Samuel 15:19 tn The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.
  30. 2 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “place.”
  31. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
  32. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
  33. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “be with.”
  34. 2 Samuel 15:21 tn Heb “your servant.”
  35. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “Come and cross over.”
  36. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “crossed over.”
  37. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “all the little ones.”
  38. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
  39. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “crossing over.”
  40. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”
  41. 2 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “crossing from.”
  42. 2 Samuel 15:26 tn Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”
  43. 2 Samuel 15:27 tn The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek mss have ἴδετε (idete); the Lucianic recension has βλέπε (blepe). It could just as well be taken as a question: “Don’t you see what is happening?” The present translation takes the word as a question, with the implication that Zadok is a priest and not a prophet (i.e., “seer”) and therefore unable to know what the future holds.
  44. 2 Samuel 15:27 tn Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
  45. 2 Samuel 15:28 tn The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
  46. 2 Samuel 15:31 tc The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד (vedavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).
  47. 2 Samuel 15:31 tn Heb “said.”
  48. 2 Samuel 15:33 tn Heb “cross over.”
  49. 2 Samuel 15:35 tn Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
  50. 2 Samuel 15:35 tn Heb “from the house of the king.”
  51. 2 Samuel 15:36 tn Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
Listen to 撒母耳記下 15
Close CCBT

撒母耳記下 15
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

押沙龍謀反

15 後來，押沙龍為自己備了車馬，又派五十個人在他前面開道。 2 他常常清早起來，站在城門的通道旁邊。每當有人來找王審理爭訟時，押沙龍便問他是從哪一座城來的，那人就會報上自己所屬的支派。 3 押沙龍會對他說：「你的申訴合情合理，可惜王沒有派人來聽你申訴。」 4 他接著會說：「要是我被立為國中的審判官就好了！那樣，任何人有申訴都可以來找我，我一定會為他主持公道。」 5 每當有人要向他叩拜，他都伸手扶他，親吻他。 6 押沙龍這樣對待每一個來向王申訴的以色列人，贏得了民心。

7 過了四年，押沙龍對王說：「請讓我到希伯崙去還我向耶和華許下的願吧。 8 僕人住在亞蘭的基述時曾許願，如果耶和華帶領我回到耶路撒冷，我必在希伯崙敬拜祂。」 9 王說：「你平安地去吧！」押沙龍就去了希伯崙。 10 他派密使通知以色列各支派一聽見號角的響聲，便喊：「押沙龍在希伯崙做王了！」 11 有二百人應邀隨同押沙龍一起從耶路撒冷去希伯崙，他們對內情一無所知。 12 押沙龍獻祭的時候，還派人去把大衛的謀士亞希多弗從他的故鄉基羅請來。反叛的勢力大增，擁護押沙龍的民眾越來越多。

大衛逃離耶路撒冷

13 有人來稟告大衛：「以色列的民心都歸向押沙龍了。」 14 大衛便對在耶路撒冷跟隨他的臣僕說：「我們趕快逃命吧！否則，我們都難逃押沙龍的追捕。我們要馬上離開！免得他趕到殘害我們，屠殺全城。」 15 臣僕對王說：「臣等謹遵我主我王的決定。」 16 於是王就帶著全家逃命，只留下十個妃嬪看守宮殿。

17 大衛王帶著眾民離開耶路撒冷，走到最後的那座房子時，停了下來。 18 跟隨他的人都走到前面去了，包括基利提人、比利提人以及從迦特來跟隨他的六百人。 19 王問迦特人以太說：「你為什麼要跟我們一起逃難呢？回去留在新王那裡吧！你是流亡到這裡的外族人。 20 你剛來不久，我怎麼可以叫你跟我們一同四處飄流呢？我甚至不知道往何處去。你還是和你的弟兄回去吧，願耶和華以慈愛和信實待你！」 21 以太卻答道：「我憑永活的耶和華和我主我王的性命起誓，不管我王去哪裡，僕人都要誓死追隨到底！」 22 大衛便對以太說：「那就繼續前行吧！」於是，迦特人以太帶著他的人及所有的家眷繼續前行。 23 眾人離開時，百姓都放聲大哭。王帶著所有的人過了汲淪溪，向曠野走去。

24 祭司撒督、亞比亞他和抬上帝約櫃的利未人都來了，他們把約櫃放下，讓城裡出來的人先走過去。 25 王對撒督說：「你把上帝的約櫃運回城去吧。倘若耶和華恩待我，祂必使我重返家園，重見約櫃和會幕； 26 但如果我使祂不悅，我也甘願聽憑祂的處置。 27 你是個有先見之明的人，安心帶著你的兒子亞希瑪斯和亞比亞他的兒子約拿單回城吧。 28 我會在曠野渡口那裡等你們的消息。」 29 於是，撒督和亞比亞他便把上帝的約櫃抬回耶路撒冷，留了下來。

30 大衛蒙著頭，赤著腳登上橄欖山，邊走邊哭，他的隨從也蒙著頭，哭著走上山。 31 有人告訴大衛，亞希多弗也叛變，投奔了押沙龍，大衛就禱告說：「耶和華啊，求你使亞希多弗的謀算都變得愚不可及。」 32 大衛來到山頂敬拜上帝的地方，看見亞基人戶篩撕破了衣服，頭蒙灰塵前來迎接他。 33 大衛對他說：「你跟我一同逃命，只會給我帶來不便。 34 你還是回到城中，告訴押沙龍你願意做他的臣僕，就像以前做我的臣僕一樣，這樣你就可以幫我破壞亞希多弗的計謀。 35 祭司撒督和亞比亞他都在那裡，你在宮內聽到什麼消息就告訴他們。 36 撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯和亞比亞他的兒子約拿單也在那裡，你聽到什麼消息，可以派他們傳信給我。」 37 於是，大衛的朋友戶篩便回到城裡。那時，押沙龍也進了耶路撒冷。

Next
2 Samuel 14
2 Samuel 16
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional) (CCBT)

By Biblica