2 Samuel 18
Christian Standard Bible
Absalom’s Defeat
18 David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of thousands and of hundreds over them. 2 He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai of Gath. The king said to the troops, “I must also march out with you.”
3 “You must not go!” (A) the people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth[a] ten thousand of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”
4 “I will do whatever you think is best,” the king replied to them. So he stood beside the city gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. 5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
6 Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 Israel’s army was defeated by David’s soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day—twenty thousand dead. 8 The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword.
Absalom’s Death
9 Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David’s soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair.[b] 10 One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 “You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed.[c] “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces[d] and a belt!”
12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver[e] in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’[f](B) 13 If I had jeopardized my own[g] life—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”
14 Joab said, “I’m not going to waste time with you!” He then took three spears[h] in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s chest. While Absalom was still alive in the oak tree, 15 ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him. 16 Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him.(C) And all Israel fled, each to his tent.(D)
18 When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up(E) for himself in the King’s Valley,(F) since he thought, “I have no son(G) to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.
19 Ahimaaz son of Zadok(H) said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him by freeing him from his enemies.”
20 Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren’t taking good news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Joab then said to a Cushite, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.
22 However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”
Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a reward?” [i]
23 “No matter what, I want to run!”
“Then run!” Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.
24 David was sitting between the city gates(I) when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall.(J) The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called out and told the king.
The king said, “If he’s alone, he bears good news.”
As the first runner came closer, 26 the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”
“This one is also bringing good news,” said the king.
27 The watchman said, “The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs.”(K)
“This is a good man; he comes with good news,”(L) the king commented.
28 Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well,” and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”
30 The king said, “Move aside and stand here.” So he stood to one side.
31 Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”(M)
33 The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” (N)
Footnotes
- 18:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read because there would now be about
- 18:9 Lit was between heaven and earth
- 18:11 Lit Joab said to the man who told him
- 18:11 About four ounces of silver
- 18:12 About 25 pounds of silver
- 18:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read ‘Protect, whoever, the young man Absalom’; Hb obscure
- 18:13 Alt Hb tradition reads jeopardized his
- 18:14 Lit rods
- 18:22 Or you have no good news?
2 Samuel 18
International Standard Version
The Battle Begins
18 David mustered his forces and appointed officers in charge of regiments and companies.[a] 2 Dividing his forces into three groups, he set Joab as commander of one third of his army, Zeruiah’s son Abishai, Joab’s brother, as commander of another third, and Ittai from Gath as commander of another third. The king informed the army, “I’m going out to battle[b] with you, too.”
3 “No way!” his army responded. “If we have to retreat from the battle, Absalom’s men won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care about us. But you are worth 10,000 of us. The best thing you can do for us is to remain in the city.”
4 So David responded, “I’ll do what you think best.” Then he stood alongside the city gate as the army went out in battle array by hundreds and thousands. 5 As they were going out, the king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for my sake.” Everyone heard what the king had ordered his commanders about Absalom.
6 David’s army left for the battlefield to fight Absalom and his Israeli followers, and they also fought in the Ephraim forest, 7 where David’s army of servants defeated the Israelis. Many died that day—20,000 men. 8 The battle spread throughout the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more casualties that day than did the sword fighting.
Joab Kills Absalom
9 Absalom happened to run into David’s soldiers. While Absalom was trying to get away on his mule, it ran under the thick branches of a giant oak tree, and Absalom’s head got caught in the tree! As his mule ran out from under him, Absalom was left hanging above the ground. 10 When one of the soldiers saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I saw Absalom stuck in an oak tree!”
11 Joab asked the man who was reporting to him, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you kill him right then and there? I would’ve given you ten pieces[c] of silver and a warrior’s sash!”[d]
12 But the soldier replied to Joab, “I wouldn’t have touched the king’s son even if you dropped 1,000 pieces[e] of silver right into my hands, because we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Watch how you treat the young man Absalom!’ 13 If I had taken his life,[f] the king would have uncovered everything about it, and you would never have protected me!”
14 “There’s no reason to wait for you!” Joab retorted. Then he took three spears[g] in his hand and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive, dangling from the branches of[h] the oak tree. 15 Ten young men who served as Joab’s personal assistants then surrounded Absalom, striking him repeatedly and killing him. 16 At this, Joab sounded his battle trumpet and his troops stopped pursuing the other[i] Israelis. 17 Meanwhile, Joab’s army grabbed Absalom’s body, tossed it into a large pit in the forest, and filled it up with a huge pile of rocks. Then the Israelis ran away back to their homes.
18 While Absalom had been living, he had erected a pillar as a monument[j] to himself in King’s Valley because he had been telling himself, “I don’t have a son to carry on my family name.”[k] So he named the pillar after himself—it’s called Absalom’s Monument even today.
David Learns of Absalom’s Death
19 Zadok’s son Ahimaaz told Joab, “Let me run over to King David and take him the news. I’ll mention that the Lord has delivered him from his enemies.”
20 But Joab answered Ahimaaz, “You’re not the man to deliver news today. Do it any other time, but not today, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 So Joab ordered a man from Ethiopia,[l] “Go tell the king what you’ve seen.” So the Ethiopian[m] saluted[n] Joab and then ran to tell David.
22 “Please,” Zadok’s son Ahimaaz continued, “No matter what happens, let me follow the Ethiopian!”
Joab asked him, “Why this request[o] to run, my son? There’s no reward in it for you.”
23 “No matter what, I’m running,” Ahimaaz replied.[p]
So Joab told Ahimaaz, “Run!” And Ahimaaz ran, taking the Jordan Valley road, passing the Ethiopian.
24 Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman was up on the roof of the gateway near the walls, looking around, and there was a man running by himself! 25 So the watchman[q] called out his news to the king.
The king responded, “If he’s alone, he’s bringing some news to report.”[r] As the man continued to draw near and approach the palace,[s] 26 the watchman observed another man running. So he called out to the gatekeeper, “There’s another[t] man running by himself!”
The king replied, “He’s also bringing some news to report!”
27 Then the watchman observed, “It looks to me that the runner out in front is running like Zadok’s son Ahimaaz!”
The king replied, “This is a good man bearing good news!”
28 “Everything’s fine!”[u] Ahimaaz announced to the king. He bowed low with his face to the ground[v] before the king and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has handed over the men who rebelled against your majesty the king.”
29 “Are things fine[w] with respect to the young man Absalom?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw a lot of confusion about the time Joab was getting ready to send the king’s courier and me, your servant, but I’m not sure what was going on.”[x]
30 The king replied, “Stand here at attention and wait.” So he stepped to the side and stood there waiting.
31 Just then the Ethiopian arrived. He[y] reported, “Good news, your majesty the king! The Lord has delivered you from the control of everyone who rebelled against you!”
32 The king asked the Ethiopian, “Is the young man safe?”
The Ethiopian answered, “May the enemies of your majesty the king—including everyone who rebels and tries to harm you—become like that young man….”
David Mourns for Absalom
33 [z]Deeply shaken, the king went up to the chamber overlooking the city gate, weeping bitterly and crying out as he went along, “My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom my son, my son!”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 18:1 Lit. of thousands and hundreds
- 2 Samuel 18:2 The Heb. lacks to battle
- 2 Samuel 18:11 The Heb. lacks pieces; the unit of payment is unspecified
- 2 Samuel 18:11 Lit. belt; i.e., a commemorative battle decoration
- 2 Samuel 18:12 The Heb. lacks pieces; the unit of payment is unspecified
- 2 Samuel 18:13 Or If I had put my life in jeopardy; i.e. by disobeying David’s order
- 2 Samuel 18:14 Or sticks
- 2 Samuel 18:14 The Heb. lacks the branches of
- 2 Samuel 18:16 The Heb. lacks other
- 2 Samuel 18:18 The Heb. lacks as a monument
- 2 Samuel 18:18 Lit. on memory of my name
- 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. Cush
- 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. Cushite; and so throughout the chapter
- 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. bowed to
- 2 Samuel 18:22 The Heb. lacks request
- 2 Samuel 18:23 The Heb. lacks Ahimaaz replied
- 2 Samuel 18:25 Lit. he
- 2 Samuel 18:25 Lit. news in his mouth
- 2 Samuel 18:25 The Heb. lacks the palace
- 2 Samuel 18:26 The Heb. lacks another
- 2 Samuel 18:28 Lit. Peace!
- 2 Samuel 18:28 The Heb. lacks to the ground
- 2 Samuel 18:29 Lit. Peace!
- 2 Samuel 18:29 The Heb. lacks was going on
- 2 Samuel 18:31 Lit. The Cushite
- 2 Samuel 18:33 This v. is 19:1 in MT
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