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2 Samuel 18
New American Standard Bible

Absalom Killed

18 Then David [a]took a count of the people who were with him and (A)appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent the people out, (B)a third [b]under the command of Joab, a third [c]under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third [d]under the command of (C)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will certainly go out with you also.” 3 But the people said, “(D)You should not go out; for if in fact we flee, they will not care about us; and if half of us die, they will not care about us. But [e]you are [f]worth ten thousand of us; so now it is better that you will be ready to help us from the city.” 4 Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So (E)the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. 5 But the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And (F)all the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders regarding Absalom.

6 Then the people went out to the field against Israel, and the battle took place in (G)the forest of Ephraim. 7 The people of Israel were [g]defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, twenty thousand men. 8 For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

9 Now Absalom encountered the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the branches of a massive oak. Then (H)his head caught firmly in the oak, and he was [h]left hanging between the sky and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. 10 When a certain man saw him, he informed Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Then Joab said to the man who had informed him, “So behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And it would have been [i]my duty to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I were to [j]receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for (I)in our hearing the king commanded you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, ‘[k]Protect the young man Absalom for me!’ 13 Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against [l]his life (and (J)there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have [m]avoided me.” 14 Then Joab said, “I will not [n]waste time here with you.” (K)So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the [o]midst of the oak. 15 And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.

16 Then (L)Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into [p]a deep pit in the forest, and (M)erected over him a very large pile of stones. And (N)all Israel fled, each to his own tent. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and (O)set up for himself a memorial stone, which is in (P)the King’s Valley, for he said, “(Q)I have no son to [q]continue my name.” So he named the memorial stone after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

David Is Grief-stricken

19 Then (R)Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the king news (S)that the Lord has [r]freed him from the hand of his enemies!” 20 But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to bring news this day, but you shall bring news another day; however, you shall bring no news this day, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. 22 However, Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since (T)you will have no messenger’s reward for going?” 23 “But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed by the Cushite.

24 Now (U)David was sitting between the two gates; and (V)the watchman went to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked; and behold, a man was running by himself. 25 So the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer. 26 Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man is running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The watchman said, “I [s]think the running form of the first one (W)is like the running form of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “(X)This is a good man, and he is coming with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “[t]All is well.” And (Y)he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “(Z)Blessed is the Lord your God, who has turned over the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.” 29 But the king said, “(AA)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great commotion, but (AB)I did not know what it was.” 30 Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

31 Then behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for (AC)the Lord has [u]freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” 32 Then the king said to the Cushite, “(AD)Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “(AE)May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man!”

33 [v]Then the king trembled and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And this is what he said as he walked: “(AF)My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! (AG)If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:1 Lit mustered
  2. 2 Samuel 18:2 Lit by the hand of
  3. 2 Samuel 18:2 Lit by the hand of
  4. 2 Samuel 18:2 Lit by the hand of
  5. 2 Samuel 18:3 As in some ancient versions; MT for now there are 10,000 like us
  6. 2 Samuel 18:3 Lit like us by 10,000
  7. 2 Samuel 18:7 Lit struck
  8. 2 Samuel 18:9 Lit placed
  9. 2 Samuel 18:11 Lit And upon me
  10. 2 Samuel 18:12 Lit weigh
  11. 2 Samuel 18:12 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT Protect, whoever you are, the
  12. 2 Samuel 18:13 Another reading is my life; i.e., at the risk of my own life
  13. 2 Samuel 18:13 Lit stood aloof
  14. 2 Samuel 18:14 Lit wait so with
  15. 2 Samuel 18:14 Lit heart
  16. 2 Samuel 18:17 Lit the great
  17. 2 Samuel 18:18 Lit bring to remembrance
  18. 2 Samuel 18:19 Lit vindicated
  19. 2 Samuel 18:27 Lit see
  20. 2 Samuel 18:28 Lit Peace; Heb Shalom
  21. 2 Samuel 18:31 Lit vindicated
  22. 2 Samuel 18:33 Ch 19:1 in Heb
Close ISV

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

  1. 2 Samuel 18:1 Lit. of thousands and hundreds
  2. 2 Samuel 18:2 The Heb. lacks to battle
  3. 2 Samuel 18:11 The Heb. lacks pieces; the unit of payment is unspecified
  4. 2 Samuel 18:11 Lit. belt; i.e., a commemorative battle decoration
  5. 2 Samuel 18:12 The Heb. lacks pieces; the unit of payment is unspecified
  6. 2 Samuel 18:13 Or If I had put my life in jeopardy; i.e. by disobeying David’s order
  7. 2 Samuel 18:14 Or sticks
  8. 2 Samuel 18:14 The Heb. lacks the branches of
  9. 2 Samuel 18:16 The Heb. lacks other
  10. 2 Samuel 18:18 The Heb. lacks as a monument
  11. 2 Samuel 18:18 Lit. on memory of my name
  12. 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. Cush
  13. 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. Cushite; and so throughout the chapter
  14. 2 Samuel 18:21 Lit. bowed to
  15. 2 Samuel 18:22 The Heb. lacks request
  16. 2 Samuel 18:23 The Heb. lacks Ahimaaz replied
  17. 2 Samuel 18:25 Lit. he
  18. 2 Samuel 18:25 Lit. news in his mouth
  19. 2 Samuel 18:25 The Heb. lacks the palace
  20. 2 Samuel 18:26 The Heb. lacks another
  21. 2 Samuel 18:28 Lit. Peace!
  22. 2 Samuel 18:28 The Heb. lacks to the ground
  23. 2 Samuel 18:29 Lit. Peace!
  24. 2 Samuel 18:29 The Heb. lacks was going on
  25. 2 Samuel 18:31 Lit. The Cushite
  26. 2 Samuel 18:33 This v. is 19:1 in MT
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