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2 Samuel 18
New English Translation

The Death of Absalom

18 David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. 2 David then sent out the army—a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

3 But the soldiers replied,[a] “You should not do this![b] For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be concerned about us.[c] Even if half of us should die, they won’t be concerned. But you[d] are like 10,000 of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.” 4 Then the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stayed beside the city gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.

6 Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David’s men.[e] The slaughter there was great that day—20,000 soldiers were killed. 8 The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.

9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his[f] mule, it[g] went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair,[h] while the mule he had been riding kept going.

10 When one[i] of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot?[j] I would have given you ten pieces of silver[k] and a commemorative belt!”[l]

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if[m] I were receiving[n] 1,000 pieces of silver,[o] I would not strike[p] the king’s son! In our very presence[q] the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’[r] 13 If I had acted at risk of my own life[s]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”[t]

14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree.[u] 15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor-bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet[v] and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes.[w]

18 Before this[x] Absalom[y] had set up a monument[z] and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning, “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

David Learns of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.”[aa] 20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today,[ab] for the king’s son is dead.”

21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. 22 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.” But Joab said, “Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.” 23 But he said,[ac] “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab[ad] said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,[ae] and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. 25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.”[af] The runner[ag] came ever closer.

26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz[ah] son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Greetings!”[ai] He bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and said, “May the Lord your God be praised because he has defeated[aj] the men who opposed[ak] my lord the king!”

29 The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.” 30 The king said, “Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside and waited.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said,[al] “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!”[am] 32 The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you[an] be like that young man!”

33 (19:1)[ao] The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son,[ap] Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”[aq]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “the people said.”
  2. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “march out.”
  3. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”
  4. 2 Samuel 18:3 tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (ʾattah, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (ʿattah, “now”).
  5. 2 Samuel 18:7 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 9).
  6. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the.”
  7. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the donkey.”
  8. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”
  9. 2 Samuel 18:10 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
  10. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”
  11. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
  12. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”
  13. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (velu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (velo’, “and not”).
  14. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”
  15. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
  16. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “extend my hand against.”
  17. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “in our ears.”
  18. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
  19. 2 Samuel 18:13 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (venafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (venafsho, “against his life”).
  20. 2 Samuel 18:13 tn Heb “stood aloof.”
  21. 2 Samuel 18:14 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor-bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
  22. 2 Samuel 18:16 tn Heb “the shofar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
  23. 2 Samuel 18:17 tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
  24. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “and in his life.”
  25. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
  26. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “a pillar.”
  27. 2 Samuel 18:19 tn Heb “that the Lord has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.”
  28. 2 Samuel 18:20 tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”
  29. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  30. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  31. 2 Samuel 18:24 tn Heb “the two gates.”
  32. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “good news is in his mouth.”
  33. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  34. 2 Samuel 18:27 tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”
  35. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “Peace.”
  36. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “delivered over.”
  37. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “lifted their hand against.”
  38. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”
  39. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “for the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you.”
  40. 2 Samuel 18:32 tn Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”
  41. 2 Samuel 18:33 sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.
  42. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
  43. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
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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

  1. 18:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read because there would now be about
  2. 18:9 Lit was between heaven and earth
  3. 18:11 Lit Joab said to the man who told him
  4. 18:11 About four ounces of silver
  5. 18:12 About 25 pounds of silver
  6. 18:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read ‘Protect, whoever, the young man Absalom’; Hb obscure
  7. 18:13 Alt Hb tradition reads jeopardized his
  8. 18:14 Lit rods
  9. 18:22 Or you have no good news?
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