⁸ Then the king arose and took his ^(A)seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king.

David Returns to Jerusalem

Now Israel had ^(B)fled every man to his own home.

²⁴ Now David ^(A)was sitting between the two gates, and ^(B)the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone.

⁴ The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.

¹² And Judah was defeated by Israel, ^(A)and every man fled to his home.

³⁶ And about sunset a cry went through the army, “Every man to his city, and every man to his country!”

³ And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.

¹⁷ And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him ^(A)a very great heap of stones. And all Israel ^(B)fled every one to his own home.

⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the ^(A)forest of Ephraim. ⁷ And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

² And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside ^(A)the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”