2 Samuel 11-19

Contemporary English Version

David and Bathsheba

(1 Chronicles 20.1a)

11 ^(A) It was now spring, the time when kings go to war.^[a] David sent out the whole Israelite army under the command of Joab and his officers. They destroyed the Ammonite army and surrounded the capital city of Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.

^2-4 Late one afternoon, David got up from a nap and was walking around on the flat roof of his palace. A beautiful young woman was down below in her courtyard, bathing as her religion required.^[b] David happened to see her, and he sent one of his servants to find out who she was.

The servant came back and told David, “Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

David sent some messengers to bring her to his palace. She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she returned home. ⁵ But later, when she found out that she was going to have a baby, she sent someone to David with this message: “I'm pregnant!”

⁶ David sent a message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.”

Joab sent Uriah ⁷ to David's palace, and David asked him, “Is Joab well? How is the army doing? And how about the war?” ⁸ Then David told Uriah, “Go home and clean up.”^[c] Uriah left the king's palace, and David had dinner sent to Uriah's house. ⁹ But Uriah didn't go home. Instead, he slept outside the entrance to the royal palace, where the king's guards slept.

¹⁰ Someone told David that Uriah had not gone home. So the next morning David asked him, “Why didn't you go home? Haven't you been away for a long time?”

¹¹ Uriah answered, “The sacred chest and the armies of Israel and Judah are camping out somewhere in the fields^[d] with our commander Joab and his officers and troops. Do you really think I would go home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? I swear by your life that I would not!”

¹² Then David said, “Stay here in Jerusalem today, and I will send you back tomorrow.”

Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. Then the next day, ¹³ David invited him for dinner. Uriah ate with David, who gave him so much to drink that he got drunk. But Uriah still did not go home. He went out and slept on his mat near the palace guards. ¹⁴ Early the next morning, David wrote a letter and told Uriah to deliver it to Joab. ¹⁵ The letter said: “Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the worst. Then pull the troops back from him, so that he will be wounded and die.”

¹⁶ Joab had been carefully watching the city of Rabbah, and he put Uriah in a place where he knew there were some of the enemy's best soldiers. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out, they fought and killed some of David's soldiers—Uriah the Hittite was one of them.

¹⁸ Joab sent a messenger to tell David everything that was happening in the war. ¹⁹ He gave the messenger these orders:

When you finish telling the king everything that has happened, ²⁰ he may get angry and ask, “Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ^21 (B) Don't you know how Abimelech the son of Gideon^[e] was killed at Thebez? Didn't a woman kill him by dropping a large rock from the top of the city wall? Why did you go so close to the city walls?”

Then tell him, “One of your soldiers who was killed was Uriah the Hittite.”

²² The messenger went to David and reported everything Joab had told him. ²³ He added, “The enemy chased us from the wall and out into the open fields. But we pushed them back as far as the city gate. ²⁴ Then they shot arrows at us from the top of the wall. Some of your soldiers were killed, and one of them was Uriah the Hittite.”

²⁵ David replied, “Tell Joab to cheer up and not to be upset about what happened. You never know who will be killed in a war. Tell him to strengthen his attack against the city and break through its walls.”^[f]

²⁶ When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ Then after the time for mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to the palace. She became David's wife, and they had a son.

The Lord's Message for David

The Lord was angry because of what David had done, 12 ^1 (C) and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:

A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. ² The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.

⁴ One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's lamb and served it instead.

⁵ David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶ And because he didn't have pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth.”

⁷ Then Nathan told David:

You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: “I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul ⁸ and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. ⁹ Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by letting the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.

¹⁰ “Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. ^11 (D) Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. ¹² What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see.”

^13-14 David said, “I have disobeyed the Lord.”

“Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn't care what the Lord wanted.^[g] He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went back home.

David's Young Son Dies

The Lord made David's young son very sick.

¹⁶ So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor. ¹⁷ His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them.

¹⁸ After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, “Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!”

¹⁹ David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. “Did my son die?” he asked his servants.

“Yes, he did,” they answered.

²⁰ David got up off the floor; he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the Lord's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it.

²¹ His officials said, “What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating.”

²² David answered:

While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, “Who knows? Maybe the Lord will have pity on me and let the child live.” ²³ But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.

Solomon Is Born

²⁴ David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. Later on, she gave birth to another son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon ²⁵ and sent Nathan the prophet to tell David, “The Lord will call him Jedidiah.”^[h]

The End of the War with Ammon

(1 Chronicles 20.1b-3)

²⁶ Meanwhile, Joab had been in the country of Ammon, attacking the city of Rabbah. He captured the royal fortress ²⁷ and sent a messenger to tell David:

I have attacked Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding the city water supply. ²⁸ Call the rest of the army together. Then surround the city, and capture it yourself. If you don't, everyone will remember that I captured the city.

²⁹ David called the rest of the army together and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city ³⁰ and took the crown from the statue of their god Milcom.^[i] The crown was made of about 35 kilograms of gold, and there was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown.^[j] He also carried off everything else of value. ³¹ David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls^[k] with iron picks and axes, and then he put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities.

David went back to Jerusalem, and the people of Israel returned to their homes.

Amnon Disgraces Tamar

13 David had a beautiful daughter named Tamar, who was the sister of Absalom. She was also the half sister of Amnon,^[l] who fell in love with her. ² But Tamar was a virgin, and Amnon could not think of a way to be alone with her. He was so upset about it that he made himself sick.

³ Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab always knew how to get what he wanted, ⁴ and he said to Amnon, “What's the matter? You're the king's son! You shouldn't have to go around feeling sorry for yourself every morning.”

Amnon said, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”

⁵ Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him to send Tamar, so you can watch her cook something for you. Then she can serve you the food.”

⁶ So Amnon went to bed and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please, ask Tamar to come over. She can make some special bread^[m] while I watch, and then she can serve it to me.”

⁷ David told Tamar, “Go over to Amnon's house and fix him some food.” ⁸ When she got there, he was lying in bed. She mixed the dough, made the loaves, and baked them while he watched. ⁹ Then she took the bread out of the pan and put it on his plate, but he refused to eat it.

Amnon said, “Send the servants out of the house.” After they had gone, ¹⁰ he said to Tamar, “Serve the food in my bedroom.”

Tamar picked up the bread that she had made and brought it into Amnon's bedroom. ¹¹ But as she was taking it over to him, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me!”

¹² She answered, “No! Please don't force me! This sort of thing isn't done in Israel. It's disgusting! ¹³ Think of me. I'll be disgraced forever! And think of yourself. Everyone in Israel will say you're nothing but trash! Just ask the king, and he will let you marry me.”

¹⁴ But Amnon would not listen to what she said. He was stronger than she was, so he overpowered her and raped her. ¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her even more than he had loved her before. So he told her, “Get up and get out!”

¹⁶ She said, “Don't send me away! That would be worse than what you have already done.”

But Amnon would not listen. ¹⁷ He called in his servant and said, “Throw this woman out and lock the door!”

¹⁸ The servant made her leave, and he locked the door behind her.

The king's unmarried daughters used to wear long robes with sleeves.^{[n] 19} Tamar tore the robe she was wearing and put ashes on her head. Then she covered her face with her hands and cried loudly as she walked away.

Absalom Kills Amnon

²⁰ Tamar's brother Absalom said to her, “How could Amnon have done such a terrible thing to you! But since he's your brother, don't tell anyone what happened. Just try not to think about it.”

Tamar soon moved into Absalom's house, but she was always sad and lonely. ²¹ When David heard what had happened to Tamar, he was very angry. But Amnon was his oldest son and also his favorite, and David would not do anything to make Amnon unhappy.^[o]

²² Absalom treated Amnon as though nothing had happened, but he hated Amnon for what he had done to his sister Tamar.

²³ Two years later, Absalom's servants were cutting wool from his sheep in Baal-Hazor near the town of Ephraim, and Absalom invited all of the king's sons to be there.^{[p] 24} Then he went to David and said, “My servants are cutting the wool from my sheep. Please come and join us!”

²⁵ David answered, “No, my son, we won't go. It would be too expensive for you.” Absalom tried to get him to change his mind, but David did not want to go. He only said that he hoped they would have a good time.

²⁶ Absalom said, “If you won't go, at least let my brother Amnon come with us.”

David asked, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom kept on insisting, and finally David let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom.

Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king.^{[q] 28} But he told his servants, “Keep an eye on Amnon. When he gets a little drunk from the wine and is feeling relaxed, I'll give the signal. Then kill him! I've commanded you to do it, so don't be afraid. Be strong and brave.”

²⁹ Absalom's servants killed Amnon, just as Absalom had told them. The rest of the king's sons quickly rode away on their mules to escape from Absalom.

³⁰ While they were on their way to Jerusalem, someone told David, “Absalom has killed all of your sons! Not even one is left.” ³¹ David got up, and in his sorrow he tore his clothes and lay down on the ground. His servants remained standing, but they tore their clothes too.

³² Then David's nephew^[r] Jonadab said, “Your Majesty, not all of your sons were killed! Only Amnon is dead. On the day that Amnon raped Tamar, Absalom decided to kill him. ³³ Don't worry about the report that all your sons were killed. Only Amnon is dead, ³⁴ and Absalom has run away.”

One of the guards noticed a lot of people coming along the hillside on the road to Horonaim.^[s] He went and told the king, “I saw some men coming along Horonaim Road.”^[t]

³⁵ Jonadab said, “Your Majesty, look! Here come your sons now, just as I told you.”

³⁶ No sooner had he said it, than David's sons came in. They were weeping out loud, and David and all his officials cried just as loudly. ^37-38 (E) David was sad for a long time because Amnon was dead.

David Lets Absalom Come Home

Absalom had run away to Geshur, where he stayed for three years with King Talmai^[u] the son of Ammihud. ³⁹ David still felt so sad over the loss of Amnon that he wanted to take his army there and capture Absalom.^[v]

14 Joab knew that David couldn't stop thinking about Absalom, ^2-3 and he sent someone to bring in the wise woman who lived in Tekoa. Joab told her, “Put on funeral clothes and don't use any makeup. Go to the king and pretend you have spent a long time mourning the death of a loved one.” Then he told her what to say.

⁴ The woman from Tekoa went to David. She bowed very low and said, “Your Majesty, please help me!”

⁵ David asked, “What's the matter?”

She replied:

My husband is dead, and I'm a widow. ⁶ I had two sons, but they got into a fight out in a field where there was no one to pull them apart, and one of them killed the other. ⁷ Now all of my relatives have come to me and said, “Hand over your son! We're going to put him to death for killing his brother.” But what they really want is to get rid of him, so they can take over our land.

Please don't let them put out my only flame of hope! There won't be anyone left on this earth to carry on my husband's name.

⁸ “Go on home,” David told her. “I'll take care of this matter for you.”

⁹ The woman said, “I hope your decision doesn't cause any problems for you. But if it does, you can blame me.”^[w]

¹⁰ He said, “If anyone gives you trouble, bring them to me, and it won't happen again!”

¹¹ “Please,” she replied, “swear by the Lord your God that no one will be allowed to kill my son!”

He said, “I swear by the living Lord that no one will touch even a hair on his head!”

¹² Then she asked, “Your Majesty, may I say something?”

“Yes,” he answered.

¹³ The woman said:

Haven't you been hurting God's people? Your own son had to leave the country. And when you judged in my favor, it was the same as admitting that you should have let him come back. ¹⁴ We each must die and disappear like water poured out on the ground. But God doesn't take our lives.^[x] Instead, he figures out ways of bringing us back when we run away.

¹⁵ Your Majesty, I came here to tell you about my problem, because I was afraid of what someone might do to me. I decided to come to you, because I thought you could help. ¹⁶ In fact, I knew that you would listen and save my son and me from those who want to take the land that God gave us.^[y]

^17 (F) I can rest easy now that you have given your decision. You know the difference between right and wrong just like an angel of God, and I pray that the Lord your God will be with you.

¹⁸ Then David said to the woman, “Now I'm going to ask you a question, and don't try to hide the truth!”

The woman replied, “Please go ahead, Your Majesty.”

¹⁹ David asked, “Did Joab put you up to this?”

The woman answered, “Your Majesty, I swear by your life that no one can hide the truth from you. Yes, Joab did tell me what to say, ²⁰ but only to show you the other side of this problem. You must be as wise as the angel of God to know everything that goes on in this country.”

²¹ David turned to Joab and said, “It seems that I have already given my decision. Go and bring Absalom back.”

²² Joab bowed very low and said, “Your Majesty, I thank you for giving your permission. It shows that you approve of me.”

²³ Joab went to Geshur to get Absalom. But when they came back to Jerusalem, ²⁴ David told Joab, “I don't want to see my son Absalom. Tell him to stay away from me.” So Absalom went to his own house without seeing his father.

Absalom Was Handsome

²⁵ No one in all Israel was as handsome and well-built as Absalom. ²⁶ His hair grew so thick and heavy that when he got it cut once a year, it weighed over two kilograms.

²⁷ Absalom had three sons. He also had a daughter named Tamar, who grew up to be very beautiful.

Absalom Finally Sees David

²⁸ Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing his father. ²⁹ He wanted Joab to talk to David for him. So one day he sent a message asking Joab to come over, but Joab refused. Absalom sent another message, but Joab still refused. ³⁰ Finally, Absalom told his servants, “Joab's barley field is right next to mine. Go set it on fire!” And they did.

³¹ Joab went to Absalom's house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

³² Absalom answered, “You didn't pay any attention when I sent for you. I want you to ask my father why he told me to come back from Geshur. I was better off there. I want to see my father now! If I'm guilty, let him kill me.”

³³ Joab went to David and told him what Absalom had said. David sent for Absalom, and Absalom came. He bowed very low, and David leaned over and kissed him.

Absalom Rebels against David

15 Some time later, Absalom got himself a chariot with horses to pull it, and he had 50 men run in front. ² He would get up early each morning and wait by the side of the road that led to the city gate.^[z] Anyone who had a complaint to bring to King David would have to go that way, and Absalom would ask each of them, “Where are you from?”

If they said, “I'm from a tribe in the north,” ³ Absalom would say, “You deserve to win your case. It's too bad the king doesn't have anyone to hear complaints like yours. ⁴ I wish someone would make me the judge around here! I would be fair to everyone.”

⁵ Whenever anyone came to Absalom and started bowing down, he would reach out and hug and kiss them. ⁶ That's how he treated everyone from Israel who brought a complaint to the king. Soon everyone in Israel liked Absalom better than they liked David.

⁷ Four years^[aa] later, Absalom said to David, “Please, let me go to Hebron. I have to keep a promise that I made to the Lord, ⁸ when I was living with the Arameans in Geshur. I promised that if the Lord would bring me back to live in Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.”^[ab]

⁹ David gave his permission, and Absalom went to Hebron. ^10-12 He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him, but they had no idea what he was going to do. Absalom offered sacrifices in Hebron and sent someone to Gilo to tell David's advisor Ahithophel to come.

More and more people were joining Absalom and supporting his plot. Meanwhile, Absalom had secretly sent some messengers to the northern tribes of Israel. The messengers told everyone, “When you hear the sound of the trumpets, you must shout, ‘Absalom now rules as king in Hebron!’ ”

David Has To Leave Jerusalem

¹³ A messenger came and told David, “Everyone in Israel is on Absalom's side!”

¹⁴ David's officials were in Jerusalem with him, and he told them, “Let's get out of here! We'll have to leave soon, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Hurry! If he moves fast, he could catch us while we're still here. Then he will kill us and everyone else in the city.”

¹⁵ The officials said, “Your Majesty, we'll do whatever you say.”

^16-17 David left behind ten of his wives^[ac] to take care of the palace, but the rest of his family and his officials and soldiers went with him.

They stopped at the last house at the edge of the city. ¹⁸ Then David stood there and watched while his regular troops and his bodyguards^[ad] marched past. The last group was the 600 soldiers who had followed him from Gath.^[ae] Their commander was Ittai.

¹⁹ David spoke to Ittai and said, “You're a foreigner from the town of Gath. You don't have to leave with us. Go back and join the new king! ²⁰ You haven't been with me very long, so why should you have to follow me, when I don't even know where I'm going? Take your soldiers and go back. I pray that the Lord will be^[af] kind and faithful to you.”

²¹ Ittai answered, “Your Majesty, just as surely as you and the Lord live, I will go where you go, no matter if it costs me my life.”

²² “Then come on!” David said.

So Ittai and all his men and their families walked on past David.

David Sends the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem

²³ The people of Jerusalem were crying and moaning as David and everyone with him passed by. He led them across Kidron Valley^[ag] and along the road toward the desert.

²⁴ Zadok and Abiathar the priests were there along with several men from the tribe of Levi who were carrying the sacred chest. They set the chest down, and left it there until David and his followers had gone out of the city.

²⁵ Then David said:

Zadok, take the sacred chest back to Jerusalem. If the Lord is pleased with me, he will bring me back and let me see it and his tent again. ²⁶ But if he says he isn't pleased with me, then let him do what he knows is best.

²⁷ Zadok, you are a good judge of things,^[ah] so return to the city and don't cause any trouble. Take your son Ahimaaz with you. Abiathar and his son Jonathan will also go back. ²⁸ I'll wait at the river crossing in the desert until I hear from you.

²⁹ Zadok and Abiathar took the sacred chest back into Jerusalem and stayed there. ³⁰ David went on up the slope of the Mount of Olives. He was barefoot and crying, and he covered his head to show his sorrow. Everyone with him was crying, and they covered their heads too.

³¹ Someone told David, “Ahithophel is helping Absalom plot against you!”

David said, “Please, Lord, keep Ahithophel's plans from working!”

David Sends Hushai Back as a Spy

³² When David reached the top of the Mount of Olives, he met Hushai the Archite^[ai] at a place of worship. Hushai's robe was torn, and dust was on his head.^{[aj] 33} David told him:

If you come with me, you might slow us down.^{[ak] 34} Go back into the city and tell Absalom, “Your Majesty, I am your servant. I will serve you now, just as I served your father in the past.”

Hushai, if you do that, you can help me ruin Ahithophel's plans. ³⁵ Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you, and you can tell them everything you hear in the palace. ³⁶ Then they can send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what you've heard.

³⁷ David's advisor Hushai slipped back into Jerusalem, at just about the same time Absalom was coming in.

Ziba Gives Food to David

16 ^(G) David had started down the other side of the Mount of Olives, when he was met by Ziba, the chief servant of Mephibosheth.^[al] Ziba had two donkeys that were carrying 200 loaves of bread, 100 handfuls of raisins, 100 figs,^[am] and some wine.

² “What's all this?” David asked.

Ziba said, “The donkeys are for your family to ride. The bread and fruit are for the people to eat, and the wine is for them to drink in the desert when they are tired out.”

^3 (H) “And where is Mephibosheth?” David asked.

Ziba answered, “He stayed in Jerusalem, because he thinks the people of Israel want him to rule the kingdom of his grandfather Saul.”

⁴ David then told him, “Everything that used to belong to Mephibosheth is now yours.”

Ziba said, “Your Majesty, I am your humble servant, and I hope you will be pleased with me.”

Shimei Curses David

⁵ David was near the town of Bahurim when a man came out and started cursing him. The man was Shimei the son of Gera, and he was one of Saul's distant relatives. ⁶ He threw stones at David, at his soldiers, and at everyone else, including the bodyguards who walked on each side of David.

⁷ Shimei was yelling at David, “Get out of here, you murderer! You good-for-nothing, ⁸ the Lord is paying you back for killing so many in Saul's family. You stole his kingdom, but now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. You're a murderer, and that's why you're in such big trouble!”

⁹ Abishai said, “Your Majesty, this man is as useless as a dead dog! He shouldn't be allowed to curse you. Let me go over and chop off his head.”

¹⁰ David replied, “What will I ever do with you and your brother Joab? If Shimei is cursing me because the Lord has told him to, then who are you to tell him to stop?”

¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and all his soldiers:

My own son is trying to kill me! Why shouldn't this man from the tribe of Benjamin want me dead even more? Let him curse all he wants. Maybe the Lord did tell him to curse me. ¹² But if the Lord hears these curses and sees the trouble I'm in, maybe he will have pity on me instead.

¹³ David and the others went on down the road. Shimei went along the hillside by the road, cursing and throwing rocks and dirt at them. ¹⁴ When David and those with him came to the Jordan River, they were tired out. But after they rested, they^[an] felt much better.

Hushai Meets Absalom

¹⁵ By this time, Absalom, Ahithophel, and the others had reached Jerusalem. ¹⁶ David's friend Hushai came to Absalom and said, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ But Absalom asked Hushai, “Is this how you show loyalty to your friend David? Why didn't you go with him?”

¹⁸ Hushai answered, “The Lord and the people of Israel have chosen you to be king. I can't leave. I have to stay and serve the one they've chosen. ¹⁹ Besides, it seems right for me to serve you, just as I served your father.”

Ahithophel's Advice

²⁰ Absalom turned to Ahithophel and said, “Give us your advice! What should we do?”

²¹ Ahithophel answered, “Some of your father's wives^[ao] were left here to take care of the palace. You should have sex with them. Then everyone will find out that you have publicly disgraced your father. This will make you and your followers even more powerful.”

^22 (I) Absalom had a tent set up on the flat roof of the palace, and everyone watched as he went into the tent with his father's wives.

²³ Ahithophel gave such good advice in those days that both Absalom and David thought it came straight from God.

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom:

Let me choose 12,000 men and attack David tonight, ² while he is tired and discouraged. He will panic, and everyone with him will run away. I won't kill anyone except David, ³ since he's the one you want to get rid of. Then I'll bring the whole nation back to you like a bride coming home to her husband.^[ap] This way there won't be a civil war.

Hushai Fools Absalom

⁴ Absalom and all the leaders of the tribes of Israel agreed that Ahithophel had a good plan. ⁵ Then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the Archite. Let's hear what he has to say.”

⁶ Hushai came in, and Absalom told him what Ahithophel had planned. Then Absalom said, “Should we do what he says? And if we shouldn't, can you come up with anything better?”

⁷ Hushai said:

This time Ahithophel's advice isn't so good. ⁸ You know that your father and his followers are real warriors. Now they are as fierce as a mother bear whose cubs have just been killed. Besides, your father has a lot of experience in fighting wars, and he won't be spending the night with the others. ⁹ He has probably already found a hiding place in a cave or somewhere else.

As soon as anyone hears that some of your soldiers have been killed, everyone will think your whole army has been destroyed. ¹⁰ Then even those who are as brave as a lion will lose their courage. All Israel knows what a great warrior your father is and what brave soldiers he has.

¹¹ My advice is to gather all the fighting men of Israel from the town of Dan in the north down to the town of Beersheba in the south. You will have more soldiers than there are grains of sand on the seashore. Absalom, you should lead them yourself, ¹² and we will all go to fight David wherever he is. We will fall on him just as dew falls and covers the ground. He and all his soldiers will die! ¹³ If they go into a walled town, we will put ropes around that town and drag it into the river. We won't leave even one small piece of a stone.

¹⁴ Absalom and the others liked Hushai's plan better than Ahithophel's plan. This was because the Lord had decided to keep Ahithophel's plan from working and to cause trouble for Absalom.

Jonathan and Ahimaaz Tell David the News

¹⁵ At once, Hushai went to Zadok and Abiathar. He told them what advice Ahithophel had given to Absalom and to the leaders of Israel. He also told them about the advice he had given. ¹⁶ Then he said, “Hurry! Send someone to warn David not to spend the night on this side of the Jordan. He must get across the river, so he and the others won't be wiped out!”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahimaaz^[aq] had been waiting at Rogel Spring^[ar] because they did not want to be seen in Jerusalem. A servant girl went to the spring and gave them the message for David. ¹⁸ But a young man saw them and went to tell Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left and hurried to the house of a man who lived in Bahurim. Then they climbed down into a well in the courtyard. ¹⁹ The man's wife put the cover on the well and poured grain on top of it, so the well could not be seen.^[as]

²⁰ Absalom's soldiers came to the woman and demanded, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

The woman answered, “They went across that stream.”

The soldiers went off to look for the two men. But when they did not find the men, they went back to Jerusalem.

²¹ After the soldiers had gone, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went to David and said, “Hurry! Get ready to cross the river!” Then they told him about Ahithophel's plan.

²² David and the others got ready and started crossing the Jordan River. By sunrise all of them were on the other side.

Ahithophel Kills Himself

²³ When Ahithophel saw that Absalom and the leaders of Israel were not going to follow his advice, he saddled his donkey and rode back to his home in Gilo. He told his family and servants what to do. Then he hanged himself, and they buried him in his family's burial place.

Absalom Puts Amasa in Charge of the Army

²⁴ David went to the town of Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan River with the army of Israel. ²⁵ Absalom put Amasa in Joab's place as commander of the army. Amasa's father was Ithra^[at] from the family of Ishmael,^[au] and his mother was Abigal,^[av] the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah. ²⁶ The Israelites under Absalom's command set up camp in the region of Gilead.

Friends Bring Supplies to David

²⁷ After David came to the town of Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash came from Rabbah in Ammon,^[aw] Machir the son of Ammiel came from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim.

^28-29 Here is a list of what they brought: sleeping mats, blankets, bowls, pottery jars, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, yogurt, sheep, and cheese.

They brought the food for David and the others because they knew that everyone would be hungry, tired, and thirsty from being out in the desert.

David Gets Ready for Battle

18 David divided his soldiers into groups of 100 and groups of 1,000. Then he chose officers to be in command of each group. ² He sent out one third of his army under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, and the rest under the command of Ittai from Gath. He told the soldiers, “I'm going into battle with you.”

³ But the soldiers said, “No, don't go into battle with us! It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away, or even if they kill half of us. But you are worth 10,000 of us. It would be better for you to stay in town and send help if we need it.”

^4-6 David said, “All right, if you think I should.”

Then in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said, “Joab! Abishai! Ittai! For my sake, be sure that Absalom comes back unharmed.”

David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past in groups of 100 and in groups of 1,000.

Joab Kills Absalom

The war with Israel took place in Ephraim Forest. ^7-8 Battles were being fought all over the forest, and David's soldiers were winning. Twenty thousand soldiers were killed^[ax] that day, and more of them died from the dangers of the forest than from the fighting itself.

⁹ Absalom was riding his mule under a huge tree when his head^[ay] caught in the branches. The mule ran off and left Absalom hanging in midair. Some of David's soldiers happened by, ¹⁰ and one of them went and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in a tree!”

¹¹ Joab said, “You saw Absalom? Why didn't you kill him? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a special belt.”

¹² The man answered, “Even if you paid me 1,000 pieces of silver here and now, I still wouldn't touch the king's son. We all heard King David tell you and Abishai and Ittai not to harm Absalom. ¹³ He always finds out what's going on. I would have been risking my life to kill Absalom, because you would have let me take the blame.”

¹⁴ Joab said, “I'm not going to waste any more time on you!”

Absalom was still alive, so Joab took three spears and stuck them through Absalom's chest. ¹⁵ Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off. ¹⁶ Then Joab blew a trumpet to signal his troops to stop chasing Israel's soldiers. ¹⁷ They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and put a big pile of rocks over it.

Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes.

¹⁸ When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King's Valley. He explained, “I don't have any sons^[az] to keep my name alive.” He called it Absalom's Monument, and that is the name it still has today.^[ba]

Ahimaaz Wants To Tell David

¹⁹ Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Joab, let me run and tell King David that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.”

²⁰ Joab answered, “You're not the one to tell the king that his son is dead. You can take him a message some other time, but not today.”

²¹ Someone from Ethiopia^[bb] was standing there, and Joab told him, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The man knelt down in front of Joab, then got up and started running.

²² Ahimaaz spoke to Joab again, “No matter what happens, I still want to go. And besides, the Ethiopian has already left.”

Joab said, “Why should you go? You won't get a reward for the news you have!”

²³ “I'll run no matter what!” Ahimaaz insisted.

“All right then, run!” Joab said.

Ahimaaz took the road through the Jordan Valley and outran the Ethiopian.

²⁴ Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates^[bc] in the city wall. One of his soldiers was watching from the roof of the gate-tower. He saw a man running toward the town ²⁵ and shouted down to tell David.

David answered, “If he's alone, he must have some news.”

The runner was getting closer, ²⁶ when the soldier saw someone else running. He shouted down to the gate, “Look! There's another runner!”

David said, “He must have some news too.”

²⁷ The soldier on the roof shouted, “The first one runs just like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”

This time David said, “He's a good man. He must have some good news.”

²⁸ Ahimaaz called out, “We won! We won!” Then he bowed low to David and said, “Your Majesty, praise the Lord your God! He has given you victory over your enemies.”

²⁹ “Is my son Absalom all right?” David asked.

Ahimaaz said, “When Joab sent your personal servant and me, I saw a noisy crowd. But I don't know what it was all about.”

³⁰ David told him, “Stand over there and wait.”

Ahimaaz went over and stood there. ³¹ The Ethiopian came and said, “Your Majesty, today I have good news! The Lord has rescued you from all your enemies!”

³² “Is my son Absalom all right?” David asked.

The Ethiopian replied, “I wish that all Your Majesty's enemies and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him!”

David Cries for Absalom

³³ David started trembling. Then he went up to the room above the city gate to cry. As he went, he kept saying, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I could have died instead of you! Absalom, my son, my son!”^[bd]

19 Someone told Joab, “The king is crying because Absalom is dead.”

² David's army found out he was crying because his son had died, and their day of victory suddenly turned into a day of sadness. ³ The troops were sneaking into Mahanaim, just as if they had run away from a battle and were ashamed.

⁴ David covered his face with his hands and kept on crying loudly, “My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵ Joab went to the house where David was staying and told him:

You've made your soldiers ashamed! Not only did they save your life, they saved your sons and daughters and wives as well. ⁶ You're more loyal to your enemies than to your friends. What you've done today has shown your officers and soldiers that they don't mean a thing to you. You would be happy if Absalom was still alive, even if the rest of us were dead.

⁷ Now get up! Go out there and thank them for what they did. If you don't, I swear by the Lord that you won't even have one man left on your side tomorrow morning. You may have had a lot of troubles in the past, but this will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you!

⁸ David got up and went to the town gate and sat down. When the people heard that he was sitting there, they came to see him.

Israel and Judah Want David Back

After Israel's soldiers had all returned home, ^9-10 everyone in Israel started arguing. They were saying to each other, “King David rescued us from the Philistines and from our other enemies. But then we chose Absalom to be our new leader, and David had to leave the country to get away. Absalom died in battle, so why hasn't something been done to bring David back?”

¹¹ When David found out what they were saying, he sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. It said:

Say to the leaders of Judah, “Why are you the last tribe to think about bringing King David back home? ¹² He is your brother, your own relative! Why haven't you done anything to bring him back?”

¹³ And tell Amasa, “You're my nephew, and with God as a witness, I swear I'll make you commander of my army instead of Joab.”

¹⁴ Soon the tribe of Judah again became followers of David, and they sent him this message: “Come back, and bring your soldiers with you.”

David Starts Back for Jerusalem

¹⁵ David started back and had gone as far as the Jordan River when he met the people of Judah. They had gathered at Gilgal and had come to help him cross the river.

^16 (J) Shimei^[be] the son of Gera was there with them. He had hurried from Bahurim to meet David. Shimei was from the tribe of Benjamin, and ¹⁷ 1,000 others from Benjamin had come with him.

Ziba, the chief servant of Saul's family, also came to the Jordan River. He and his 15 sons and 20 servants waded across^[bf] to meet David. ¹⁸ Then they brought David's family and servants back across the river, and they did everything he wanted them to do.

Shimei Meets with David

Shimei crossed the Jordan River and bowed down in front of David. ¹⁹ He said, “Your Majesty, I beg you not to punish me! Please, forget what I did when you were leaving Jerusalem. Don't even think about it. ²⁰ I know I was wrong. That's why I wanted to be the first one from the northern tribes to meet you.”

²¹ But Abishai shouted, “You should be killed for cursing the Lord's chosen king!”

²² David said, “Abishai, what will I ever do with you and your brother Joab? Is it your job to tell me who has done wrong? I've been made king of all Israel today, and no one will be put to death!” ²³ Then David promised Shimei that he would not be killed.

Mephibosheth Meets with David

^24-25 (K) Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul, also came to meet David. He had missed David so much that he had not taken a bath or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes the whole time David was gone. David asked him, “Why didn't you go with me?”

²⁶ He answered, “Your Majesty, you know I can't walk. I told my servant to saddle a donkey for me^[bg] so I could go with you. But my servant left without me, and ²⁷ then he lied about me. You're as wise as an angel of God, so do what you think is right. ²⁸ After all, you could have killed my whole family and me. But instead, you let me eat at your own table. Your Majesty, what more could I ask?”

²⁹ David answered, “You've said enough! I've decided to divide the property^[bh] between you and Ziba.”

³⁰ Mephibosheth replied, “He can have it all! I'm just glad you've come home safely.”

Barzillai Returns Home

^31 (L) Barzillai came from Rogelim in Gilead to meet David at the Jordan River and go across with him. ³² Barzillai was 80 years old. He was very rich and had sent food to David in Mahanaim.

³³ David said to him, “Cross the river and go to Jerusalem with me. I will take care of you.”

³⁴ Barzillai answered:

Your Majesty, why should I go to Jerusalem? I don't have much longer to live. ³⁵ I'm already 80 years old, and my body is almost numb. I can't taste my food or hear the sound of singing, and I would be nothing but a burden. ³⁶ I'll cross the river with you, but I'll only go a little way on the other side. You don't have to be so kind to me. ³⁷ Just let me return to my hometown, where I can someday be buried near my father and mother. My servant Chimham^[bi] can go with you, and you can treat him as your own.

³⁸ David said, “I'll take Chimham with me, and whatever you ask me to do for him, I'll do. And if there's anything else you want, I'll also do that.”

³⁹ David's soldiers went on across the river, while he stayed behind to tell Barzillai goodbye and to wish him well. Barzillai returned home, but ⁴⁰ Chimham crossed the river with David.

Israel and Judah Argue

All of Judah's army and half of Israel's army were there to help David cross the river. ⁴¹ The soldiers from Israel came to him and said, “Why did our relatives from Judah secretly take you and your family and your soldiers across the Jordan?”

⁴² The people of Judah answered, “Why are you so angry? We are the king's relatives. He didn't give us any food, and we didn't take anything for ourselves!”

⁴³ Those from Israel said, “King David belongs to us ten times more than he belongs to you.^[bj] Why didn't you think we were good enough to help you? After all, we were the first ones to think of bringing him back!”

The people of Judah argued more strongly than the people of Israel.