2 Samuel 15
World English Bible
15 After this, Absalom prepared a chariot and horses for himself, and fifty men to run before him. 2 Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate. When any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, “What city are you from?”
He said, “Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.”
3 Absalom said to him, “Behold, your matters are good and right; but there is no man deputized by the king to hear you.” 4 Absalom said moreover, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!” 5 It was so, that when any man came near to bow down to him, he stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him. 6 Absalom did this sort of thing to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 At the end of forty years, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to Yahweh, in Hebron. 8 For your servant vowed a vow while I stayed at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If Yahweh shall indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve Yahweh.’”
9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.”
So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’”
11 Two hundred men went with Absalom out of Jerusalem, who were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they didn’t know anything. 12 Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. The conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. 13 A messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.”
14 David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise! Let’s flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Hurry to depart, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
15 The king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.”
16 The king went out, and all his household after him. The king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house. 17 The king went out, and all the people after him; and they stayed in Beth Merhak. 18 All his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Return, and stay with the king; for you are a foreigner and also an exile. Return to your own place. 20 Whereas you came but yesterday, should I today make you go up and down with us, since I go where I may? Return, and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21 Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in what place my lord the king is, whether for death or for life, your servant will be there also.”
22 David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones who were with him. 23 All the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. 24 Behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down God’s ark; and Abiathar went up until all the people finished passing out of the city. 25 The king said to Zadok, “Carry God’s ark back into the city. If I find favor in Yahweh’s eyes, he will bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation; 26 but if he says, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am. Let him do to me as seems good to him.” 27 The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Aren’t you a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 Behold, I will stay at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried God’s ark to Jerusalem again; and they stayed there. 30 David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. All the people who were with him each covered his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
31 Someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”
David said, “Yahweh, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
32 When David had come to the top, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his tunic torn and earth on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you pass on with me, then you will be a burden to me; 34 but if you return to the city, and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant; then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.’ 35 Don’t you have Zadok and Abiathar the priests there with you? Therefore whatever you hear out of the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son. Send to me everything that you shall hear by them.”
37 So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 15
New King James Version
Absalom’s Treason
15 After this (A)it happened that Absalom (B)provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a (C)lawsuit[a] came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, “What city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your [b]case is good and right; but there is no [c]deputy of the king to hear you.” 4 Moreover Absalom would say, (D)“Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.” 5 And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and (E)kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. (F)So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 Now it came to pass (G)after [d]forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please, let me go to (H)Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord. 8 (I)For your servant (J)took a vow (K)while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If the Lord indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’ ”
9 And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom (L)reigns in Hebron!’ ” 11 And with Absalom went two hundred men (M)invited from Jerusalem, and they (N)went along innocently and did not know anything. 12 Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, (O)David’s counselor, from his city—from (P)Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom (Q)continually increased in number.
David Escapes from Jerusalem
13 Now a messenger came to David, saying, (R)“The hearts of the men of Israel are [e]with Absalom.”
14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us (S)flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.” 16 Then (T)the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left (U)ten women, concubines, to keep the house. 17 And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts. 18 Then all his servants passed [f]before him; (V)and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, (W)six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.
19 Then the king said to (X)Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 20 In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go (Y)I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21 But Ittai answered the king and said, (Z)“As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be.”
22 So David said to Ittai, “Go, and cross over.” Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over. 23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the (AA)wilderness.
24 There was (AB)Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the (AC)ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and (AD)Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He (AE)will bring me back and show me both it and (AF)His dwelling place. 26 But if He says thus: ‘I have no (AG)delight in you,’ here I am, (AH)let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a (AI)seer?[g] Return to the city in peace, and (AJ)your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, (AK)I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.
30 So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he (AL)had his head covered and went (AM)barefoot. And all the people who were with him (AN)covered their heads and went up, (AO)weeping as they went up. 31 Then someone told David, saying, (AP)“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, (AQ)turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
32 Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the (AR)Archite coming to meet him (AS)with his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become (AT)a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, (AU)‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 35 And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to (AV)Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Indeed they have there (AW)with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear.”
37 So Hushai, (AX)David’s friend, went into the city. (AY)And Absalom came into Jerusalem.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 15:2 Lit. controversy
- 2 Samuel 15:3 Lit. words
- 2 Samuel 15:3 Lit. listener
- 2 Samuel 15:7 LXX mss., Syr., Josephus four
- 2 Samuel 15:13 Lit. after
- 2 Samuel 15:18 Lit. by his hand
- 2 Samuel 15:27 prophet
2 Samuel 15
Expanded Bible
Absalom Plans to Take David’s Kingdom
15 After this, Absalom got a chariot and horses for himself and fifty men to run before him [C to signal his power and claim of heir to the throne]. 2 Absalom would get up early and stand near the city gate [C the hub of the town for judicial, business, and social interaction]. Anyone who had a ·problem [suit; petition; case] for the king to ·settle [judge] would come here. When someone came, Absalom would call out and say, “What city are you from?”
The person would answer, “·I’m [L Your servant is] from one of the tribes of Israel.”
3 Then Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are ·right [sound/valid and just], but the king has no ·one [representative; deputy] to listen to you.” 4 Absalom would also say, “I wish someone would ·make [appoint] me judge in this land! Then people with ·problems [any suit/complaint/case or cause] could come to me, and I ·could help them get [would give them] justice.”
5 People would come near Absalom to ·bow to [prostrate themselves before] him. When they did, Absalom would reach out his hand and take hold of them and kiss them [C to show he treated them as his equals]. 6 Absalom did that to all the Israelites who came to King David for ·decisions [judgment]. In this way, Absalom stole the hearts of all Israel.
7 After four[a] years Absalom said to King David, “Please let me go to Hebron. I want to carry out my ·promise [vow] that I made to the Lord 8 while ·I [L your servant] was living in Geshur in Aram. I said, ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will ·worship [offer devotion/a sacrifice to] him in Hebron.’”
9 The king said, “Go in peace.”
So Absalom went to Hebron. 10 But he sent ·secret messengers [spies; or runners] through all the tribes of Israel. They told the people, “When you hear the trumpets, say this: ‘Absalom is the king ·at [in] Hebron!’”
11 Absalom ·had invited [took] two hundred men to go with him. So they went from Jerusalem with him [L innocently], ·but they didn’t know [not knowing] what he was planning. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, ·one of the people who advised David [David’s counselor], to come from his hometown of Giloh. So ·Absalom’s plans were working very well [the conspiracy grew stronger]. More and more people began to support him.
13 A messenger came to David, saying, “The ·Israelites are giving their loyalty to [L hearts of the people/Israelites are with] Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his ·officers [officials; L servants] who were with him in Jerusalem, “We must ·leave [flee] quickly! If we don’t, we won’t be able to ·get away from [escape] Absalom. We must hurry before he ·catches [overtakes] us and ·destroys us and kills the people of Jerusalem [L brings disaster and puts the city to the sword].”
15 The king’s ·officers [officials; L servants] said to him, “We will do anything you ·say [decide; L choose].”
16 The king set out with everyone in his house, but he left ten ·slave women [L concubines; C secondary wives; 3:7] to take care of the palace. 17 The king left [L on foot] with all his people following him, and they stopped at ·a house far away [the last house]. 18 All the king’s ·servants [men; officers; officials] passed by him—the Kerethites and Pelethites [C foreign mercenaries who served as the king’s bodyguards], ·all those from Gath, and the six hundred men who had followed him [or and the six hundred men from Gath].
19 The king said to Ittai, a man from Gath, “Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with ·King Absalom [L the king] because you are a foreigner. ·This is not [L …—an exile from] your homeland. 20 You joined me only ·a short time ago [L yesterday]. Should I make you wander with us when I don’t even know where I’m going? Turn back and take your ·brothers [kinsmen; people] with you. May ·kindness [faithful love] and ·loyalty [faithfulness; truth] be shown to you.”
21 But Ittai said to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as ·you live [L my lord the king lives], I will ·stay with you [L go wherever my lord the king goes], whether it means life or death.”
22 David said to Ittai, “Go, march on.” So Ittai from Gath and all his people with their ·children [families] marched on. 23 All the people ·cried loudly [wept out loud] as ·everyone [the people] passed by. King David crossed the Kidron Valley, and then all the people went on to the ·desert [wilderness]. 24 Zadok and all the Levites with him carried the Ark of the ·Agreement with God [Covenant/Treaty of God]. They set it down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had ·left [marched out of] the city.
25 The king said to Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back into the city. If ·the Lord is pleased with me [L I find favor in the Lord’s sight/eyes], he will bring me back and will let me see both it and ·Jerusalem [L its dwelling place/tent/Tabernacle] again. 26 But if the Lord says ·he is not pleased with me [L “I take no delight in you”], ·I am ready [here I am]. He can do ·what he wants with me [L to me what is good in his sight/eyes].”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “·Aren’t you a seer [or Do you understand]? Go back to the city ·in peace [quietly] and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan with you. 28 I will wait near the ·crossings into the desert [fords in the wilderness; C shallow crossing points of the Jordan River] until I hear from you.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 David went up the ·Mount [L Ascent] of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot [C signs of mourning]. All the people with David covered their heads also and cried as they went. 31 Someone told David, “Ahithophel is one of the ·people with Absalom who made secret plans against you [conspirators with Absalom].”
So David prayed, “Lord, please ·make [turn] Ahithophel’s ·advice foolish [counsel into foolishness].”
32 When David reached the top of the mountain where people ·used to worship [worshiped] God, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him. Hushai’s coat was torn, and there was dirt on his head [C a sign of mourning or distress]. 33 David said to Hushai, “If you go with me, you will be ·just one more person for me to take care of [L a burden]. 34 But if you return to the city, you can ·make Ahithophel’s advice useless [thwart/frustrate/counter Ahithophel’s counsel]. Tell Absalom, ‘I am your servant, my king. In the past I served your father, but now I will serve you.’ 35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will [L they not…?] be with you. Tell them everything you hear in the royal palace. 36 Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are with them. Send them to tell me everything you hear.” 37 So David’s friend Hushai ·entered [returned to] Jerusalem just as Absalom arrived.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 15:7 four Some Greek copies read “four.” Hebrew copies read “forty.”
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.