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 [^Cto signal his power and claim of heir to the throne]. ² Absalom would get up early and stand near the city gate [^Cthe 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 [^LYour 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 [^Cto 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 [^Lyour 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 [^Linnocently], ·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 [^Lhearts of the people/Israelites are with] Absalom.”

¹⁴ Then David said to all his ·officers [officials; ^Lservants] 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 [^Lbrings disaster and puts the city to the sword].”

¹⁵ The king’s ·officers [officials; ^Lservants] said to him, “We will do anything you ·say [decide; ^Lchoose].”

¹⁶ The king set out with everyone in his house, but he left ten ·slave women [^Lconcubines; ^Csecondary wives; 3:7] to take care of the palace. ¹⁷ The king left [^Lon 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 [^Cforeign 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 [^Lthe king] because you are a foreigner. ·This is not [^L…—an exile from] your homeland. ²⁰ You joined me only ·a short time ago [^Lyesterday]. 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 [^Lmy lord the king lives], I will ·stay with you [^Lgo 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 [^LI find favor in the Lord’s sight/eyes], he will bring me back and will let me see both it and ·Jerusalem [^Lits 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 [^Lto 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; ^Cshallow 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 [^LAscent] of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot [^Csigns 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 [^Ca 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 [^La 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 [^Lthey 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.