Absalom’s Death

²⁴ David went to Mahanaim,^(A) and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. ²⁵ Absalom had appointed Amasa^(B) over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether,^[a](C) an Ishmaelite^[b] who had married Abigail,^[c] the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. ²⁶ The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash^(D) from Rabbah^(E) of the Ammonites, and Makir^(F) son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai^(G) the Gileadite^(H) from Rogelim ²⁸ brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,^{[d] 29} honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat.^(I) For they said, “The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.^(J)”

18 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ² David sent out his troops,^(K) a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai^(L) son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai^(M) the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”

³ But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten^(N) thousand of us.^[e] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”^(O)

⁴ The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. ⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

⁶ David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest^(P) of Ephraim. ⁷ There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair^(Q) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

¹⁰ When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike^(R) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels^[f] of silver and a warrior’s belt.^(S)”

¹² But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels^[g] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^[h]’ ¹³ And if I had put my life in jeopardy^[i]—and nothing is hidden from the king^(T)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

¹⁴ Joab^(U) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵ And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.^(V)

¹⁶ Then Joab^(W) sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up^(X) a large heap of rocks^(Y) over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley^(Z) as a monument^(AA) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son^(AB) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

God’s Children and Sin

²⁸ And now, dear children,^(A) continue in him, so that when he appears^(B) we may be confident^(C) and unashamed before him at his coming.^(D)

²⁹ If you know that he is righteous,^(E) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.^(F)

3 See what great love^(G) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!^(H) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.^{(I) 2} Dear friends,^(J) now we are children of God,^(K) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[a](L) we shall be like him,^(M) for we shall see him as he is.^{(N) 3} All who have this hope in him purify themselves,^(O) just as he is pure.^(P)

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.^{(Q) 5} But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.^(R) And in him is no sin.^{(S) 6} No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.^(T) No one who continues to sin has either seen him^(U) or known him.^(V)

⁷ Dear children,^(W) do not let anyone lead you astray.^(X) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.^{(Y) 8} The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,^(Z) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God^(AA) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.^{(AB) 9} No one who is born of God^(AC) will continue to sin,^(AD) because God’s seed^(AE) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God^(AF) are and who the children of the devil^(AG) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love^(AH) their brother and sister.^(AI)