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2 Samuel 15:18-22
New King James Version
2 Samuel 15:18-22
New King James Version
18 Then all his servants passed [a]before him; (A)and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, (B)six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.
19 Then the king said to (C)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 (D)I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21 But Ittai answered the king and said, (E)“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 (F)wilderness.
24 There was (G)Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the (H)ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and (I)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 (J)will bring me back and show me both it and (K)His dwelling place. 26 But if He says thus: ‘I have no (L)delight in you,’ here I am, (M)let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a (N)seer?[b] Return to the city in peace, and (O)your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, (P)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 (Q)had his head covered and went (R)barefoot. And all the people who were with him (S)covered their heads and went up, (T)weeping as they went up. 31 Then someone told David, saying, (U)“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, (V)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 (W)Archite coming to meet him (X)with his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become (Y)a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, (Z)‘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 (AA)Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Indeed they have there (AB)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, (AC)David’s friend, went into the city. (AD)And Absalom came into Jerusalem.
Mephibosheth’s Servant
16 When(AE) David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was (AF)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?”
So Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for (AG)those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.”
3 Then the king said, “And where is your (AH)master’s son?”
(AI)And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ”
4 So the king said to Ziba, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”
And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 Now when King David came to (AJ)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was (AK)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You [c]bloodthirsty man, (AL)you [d]rogue! 8 The Lord has (AM)brought upon you all (AN)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a [e]bloodthirsty man!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this (AO)dead dog (AP)curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”
10 But the king said, (AQ)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because (AR)the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ (AS)Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”
11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how (AT)my son who (AU)came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on [f]my affliction, and that the Lord will (AV)repay me with (AW)good for his cursing this day.” 13 And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and [g]kicked up dust. 14 Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.
The Advice of Ahithophel
15 Meanwhile (AX)Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, (AY)David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (AZ)Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 So Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? (BA)Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore, (BB)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to (BC)Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s (BD)concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you (BE)are abhorred by your father. Then (BF)the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines (BG)in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel (BH)both with David and with Absalom.
The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai
17 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I will come upon him while he is (BI)weary and weak, and make him [h]afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will (BJ)strike only the king. 3 Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace.” 4 And the saying pleased Absalom and all the (BK)elders of Israel.
The Advice of Hushai
5 Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he (BL)says too.” 6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”
7 So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. 8 For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like (BM)a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. 9 Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will (BN)melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. 11 Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, (BO)from Dan to Beersheba, (BP)like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. 12 So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. 13 Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will (BQ)pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”
14 So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For (BR)the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.
Hushai Warns David to Escape
15 (BS)Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. 16 Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night (BT)in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ” 17 (BU)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz (BV)stayed at (BW)En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. 18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house (BX)in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. 19 (BY)Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. 20 And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
So (BZ)the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.”
And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, (CA)“Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” 22 So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.
23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to (CB)his house, to his city. Then he [i]put his (CC)household in order, and (CD)hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.
24 Then David went to (CE)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 And Absalom made (CF)Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was [j]Jithra, an [k]Israelite, who had gone in to (CG)Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26 So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
27 Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that (CH)Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, (CI)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and (CJ)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, 29 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty (CK)in the wilderness.”
Absalom’s Defeat and Death
18 And David [l]numbered the people who were with him, and (CL)set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2 Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab, (CM)one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the hand of (CN)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I also will surely go out with you myself.”
3 (CO)But the people answered, “You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”
4 Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” (CP)And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom.
6 So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the (CQ)woods of Ephraim. 7 The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day. 8 For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and (CR)his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on. 10 Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!”
11 So Joab said to the man who told him, “You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man said to Joab, “Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. (CS)For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, [m]‘Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!’ 13 Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”
14 Then Joab said, “I cannot linger with you.” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. 15 And ten young men who bore Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.
16 So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people. 17 And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods, and (CT)laid a very large heap of stones over him. Then all Israel (CU)fled, everyone to his tent.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a [n]pillar for himself, which is in (CV)the King’s Valley. For he said, (CW)“I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.
David Hears of Absalom’s Death
19 Then (CX)Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has [o]avenged him of his enemies.”
20 And Joab said to him, “You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.
22 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “But [p]whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.”
So Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?”
23 “But whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.”
So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the (CY)two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone. 25 Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came rapidly and drew near.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “There is another man, running alone!”
And the king said, “He also brings news.”
27 So the watchman said, [q]“I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”
And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with (CZ)good news.”
28 So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, [r]“All is well!” Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, (DA)“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king!”
29 The king said, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about.”
30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
31 Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “There is good news, my lord the king! For the Lord has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you.”
32 And the king said to the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
So the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!”
David’s Mourning for Absalom
33 Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: (DB)“O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, (DC)my son!”
David Returns to Jerusalem
19 And Joab was told, “Behold, the king is weeping and (DD)mourning for Absalom.” 2 So the victory that day was turned into (DE)mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” 3 And the people [s]stole back (DF)into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 4 But the king (DG)covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, (DH)“O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then (DI)Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, 6 in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you [t]regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. 7 Now therefore, arise, go out and speak [u]comfort to your servants. For I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.” 8 Then the king arose and sat in the (DJ)gate. And they told all the people, saying, “There is the king, sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king.
For everyone of Israel had (DK)fled to his tent.
David Returns to Jerusalem
9 Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king saved us from the hand of our (DL)enemies, he delivered us from the hand of the (DM)Philistines, and now he has (DN)fled from the land because of Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?”
11 So King David sent to (DO)Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his very house? 12 You are my brethren, you are (DP)my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’ 13 (DQ)And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? (DR)God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me [v]continually in place of Joab.’ ” 14 So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, (DS)just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: “Return, you and all your servants!”
15 Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to (DT)Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king (DU)across the Jordan. 16 And (DV)Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 There were a thousand men of (DW)Benjamin with him, and (DX)Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the king. 18 Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good.
David’s Mercy to Shimei
Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. 19 Then he said to the king, (DY)“Do not let my lord [w]impute iniquity to me, or remember what (DZ)wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should (EA)take it to heart. 20 For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am, the first to come today of all (EB)the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”
21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, (EC)because he (ED)cursed the Lord’s anointed?”
22 And David said, (EE)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? (EF)Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 Therefore (EG)the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.
David and Mephibosheth Meet
24 Now (EH)Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace. 25 So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, (EI)“Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
26 And he answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,’ because your servant is lame. 27 And (EJ)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, (EK)but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes. 28 For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king. (EL)Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to [x]cry out anymore to the king?”
29 So the king said to him, “Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, ‘You and Ziba divide the land.’ ”
30 Then Mephibosheth said to the king, “Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.”
David’s Kindness to Barzillai
31 And (EM)Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went across the Jordan with the king, to escort him across the Jordan. 32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And (EN)he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, “Come across with me, and I will provide for you while you are with me in Jerusalem.”
34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am today (EO)eighty years old. Can I discern between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way across the Jordan with the king. And why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant (EP)Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you.”
38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you. Now whatever you request of me, I will do for you.” 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king (EQ)kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.
The Quarrel About the King
40 Now the king went on to Gilgal, and [y]Chimham went on with him. And all the people of Judah escorted the king, and also half the people of Israel. 41 Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and (ER)brought the king, his household, and all David’s men with him across the Jordan?”
42 So all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is (ES)a close relative of ours. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”
43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have (ET)ten shares in the king; therefore we also have more right to David than you. Why then do you despise us—were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?”
Yet (EU)the words of the men of Judah were [z]fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
The Rebellion of Sheba
20 And there happened to be there a [aa]rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said:
(EV)“We have no share in David,
Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse;
(EW)Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the (EX)men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.
3 Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, (EY)his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.
4 And the king said to Amasa, (EZ)“Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. 6 And David said to (FA)Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take (FB)your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.” 7 So Joab’s men, with the (FC)Cherethites, the Pelethites, and (FD)all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 8 When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out. 9 Then Joab said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” (FE)And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And (FF)he struck him with it (FG)in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.
Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 Meanwhile one of Joab’s men stood near Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!” 12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted. 13 When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
14 And he went through all the tribes of Israel to (FH)Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after [ab]Sheba. 15 Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they (FI)cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.
16 Then a wise woman cried out from the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.’ ” 17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?”
He answered, “I am.”
Then she said to him, “Hear the words of your maidservant.”
And he answered, “I am listening.”
18 So she spoke, saying, “They used to talk in former times, saying, ‘They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,’ and so they would end disputes. 19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up (FJ)the inheritance of the Lord?”
20 And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.”
So the woman said to Joab, “Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman (FK)in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.
David’s Government Officers
23 And (FL)Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 Adoram was (FM)in charge of revenue; (FN)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was scribe; (FO)Zadok and Abiathar were the priests; 26 (FP)and Ira the Jairite was [ac]a chief minister under David.
David Avenges the Gibeonites
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David (FQ)inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his [ad]bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but (FR)of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them (FS)in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless (FT)the inheritance of the Lord?”
4 And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.”
So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
5 Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6 let seven men of his descendants be delivered (FU)to us, and we will hang them before the Lord (FV)in Gibeah of Saul, (FW)whom the Lord chose.”
And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared (FX)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of (FY)the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of (FZ)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of [ae]Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she [af]brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill (GA)before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Now (GB)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, (GC)from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of (GD)Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of [ag]Beth Shan, where the (GE)Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in (GF)Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that (GG)God heeded the prayer for the land.
Philistine Giants Destroyed(GH)
15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16 Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of [ah]the (GI)giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. 17 But (GJ)Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, (GK)“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the (GL)lamp of Israel.”
18 (GM)Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then (GN)Sibbechai the Hushathite killed [ai]Saph, who was one of the sons of [aj]the giant. 19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where (GO)Elhanan the son of [ak]Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed (GP)the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Yet again (GQ)there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to [al]the giant. 21 So when he (GR)defied Israel, Jonathan the son of [am]Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
22 (GS)These four were born to [an]the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Praise for God’s Deliverance(GT)
22 Then David (GU)spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had (GV)delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he (GW)said:
(GX)“The Lord is my rock and my (GY)fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, (GZ)in whom I will trust;
My (HA)shield and the (HB)horn[ao] of my salvation,
My (HC)stronghold and my (HD)refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness [ap]made me afraid.
6 The (HE)sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress (HF)I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He (HG)heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.
8 “Then (HH)the earth shook and trembled;
(HI)The foundations of [aq]heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring (HJ)fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He (HK)bowed the heavens also, and came down
With (HL)darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He [ar]was seen (HM)upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made (HN)darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord (HO)thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out (HP)arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea (HQ)were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the (HR)rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 “He(HS) sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 15:18 Lit. by his hand
- 2 Samuel 15:27 prophet
- 2 Samuel 16:7 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:7 worthless man
- 2 Samuel 16:8 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:12 So with Kt., LXX, Syr., Vg.; Qr. my eyes; Tg. tears of my eyes
- 2 Samuel 16:13 Lit. dusted him with dust
- 2 Samuel 17:2 tremble with fear
- 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit. gave charge concerning his house
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Jether, 1 Chr. 2:17
- 2 Samuel 17:25 So with MT, some LXX mss., Tg.; some LXX mss. Ishmaelite (cf. 1 Chr. 2:17); Vg. of Jezrael
- 2 Samuel 18:1 Lit. attended to
- 2 Samuel 18:12 Vss. ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me!’
- 2 Samuel 18:18 monument
- 2 Samuel 18:19 vindicated
- 2 Samuel 18:22 Lit. be what may
- 2 Samuel 18:27 Lit. I see the running
- 2 Samuel 18:28 Peace be to you
- 2 Samuel 19:3 went by stealth
- 2 Samuel 19:6 have no respect for
- 2 Samuel 19:7 Lit. to the heart of
- 2 Samuel 19:13 permanently
- 2 Samuel 19:19 charge me with iniquity
- 2 Samuel 19:28 complain
- 2 Samuel 19:40 MT Chimhan
- 2 Samuel 19:43 harsher
- 2 Samuel 20:1 Lit. man of Belial
- 2 Samuel 20:14 Lit. him
- 2 Samuel 20:26 Or David’s priest
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Lit. house of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Merab, 1 Sam. 18:19; 25:44; 2 Sam. 3:14; 6:23
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Lit. bore to Adriel
- 2 Samuel 21:12 Beth Shean, Josh. 17:11
- 2 Samuel 21:16 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Sippai, 1 Chr. 20:4
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:19 Jair, 1 Chr. 20:5
- 2 Samuel 21:20 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:21 Shammah, 1 Sam. 16:9 and elsewhere
- 2 Samuel 21:22 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Strength
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or overwhelmed
- 2 Samuel 22:8 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. hills (cf. Ps. 18:7)
- 2 Samuel 22:11 So with MT, LXX; many Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. flew (cf. Ps. 18:10); Tg. spoke with power
2 Samuel 15:18-22
New International Version
2 Samuel 15:18-22
New International Version
18 All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites(A) and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
19 The king said to Ittai(B) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,(C) an exile from your homeland. 20 You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander(D) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”[a](E)
21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”(F)
22 David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.
23 The whole countryside wept aloud(G) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,(H) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.
24 Zadok(I) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark(J) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar(K) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place(L) again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.(M)”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?(N) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.(O) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. 28 I will wait at the fords(P) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping(Q) as he went; his head(R) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel(S) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”
32 When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai(T) the Arkite(U) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust(V) on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden(W) to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’(X) then you can help me by frustrating(Y) Ahithophel’s advice. 35 Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.(Z) 36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz(AA) son of Zadok and Jonathan(AB) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”
37 So Hushai,(AC) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom(AD) was entering the city.
David and Ziba
16 When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,(AE) the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.(AF)
2 The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”
Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh(AG) those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
3 The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”(AH)
Ziba(AI) said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”
4 Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth(AJ) is now yours.”
“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim,(AK) a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei(AL) son of Gera, and he cursed(AM) as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.(AN) The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”(AO)
9 Then Abishai(AP) son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog(AQ) curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”(AR)
10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?(AS) If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”(AT)
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,(AU) my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.(AV) 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery(AW) and restore to me his covenant blessing(AX) instead of his curse today.(AY)”
13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14 The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.(AZ) And there he refreshed himself.
The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai
15 Meanwhile, Absalom(BA) and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel(BB) was with him. 16 Then Hushai(BC) the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?”(BD)
18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. 19 Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”(BE)
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.(BF)
23 Now in those days the advice(BG) Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David(BH) and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.
17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “I would[b] choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. 2 I would attack him while he is weary and weak.(BI) I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king(BJ) 3 and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed.” 4 This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.
5 But Absalom said, “Summon also Hushai(BK) the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say as well.” 6 When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion.”
7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. 8 You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs.(BL) Besides, your father is an experienced fighter;(BM) he will not spend the night with the troops. 9 Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place.(BN) If he should attack your troops first,[c] whoever hears about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion,(BO) will melt(BP) with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.(BQ)
11 “So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba(BR)—as numerous as the sand(BS) on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. 12 Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley(BT) until not so much as a pebble is left.”
14 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice(BU) of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.”(BV) For the Lord had determined to frustrate(BW) the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster(BX) on Absalom.(BY)
15 Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. 16 Now send a message at once and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness;(BZ) cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.(CA)’”
17 Jonathan(CB) and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel.(CC) A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. 18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim.(CD) He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 19 His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.(CE)
20 When Absalom’s men came to the woman(CF) at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The woman answered them, “They crossed over the brook.”[d] The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.” 22 So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice(CG) had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order(CH) and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
Absalom’s Death
24 David went to Mahanaim,(CI) and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa(CJ) over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether,[e](CK) an Ishmaelite[f] who had married Abigail,[g] 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(CL) from Rabbah(CM) of the Ammonites, and Makir(CN) son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai(CO) the Gileadite(CP) from Rogelim 28 brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,[h] 29 honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat.(CQ) For they said, “The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.(CR)”
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,(CS) a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai(CT) son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai(CU) 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(CV) thousand of us.[i] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”(CW)
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(CX) 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(CY) 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(CZ) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels[j] of silver and a warrior’s belt.(DA)”
12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels[k] 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.[l]’ 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy[m]—and nothing is hidden from the king(DB)—you would have kept your distance from me.”
14 Joab(DC) 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.(DD)
16 Then Joab(DE) 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(DF) a large heap of rocks(DG) 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(DH) as a monument(DI) to himself, for he thought, “I have no son(DJ) to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
David Mourns
19 Now Ahimaaz(DK) son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.(DL)”
20 “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”
21 Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”
But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”
23 He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”
So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain[n] and outran the Cushite.
24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman(DM) went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out to the king and reported it.
The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.
26 Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”
The king said, “He must be bringing good news,(DN) too.”
27 The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like(DO) Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”
28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”
30 The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.
31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”(DP)
33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died(DQ) instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”[o](DR)
19 [p]Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. 4 The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. 6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. 7 Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.”(DS)
8 So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,(DT)” they all came before him.
Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.
David Returns to Jerusalem
9 Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines.(DU) But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom;(DV) 10 and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”
11 King David sent this message to Zadok(DW) and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? 12 You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ 13 And say to Amasa,(DX) ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood?(DY) May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,(DZ) if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.(EA)’”
14 He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” 15 Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.
Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal(EB) to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. 16 Shimei(EC) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba,(ED) the steward of Saul’s household,(EE) and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. 18 They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished.
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king 19 and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem.(EF) May the king put it out of his mind. 20 For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”
21 Then Abishai(EG) son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed(EH) the Lord’s anointed.”(EI)
22 David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?(EJ) What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today?(EK) Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.(EL)
24 Mephibosheth,(EM) Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. 25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me,(EN) Mephibosheth?”
26 He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame,(EO) I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba(EP) my servant betrayed me. 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel(EQ) of God; so do whatever you wish. 28 All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death(ER) from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table.(ES) So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”
29 The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.”
30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely.”
31 Barzillai(ET) the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. 32 Now Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy(EU) man. 33 The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.”
34 But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? 35 I am now eighty(EV) years old. Can I tell the difference between what is enjoyable and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of male and female singers?(EW) Why should your servant be an added(EX) burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? 37 Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father(EY) and mother. But here is your servant Kimham.(EZ) Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever you wish.”
38 The king said, “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever you wish. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.”
39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and bid him farewell,(FA) and Barzillai returned to his home.
40 When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over.
41 Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?”(FB)
42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king’s provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?”
43 Then the men of Israel(FC) answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king; so we have a greater claim on David than you have. Why then do you treat us with contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing back our king?”
But the men of Judah pressed their claims even more forcefully than the men of Israel.
Sheba Rebels Against David
20 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,
2 So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines(FG) he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa,(FH) “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.
6 David said to Abishai,(FI) “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.”[q] 7 So Joab’s men and the Kerethites(FJ) and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.
8 While they were at the great rock in Gibeon,(FK) Amasa came to meet them. Joab(FL) was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.
9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger(FM) in Joab’s(FN) hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.
11 One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12 Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt(FO) there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. 13 After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.
14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites,[r](FP) who gathered together and followed him. 15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah.(FQ) They built a siege ramp(FR) up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman(FS) called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he answered.
She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful(FT) and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”(FU)
20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”
The woman said to Joab, “His head(FV) will be thrown to you from the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,(FW) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
David’s Officials
23 Joab(FX) was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram[s](FY) was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat(FZ) son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok(GA) and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite[t] was David’s priest.
The Gibeonites Avenged
21 During the reign of David, there was a famine(GB) for three successive years; so David sought(GC) the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
2 The king summoned the Gibeonites(GD) and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”(GE)
4 The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”(GF)
“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
5 They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed(GG) before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen(GH) one.”
So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
7 The king spared Mephibosheth(GI) son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath(GJ) before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,(GK) whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,[u] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.(GL) 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death(GM) during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.(GN)
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.(GO) 11 When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul(GP) and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.(GQ) (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan,(GR) where the Philistines had hung(GS) them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)(GT) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela(GU) in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,(GV) God answered prayer(GW) in behalf of the land.(GX)
Wars Against the Philistines(GY)
15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines(GZ) and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[v] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai(HA) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp(HB) of Israel will not be extinguished.(HC)”
18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai(HD) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[w] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of[x] Goliath the Gittite,(HE) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.(HF)
20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted(HG) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,(HH) David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
David’s Song of Praise(HI)
22 David sang(HJ) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock,(HK) my fortress(HL) and my deliverer;(HM)
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(HN)
my shield[y](HO) and the horn[z](HP) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(HQ) my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy(HR) of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves(HS) of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave(HT) coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress(HU) I called(HV) to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth(HW) trembled and quaked,(HX)
the foundations(HY) of the heavens[aa] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire(HZ) came from his mouth,
burning coals(IA) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds(IB) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(IC) and flew;
he soared[ab] on the wings of the wind.(ID)
12 He made darkness(IE) his canopy around him—
the dark[ac] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning(IF) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(IG) from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(IH) and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(II) of the Lord,
at the blast(IJ) of breath from his nostrils.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 15:20 Septuagint; Hebrew May kindness and faithfulness be with you
- 2 Samuel 17:1 Or Let me
- 2 Samuel 17:9 Or When some of the men fall at the first attack
- 2 Samuel 17:20 Or “They passed by the sheep pen toward the water.”
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Hebrew Ithra, a variant of Jether
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 2:17); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Israelite
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Hebrew Abigal, a variant of Abigail
- 2 Samuel 17:28 Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew lentils, and roasted grain
- 2 Samuel 18:3 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts care; for now there are ten thousand like us
- 2 Samuel 18:11 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
- 2 Samuel 18:12 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 18:12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.
- 2 Samuel 18:13 Or Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously toward him
- 2 Samuel 18:23 That is, the plain of the Jordan
- 2 Samuel 18:33 In Hebrew texts this verse (18:33) is numbered 19:1.
- 2 Samuel 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-43 is numbered 19:2-44.
- 2 Samuel 20:6 Or and do us serious injury
- 2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
- 2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
- 2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and Septuagint manuscripts Michal
- 2 Samuel 21:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-Oregim.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of.
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
- 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.