2 Samuel 15:13-18

Expanded Bible

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].