⁹ And it happened that all the people were disputing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “^(A)The king delivered us from the ^[a]hand of our enemies and ^(B)provided us escape from the ^[b]hand of the Philistines, but now ^(C)he has fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰ However, Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So now, why are you silent about having the king return?”

¹¹ Now King David had sent to ^(D)Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to have the king return to his house, while the word of all Israel has come to the king, even to his house? ¹² You are my brothers; ^(E)you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to have the king return?’ ¹³ And say to ^(F)Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? ^(G)May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be ^(H)commander of the army before me continually ^(I)in place of Joab.’” ¹⁴ Thus he inclined the hearts of all the men of Judah ^(J)as one man, so they sent word to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.” ¹⁵ The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to ^(K)Gilgal in order to go to meet the king, to cause the king to pass over across the Jordan.