¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you?

²⁰ He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ!

²¹ They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No!^(A)

²² Then they said to him, Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

²³ He said, I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness [the voice of one shouting in the desert], Prepare the way of the Lord [level, straighten out, the path of the Lord], as the prophet Isaiah said.^(B)

²⁴ The messengers had been sent from the Pharisees.

²⁵ And they asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?

²⁶ John answered them, I [only] baptize ^[a]in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing.^(C)

²⁷ It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose.

²⁸ These things occurred in Bethany (Bethabara) across the Jordan [^[b]at the Jordan crossing], where John was then baptizing.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!^(D)

³⁰ This is He of Whom I said, After me comes a Man Who has priority over me [Who takes rank above me] because He was before me and existed before I did.

³¹ And I did not know Him and did not recognize Him [myself]; but it is in order that He should be made manifest and be revealed to Israel [be brought out where we can see Him] that I came baptizing ^[c]in (with) water.

³² John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart].

³³ And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize ^[d]in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.

³⁴ And I have seen [that happen—I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God!

³⁵ Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

³⁶ And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God!

³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him.

³⁸ But Jesus turned, and as He saw them following Him, He said to them, What are you looking for? [And what is it you wish?] And they answered Him, Rabbi—which translated is Teacher—where are You staying?

³⁹ He said to them, Come and see. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they remained with Him ^[e] that day. It was then about the tenth hour (about four o’clock in the afternoon).

⁴⁰ One of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

⁴¹ He first sought out and found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have found (discovered) the Messiah!—which translated is the Christ (the Anointed One).

⁴² Andrew then led (brought) Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You shall be called Cephas—which translated is Peter [Stone].

⁴³ The next day Jesus desired and decided to go into Galilee; and He found Philip and said to him, Join Me as My attendant and follow Me.

⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the same city as Andrew and Peter.

⁴⁵ Philip sought and found Nathanael and told him, We have found (discovered) the One Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote about—Jesus from Nazareth, the [legal] son of Joseph!

⁴⁶ Nathanael answered him, [Nazareth!] Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip replied, Come and see!

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said concerning him, See! Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity!

⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Jesus, How do You know me? [How is it that You know these things about me?] Jesus answered him, Before [ever] Philip called you, when you were still under the fig tree, I saw you.

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered, Teacher, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!

⁵⁰ Jesus replied, Because I said to you, I saw you beneath the fig tree, do you believe in and rely on and trust in Me? You shall see greater things than this!

⁵¹ Then He said to him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you all, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man!^(E)

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18 David numbered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds.

² David sent forth the army, a third under command of Joab, a third under Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. [He] told the men, I myself will go out with you also.

³ But the men said, You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us; if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth 10,000 such as we are. So now it is better that you be able to help us from the city.

⁴ The king said to them, Whatever seems best to you I will do. So he stood beside the gate, and all the army came out by hundreds and by thousands.

⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

⁷ [Absalom’s] men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter that day of 20,000 men.

⁸ For the battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more men that day than did the sword.

⁹ Then Absalom [unavoidably] met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and Absalom’s head caught fast [in a fork] of the oak; and the mule under him ran away, leaving him hanging between the heavens and the earth.

¹⁰ A certain man saw it and told Joab, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.

¹¹ Joab said to the man, You saw him! Why did you not strike him down to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a girdle.

¹² The man told Joab, Though I should receive 1,000 pieces of silver, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king charged you, Abishai, and Ittai, Have a care, whoever you be, for the young man Absalom.

¹³ Otherwise, if I had dealt falsely against his life—for nothing is hidden from the king—you yourself would have taken sides against me.

¹⁴ Joab said, I will not tarry thus with you. He took three darts in his hand and thrust them into the body of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

¹⁵ And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded and struck Absalom and killed him.

¹⁶ Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained and spared them.

¹⁷ They took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest and raised a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled, everyone to his own home.

¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had reared up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, 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.

¹⁹ Then said Ahimaaz son of Zadok, Let me now run and bear the king tidings of how the Lord has avenged David of his enemies.

²⁰ Joab told him, You shall not carry news today, but another time. Today you shall bear no news, for the king’s son is dead.

²¹ Then said Joab to the Cushite [an Ethiopian], Go tell the king what you have seen. And the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.

²² Then said Ahimaaz son of Zadok again to Joab, But anyhow, let me, I pray you, also run after the Cushite. Joab said, Why should you run, my son, seeing you will have no reward, for you have not sufficient tidings?

²³ But he said, Let me run anyhow. So Joab said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate by the wall, and when he looked, he saw a man running alone.

²⁵ The watchman called out and told the king. The king said, If he is alone, he has news to tell. And he came on and drew near.

²⁶ Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper, Behold, another man running alone. The king said, He also brings news.

²⁷ The watchman said, I think the man in front runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok. The king said, He is a good man and comes with good tidings.

²⁸ And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, All is well! And he fell down to the ground on his face before the king and said, Blessed be the Lord your God, Who has shut up the men who lifted up their hands 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 do not know what it was.

³⁰ The king told him, Turn aside; stand here. And he turned aside and stood still.

³¹ And behold, the Cushite (Ethiopian) came, and he said, News, my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from all who rose up against you.

³² The king said to the Cushite, Is the young man Absalom safe? The Cushite replied, May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise against you to do evil be like that young man is.

³³ And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would to God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!

19 It was told Joab, Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.

² So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for they heard it said, The king grieves for his son.

³ The people slipped into the city stealthily that day as humiliated people steal away when they flee in battle.

⁴ But the king covered his face and cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

⁵ And Joab came into the house to the king and said, You have today covered the faces of all your servants with shame, who this day have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.

⁶ For you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have declared today that princes and servants are nothing to you; for today I see that if Absalom had lived and all the rest of us had died, you would be well pleased.

⁷ So now arise, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go, not a man will remain with you this night. And this 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 gate. And all [his followers] were told, The king is sitting in the gate, and they all came before the king. Now Israel [Absalom’s troops] had fled, every man to his home.

⁹ And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us from the hands of our enemies, and he saved us from the hands of the Philistines. And now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.

¹⁰ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. So now, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?

¹¹ And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Say to the elders of Judah, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king, to bring him to his house?

¹² You are my kinsmen; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?

¹³ And say to Amasa, Are you not of my bone and of my flesh? May God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of my army hereafter in place of Joab.

¹⁴ He inclined the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so they sent word to [him], Return, you and all your servants.

¹⁵ So [David] returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king, to conduct him over the Jordan.

¹⁶ And Shimei son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, hastily came down with the men of Judah to meet King David,

¹⁷ And 1,000 men of Benjamin with him. And Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him, rushed to the Jordan and pressed quickly into the king’s presence.

¹⁸ And there went over a ferryboat to bring over the king’s household and to do what he thought good. And Shimei son of Gera fell down before the king as David came to the Jordan,

¹⁹ And said to the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity to me and hold me guilty, nor remember what your servant did the day my lord went out of Jerusalem [when Shimei grossly insulted David]; may the king not take it to heart.

²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am today the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.

²¹ But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?

²² David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Shall anyone be put to death today in Israel? For do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?

²³ Therefore the king said to Shimei, You shall not die [at my hand]. And the king gave him his oath.^(A)

²⁴ Mephibosheth the son [grandson] of Saul came down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until he returned in peace and safety.

²⁵ And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, David said to him, Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?

²⁶ He said, My lord O king, my servant [Ziba] deceived me; for I said, Saddle me the donkey that I may ride on it and go to the king, for your servant is lame [but he took the donkey and left without me].

²⁷ He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But the king is as an angel of God; so do what is good in your eyes.

²⁸ For all of my father’s house were but doomed to death before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I to cry any more to the king?

²⁹ The king said to him, Why speak any more of your affairs? I say, You and Ziba divide the land.

³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has returned home in safety and peace.

³¹ Now Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went on to the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.

³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old; and he had provided the king with food while he remained at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.

³³ And the king said to Barzillai, Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.

³⁴ And Barzillai said to the king, How much longer have I to live, that it would be worthwhile for me to go up with the king to Jerusalem?

³⁵ I am this day eighty years old. Could I now [be useful as a counselor to] discern between good and evil? Can your servant appreciate what I eat or drink? Can I any longer enjoy the voices of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be still a burden to my lord the king?

³⁶ Your servant will only go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?

³⁷ Let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city and be buried by the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king. And do to him what shall seem good to you.

³⁸ The king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him what seems good to you; and whatever you ask of me I will do for you.

³⁹ So all the people went over the Jordan. When the king had crossed over, he kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and [the great man] returned to his own place.

⁴⁰ Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him; and all the people of Judah and also half the people of Israel escorted the king.

⁴¹ And all the men of Israel came to the king and said to him, Why have our kinsmen, the men of Judah, stolen you away and have brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?

⁴² But all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then be angry about it? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?

⁴³ Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, We have ten [tribes’] shares in the king; and we have more right to David than you have. Why then did you despise and ignore us? Were we not the first to speak of our bringing back our king? But the words of the men of Judah were more violent than the charges of the men of Israel.