A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

¹ ¶ LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.

² There are many who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

³ But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head.

⁴ ¶ I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he answered me out of the mountain of his holiness. Selah.

⁵ I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for the LORD sustained me.

⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about.

⁷ Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the jawbone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

⁸ Salvation belongs unto the LORD; thy blessing shall be upon thy people. Selah.

15 ¶ And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared himself chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him.

² And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate; and when anyone that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto them and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy slave is of one of the tribes of Israel.

³ And Absalom would say unto them, See, thy matters are good and just; but there is no one delegated by the king to hear thee.

⁴ And Absalom would say, Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that everyone who has any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

⁵ And it was so, that when anyone came near unto him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.

⁶ And Absalom did according to this manner with all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of those of Israel.

⁷ ¶ And at the end of a predetermined period of forty years, it came to pass that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go to Hebron and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD.

⁸ For thy slave vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.

⁹ And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the shofar, then ye shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron.

¹¹ And two hundred men of Jerusalem went with Absalom, that were invited by him, and they went in their integrity, without knowing anything.

¹² Absalom also sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, of David’s counsel, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

¹³ ¶ And the word came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

¹⁴ Then David said unto all his slaves that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not otherwise escape from Absalom; make speed to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

¹⁵ And the king’s slaves said unto the king, Behold, thy slaves are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose.

¹⁶ And the king went forth and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house.

¹⁷ And the king went forth and all the people after him and stopped in a place that was far off.

¹⁸ And all his slaves passed to his side, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come on foot with him from Gath, went before the king.

¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai, the Gittite, Why dost thou also go with us? Return to thy place and abide with the king; for thou art a stranger and also an exile.

²⁰ Whereas thou didst come but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? Seeing I go where I go, return thou and take back thy brethren; mercy and truth are in thee.

²¹ And Ittai answered the king and said, As the LORD lives and as my lord the king lives, for life or for death, wherever my lord the king shall be, there also will thy slave be.

²² Then David said to Ittai, Go, therefore, and pass. And Ittai, the Gittite, passed and all his men and all the little ones that were with him.

²³ And all those of the land wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed the brook Kidron; and then the king also passed, and all the people passed unto the way of the wilderness.

²⁴ ¶ And behold Zadok also and with him all the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of God, and they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up after all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ But the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city; if I shall find grace in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again and show me both it and his tabernacle.

²⁶ But if he should say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here I am, let him do to me as seems good unto him.

²⁷ The king said also unto Zadok, the priest, Art not thou a seer? Return into the city in peace and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz, thy son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.

²⁸ See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness until you send word to me.

²⁹ Then Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

³⁰ And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet and wept as he went up and had his head covered, and he went barefoot. And all the people that were with him covered each one his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

³¹ ¶ And it was told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. Then David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.

³² And it came to pass that when David came to the top of the mount to worship God there, behold, Hushai, the Archite came to meet him, with his coat rent and earth upon his head,

³³ Unto whom David said, If thou pass on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me;

³⁴ but if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy slave, O king as I have been thy father’s slave until now, so will I now also be thy slave; then thou may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, there with thee? Therefore, it shall be that whatever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests.

³⁶ Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send unto me everything that you hear.

³⁷ So Hushai, David’s special companion came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

16 ¶ And when David was a little past the top of the mountain, behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a couple of asses saddled and upon them two hundred loaves of bread and one hundred bunches of raisins and one hundred of summer fruits and a bottle of wine.

² And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit for the servants to eat, and the wine that those that become weary in the wilderness may drink.

³ And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem, for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba bowed down and said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

⁵ ¶ And when King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Saul came forth, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth cursing

⁶ and casting stones at David and at all the slaves of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

⁷ And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial;

⁸ the LORD has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thy evil because thou art a bloody man.

⁹ Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse, my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

¹⁰ And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Why hast thou done so?

¹¹ And David said to Abishai, and to all his slaves, Behold, my son, who came forth of my bowels, seeks my life; how much more now a son of Jemini? Let him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has bidden him.

¹² It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

¹³ And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the side of the mountain over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust.

¹⁴ And the king and all the people that were with him arrived weary and refreshed themselves there.

¹⁵ ¶ And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

¹⁶ And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David’s special companion, came unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, Long live the king, Long live the king.

¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy mercy to thy friend? Why didst thou not go with thy friend?

¹⁸ And Hushai said unto Absalom, No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

²¹ And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; then the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong.

²² So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house, and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

²³ And the counseled of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the word of God: so was all the counseled of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

17 ¶ Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night,

² and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only.

³ Thus will I turn all the people back unto thee, and when they have returned (for that man is whom thou dost seek), all the people shall be in peace.

⁴ And this word seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and of all the elders of Israel.

⁵ Then Absalom said, Now call Hushai, the Archite, also, and let us likewise hear what he says.

⁶ And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke unto him, saying, Thus spoke Ahithophel; shall we follow his word or not? Speak thou.

⁷ Then Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.

⁸ For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and now their souls are bitter, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And thy father is a man of war and will not lodge with the people.

⁹ Behold, he is hid now in some pit or in some other place, and if some of thy men are overthrown at the beginning, whoever hears of it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

¹⁰ Thus even the valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt, for all Israel knows that thy father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men.

¹¹ Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

¹² Then we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one.

¹³ Moreover, if he goes into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river until not even one small stone is found there.

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai, the Archite, is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had given orders to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁵ ¶ Then Hushai said unto Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counselled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus have I counselled.

¹⁶ Now, therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, Do not lodge this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass the Jordan; lest the king be swallowed up and all the people that are with him.

¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel, for they could not be seen coming into the city; and a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told King David.

¹⁸ Nevertheless, a young man saw them and told Absalom, but both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

¹⁹ And the woman of the house took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and spread ground wheat upon it, and the thing was not known.

²⁰ And when Absalom’s slaves came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They have gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ And it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David and said unto David, Arise and pass quickly over the water, for thus has Ahithophel counselled against you.

²² ¶ Then David arose and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan before the morning light; there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.

²³ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

²⁵ And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab; this Amasa was the son of a man of Israel named Ithra, who had gone in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

²⁶ So Israel pitched camp with Absalom in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when David arrived at Mahanaim, that Shobi, the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; and Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lodebar; and Barzillai, the Gileadite of Rogelim,

²⁸ brought beds and basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and flour and parched wheat and beans and lentils and parched grain

²⁹ and honey and butter and sheep and cheese of cows for David and for the people that were with him, to eat, for they said, These people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.

18 ¶ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

² And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab and another third under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and the other third under the hand of Ittai, the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

³ But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth, for if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us; but now thou art worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, now it is better that thou help us out of the city.

⁴ Then the king said unto them, I will do what seems best unto you. And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

⁵ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

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

⁷ where the people of Israel were slain before the slaves of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.

⁸ For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹ ¶ And Absalom met the slaves of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

¹⁰ And a certain man saw it and told Joab, saying, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

¹¹ And Joab replied unto the man that told him, Behold, when thou didst see him, why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? I would have given thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle.

¹² And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that no one touch the young man Absalom.

¹³ Otherwise, I should have wrought falsehood against my own soul (for there is no matter hid from the king), and thou thyself would have set thyself against me.

¹⁴ Then Joab answered, I may not tarry thus with thee. And taking three darts in his hand, he thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

¹⁵ And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour surrounded and smote Absalom and slew him.

¹⁶ Then Joab blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab held back the people.

¹⁷ And they took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest and laid a very great heap of stones upon him; and all Israel fled each one to his tent.

¹⁸ Now Absalom, while he was alive, had taken and 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. And he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place. {Heb. hand}

¹⁹ ¶ Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, Let me now run and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD has vindicated him of his enemies.

²⁰ And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings today, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings because the king’s son is dead.

²¹ And Joab said to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab and ran.

²² Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said yet again unto Joab, Be what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Why wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt receive no reward for the tidings?

²³ But, said he, let me run, be what may. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain and overran Cushi.

²⁴ And David sat between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold a man running alone.

²⁵ And the watchman cried and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, he brings good news. And while he kept on drawing near,

²⁶ the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called unto the porter and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.

²⁷ And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man and comes with good tidings.

²⁸ And Ahimaaz called and said unto the king peace. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, who has delivered up those men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

²⁹ And the king said, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king’s slave, and me thy slave, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was.

³⁰ And the king said unto him, Turn aside and stand here. And he turned aside and stood still.

³¹ And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king, for the LORD has vindicated thee today of all those that rose up against thee.

³² And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Cushi answered, Let the enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee for evil, be as that young man.

³³ Then the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he went, he said this: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I would rather have died instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

19 ¶ And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

² And that day the salvation was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son.

³ And the people entered by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

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

⁵ And Joab entering into the house of the king, said unto him, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy slaves, who this day have saved thy life and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters and the lives of thy wives and the lives of thy concubines,

⁶ by loving those who hate thee and hating thy friends. For thou hast declared this day that thou dost not regard thy princes nor thy slaves. For this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, then this would be right in thine eyes.

⁷ Now, therefore, arise, go forth and speak unto the heart of thy slaves, for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, not one of them will abide with thee tonight and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now.

⁸ Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And it was declared unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled every man to his tent.

⁹ ¶ And all the people were in contention throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land for Absalom.

¹⁰ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why are ye silent regarding bringing the king back?

¹¹ And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why shall ye be the last to bring the king back to his house? Seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house.

¹² Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh; why then are ye the last to bring back the king?

¹³ Likewise say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone and of my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the place of Joab.

¹⁴ And he inclined the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou and all thy slaves.

¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶ ¶ And Shimei, the son of Gera, son of Jemini, who was of Bahurim, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

¹⁷ And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him; likewise Ziba, the slave of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and his twenty slaves with him, who went over the Jordan before the king.

¹⁸ Then the ferry boat went over to carry over the king’s household and to do what he desired. Then Shimei, the son of Gera, fell down before the king, as he was passing the Jordan,

¹⁹ And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither retain the memory of the wickedness that thy slave did the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should guard it in his heart.

²⁰ For I, thy slave, know that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all 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 because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?

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

²³ And the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore unto him.

²⁴ ¶ Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, also came down to meet the king and had neither washed his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

²⁵ And after he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said unto him, Why didst thou not go with me, Mephibosheth?

²⁶ And he answered, My lord, O king, my slave deceived me, for thy slave said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride upon it and go to the king because thy slave is lame.

²⁷ And he has slandered thy slave unto my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God; do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

²⁸ For all of my father’s house were worthy of death before my lord the king; yet thou didst set thy slave among those that eat at thy own table. What righteousness, therefore, have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

²⁹ And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more words? I have determined, Thou and Ziba divide the land.

³⁰ And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Let him even take it all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.

³¹ ¶ Barzillai, the Gileadite, also came down from Rogelim and went over the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.

³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, of eighty years, who had provided the king with sustenance while he was at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.

³³ And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.

³⁴ And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?

³⁵ I am this day eighty years old, and shall I tell the difference between the good and the bad? Shall thy slave enjoy what I eat or what I drink? Shall I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should thy slave be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

³⁶ Thy slave will go a little way over the Jordan with the king, and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?

³⁷ Let thy slave, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in my own city and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy slave Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king, and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

³⁸ And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do with him that which shall seem good unto thee, and whatever thou shalt ask of me, that will I do for thee.

³⁹ And all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had also come over, the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned unto his own place.

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

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

⁴² And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are ye angry for this matter? Have we eaten anything at the king’s cost? Or has he given us any gift?

⁴³ Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye; why then did ye not take us into account? Did we not speak first about bringing back our king? But in the end words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.