²³ About two full years later,^[a] Absalom’s shearers were in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom summoned all the sons of the king. ²⁴ Then Absalom went to the king and said, “Look, here are your servant’s shearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant. ²⁵ The king said to Absalom, “No my son, not all of us shall go, so that we not be a burden to you.” And he urged him, but he was not willing to go, but he blessed him. ²⁶ So Absalom said, “But will you not let Amnon my brother go with us?” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom pressed him, so he sent Amnon with him and all of the sons of the king. ²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “Please watch. At the moment the heart of Amnon is tipsy^[b] with wine, then I shall say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ and you shall kill him! Don’t be afraid. Is it not I myself who has commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant!^{[c] 29} So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon just as Absalom commanded, and all the sons of the king got up, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰ While they were on the way,^[d] the message came to David, “Absalom has killed all the sons of the king, and not one of them was left.” ³¹ Then the king rose and tore his garments, and he lay on the ground, and all his servants standing by were tearing their garments. ³² Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, responded and said, “My lord should not think that all the young men, the sons of the king, are dead, because only Amnon is dead. Absalom was talking about it,^[e] as it was being determined from the day he^[f] raped Tamar his sister. ³³ So then, let not my lord the king set his heart on this matter, thinking, ‘All the sons of the king are dead,’ for only Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees

³⁴ So Absalom fled, and the young man who was keeping watch lifted up his eyes and saw, and there were many people coming from the road behind him from the side of the mountain. ³⁵ Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have come. According to the word of your servant, so it has come about.” ³⁶ When he finished speaking, look, the sons of the king came and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also, the king and all his servants wept a very great weeping. ³⁷ Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur, the king of Geshur. David mourned over his son day after day.^{[g] 38} But Absalom had fled and went to Geshur, and he was there three years. ³⁹ King David longed to go out to Absalom, for he was consoled that Amnon had died.