⁹ And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, ^(A)“The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and ^(B)saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now ^(C)he has fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

¹¹ And King David sent this message to ^(D)Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?^{[a] 12} You are my brothers; ^(E)you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³ And say to Amasa, ^(F)‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? ^(G)God do so to me and more also, if you are not ^(H)commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’” ¹⁴ And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah ^(I)as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” ¹⁵ So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.