Historical
Ziba Meets David
16 Now David had passed (A)a little beyond the summit, and behold, (B)Ziba the young man of Mephibosheth met him (C)with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “(D)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, (E)for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is (F)your master’s son?” And (G)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will return the kingdom of my father to me.’” 4 So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 And King David came to (H)Bahurim, and behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul (I)whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out (J)cursing continually as he came. 6 He also threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7 And thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, (K)you man of bloodshed, and vile fellow! 8 (L)Yahweh has returned upon you all (M)the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Yahweh has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
9 Then (N)Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should (O)this dead dog (P)curse my lord the king? Let me pass over now and remove his head.” 10 But the king said, “(Q)What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? (R)If he curses, and if Yahweh has told him, ‘Curse David,’ (S)then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, (T)my son who came forth from my body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, (U)for Yahweh has told him. 12 Perhaps Yahweh will look on my affliction and [a](V)return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14 Then the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.
Absalom Enters Jerusalem
15 (W)Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And it happened that when (X)Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (Y)Hushai said to Absalom, “(Z)Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your lovingkindness to your friend? (AA)Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom Yahweh, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Besides, (AB)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “(AC)Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, (AD)and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines (AE)in the sight of all Israel. 23 (AF)Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if one asked of the word of God; (AG)so was all the counsel of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.
Absalom Calls for Hushai’s Counsel
17 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 2 (AH)And I will come upon him while he is weary with his hands falling limp and throw him into utter fright, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then (AI)I will strike down the king alone, 3 and I will cause all the people to return to you. [b]The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at (AJ)peace.” 4 And the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then Absalom said, “Call now (AK)Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what is also in his mouth.” 6 Then Hushai came to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken [c]thus. Shall we [d]carry out his word? If not, you speak.” 7 And Hushai said to Absalom, “(AL)This time the counsel that Ahithophel has counseled is not good.” 8 Then Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are bitter of soul, (AM)like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not spend the night with the people. 9 Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the [e]caves or in another place; and it will be [f]when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 And even the one who is a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, (AN)will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are men of valor. 11 But I counsel that all Israel be utterly gathered to you, (AO)from Dan even to Beersheba, (AP)as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that [g]you personally go into battle. 12 So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will set down on him (AQ)as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall carry ropes to that city, and we will (AR)drag it into the [h]valley until not even a 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 (AS)Yahweh had [i]ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom.
Hushai Informs David
15 Then (AT)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “[j]This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and [k]this is what I have counseled. 16 So now, send quickly and inform David, saying, ‘(AU)Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17 (AV)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at (AW)En-rogel, and a servant-woman would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18 But a boy did see them and informed Absalom; so the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man (AX)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down [l]into it. 19 And (AY)the woman [m]took a covering and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered crushed grain on it, so that nothing was known. 20 Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And (AZ)the woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 Now it happened after they went away, that they came up out of the well and went and informed King David; and they said to David, “(BA)Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.” 22 Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by [n]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 Now Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not [o]followed. So he [p]saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to (BB)his city, and [q](BC)set his house in order, and (BD)strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.
24 Now David came to (BE)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 And Absalom set (BF)Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was [r]Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of (BG)Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26 And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 Now it happened that when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi (BH)the son of Nahash from (BI)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, (BJ)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and (BK)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought (BL)beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted seeds, 29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, (BM)to eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
Joab Puts Absalom to Death
18 Then David [s]numbered the people who were with him and (BN)set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent the people out, (BO)one-third under the hand of Joab, one-third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one-third under the hand of (BP)Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you also.” 3 But the people said, “(BQ)You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not set their heart on us; even if half of us die, they will not set their heart on us. But now [t]you are worth ten thousand of us; so now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.” 4 Then the king said to them, “Whatever is good in your sight I will do.” So (BR)the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. 5 Then the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And (BS)all the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders concerning Absalom.
6 Then the people went out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle took place in (BT)the forest of Ephraim. 7 And the people of Israel were [u]defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. 8 And the battle there was scattered over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 Then Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Now Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And (BU)his head caught fast in the oak, so he was [v]left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him passed onward. 10 Then a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 So the man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive one thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not send forth my hand against the king’s son; for (BV)in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘[w]Keep for me the young man Absalom!’ 13 Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and (BW)there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14 Then Joab said, “I will not wait around here before you.” (BX)So he took three [x]spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the [y]midst of the oak. 15 And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and put him to death.
16 Then (BY)Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. 17 And they took Absalom and cast him into [z]a deep pit in the forest and (BZ)set over him a very great heap of stones. And (CA)all Israel fled, each to his tent. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and (CB)set up for himself a pillar which is in (CC)the King’s Valley, for he had said, “(CD)I have no son [aa]to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
David Weeps Over Absalom
19 Then (CE)Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and proclaim the good news to the king (CF)that Yahweh has judged to save him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 But Joab said to him, “You are not the man for the good news this day, but you shall proclaim the good news another day; however, you shall not proclaim the good news today because the king’s son has died.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. 22 Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since (CG)you will have no reward for going?” 23 “But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.
24 Now (CH)David was sitting between the two gates; and (CI)the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself. 25 And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer. 26 Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 And the watchman said, “I see that the running of the first one (CJ)is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “(CK)This is a good man and comes with good news.”
28 And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “Peace!” And (CL)he prostrated himself before the king with his [ab]face to the ground. And he said, “(CM)Blessed is Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.” 29 Then the king said, “(CN)Is there peace with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but (CO)I did not know what it was.” 30 Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
31 Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for (CP)Yahweh has judged to save you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” 32 Then the king said to the Cushite, “(CQ)Is there peace with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “(CR)Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!”
33 [ac]Then the king trembled and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “(CS)O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! (CT)Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
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