Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹It happened afterwards that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon [her half brother] the son of David was in love with her.

²Amnon was so frustrated because of his [half-] sister Tamar that he made himself sick, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it impossible for him to do anything to her.

³But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd (cunning) man.

⁴He said to Amnon, "Why are you, the king's son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" And Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, my [half-] brother Absalom's sister."

⁵Jonadab said to him, "Go to bed and pretend you are sick; and when your father [David] comes to see you, say to him, 'Just let my sister Tamar come and serve me food, and let her prepare it in my sight, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand.'"

⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand."

⁷Then David sent word to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare some food for him."

⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was in bed. And she took dough and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked them.

⁹She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone leave me." So everyone left him [except Tamar].

¹⁰Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her [half-] brother Amnon.

¹¹When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, "Come, lie with me, my sister."

¹²She replied, "No, my brother! Do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!

¹³As for me, how could I get rid of my shame and disgrace? And you, you will be considered one of the fools in Israel. So now, just speak to the king [about taking me as your wife], for he will not withhold me from you."

¹⁴But he would not listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon became extremely hateful toward her, for his hatred toward her was greater than the love which he had for her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!"

¹⁶But she said, "No, because this wrong of sending me away is worse than the other that you have done to me!" But he would not listen to her.

¹⁷Instead, he called his young man who was his personal servant and said, "Now throw this woman out of my presence and bolt the door behind her."

¹⁸Now Tamar was wearing a [long-sleeved] robe of various colors; for that is how the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then Amnon's personal servant took her out and bolted the door behind her.

¹⁹So Tamar put dust on her head [in grief] and tore the long-sleeved robe which she had on, and she put her hand on her head and went away crying out [for help].

²⁰So her brother Absalom said to her, "Has your brother Amnon been with you? But now keep silent, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained secluded in her brother Absalom's house.

²¹Now when King David heard about all these things, he was very angry [but failed to take any action].

²²But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

²³Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons [to a party].

²⁴Absalom came to [his father] the king and said, "Behold, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant."

²⁵But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be a burden to you." Although Absalom [strongly] urged David, still he would not go, but he gave him his blessing.

²⁶Then Absalom said, "If not, then at least let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"

²⁷But Absalom urged him [again], and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.

²⁸Now Absalom commanded his servants, "Notice carefully, when Amnon's heart is joyous with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then kill him. Do not be afraid; have I not commanded you myself [and in doing so have I not taken full responsibility for his death]? Be courageous and brave."

²⁹So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons got up, and every man mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰Now it happened while they were on the way [back home], that the [exaggerated] report came to David, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left."

³¹Then the king stood and tore his clothes and lay on the ground [in mourning]; and all his servants were standing by with their clothes torn.

³²But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord assume that all the king's sons have been put to death; for only Amnon is dead. This act of revenge has been on Absalom's mind since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.

³³So now, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart that all the king's sons are dead; for Amnon alone is dead."

³⁴Now Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch looked up, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.

³⁵And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming. It has turned out just as your servant said."

³⁶And when he finished speaking, the king's sons came, and they raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.

³⁷But Absalom fled and went to [his mother's father] Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

³⁸So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there for three years.

³⁹And the heart of King David longed to go to Absalom; for he was comforted regarding Amnon, since he was dead.

¹Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom.

²So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there and told her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothes, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has for many days been in mourning for the dead.

³Then go to the king and speak to him in this way." So Joab told her what to say.

⁴When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she bowed with her face to the ground and lay herself down, and said, "Help, O king."

⁵The king asked her, " What is the matter?" She said, "Truly I am a widow; my husband is dead.

⁶Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled and fought in the field. There was no one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him.

⁷Now behold, the entire family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, 'Hand over the one who killed his brother, so that we may put him to death [to pay] for the life of his brother whom he killed and destroy the heir also.' By doing this they will extinguish my coal that is left, leaving my husband without a name or a remnant (heir) on the face of the earth."

⁸Then David said to the woman, "Go to your home, and I will give orders concerning you."

⁹The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, the guilt is on me and on my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless."

¹⁰The king said, "If anyone speaks to you [about this matter], bring him to me [for judgment], and he will not touch you again."

¹¹Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And David said, "As the LORD lives, not a single hair [from the head] of your son shall fall to the ground."

¹²Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak one more word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."

¹³The woman said, "Now why have you planned such a thing against God's people? For in speaking this word the king is like a guilty man, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.

¹⁴For we will certainly die and are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not [simply] take away life, but devises plans so that the one who is banished is not driven away from Him.

¹⁵Now I came to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. So your maidservant thought, 'I will just speak to the king; perhaps the king will do what his maidservant requests.

¹⁶For the king will hear and save his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'

¹⁷Then your maidservant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for my lord the king is as the angel of God to discern good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.'"

¹⁸Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king please speak."

¹⁹The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all of this?" And the woman answered, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me; he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.

²⁰In order to change the appearance of things [between Absalom and you, his father] your servant Joab did this thing. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth."

²¹Then the king said to Joab, "Listen, I will most certainly do this thing; now go, bring back the young man Absalom."

²²Joab bowed his face toward the ground and lay himself down and blessed the king. Then Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has done the request of his servant."

²³So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

²⁴However, the king said, "Let him go to his own house, and do not let him see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the king's face.

²⁵Now in all Israel there was no man as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised [for that]; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

²⁶When he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of each year he cut it, because its weight was heavy on him) he weighed the hair of his head at200 shekels by the king's weight.

²⁷To Absalom were born three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

²⁸Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without seeing the king's face.

²⁹So Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him; even when he sent again a second time, he [still] would not come.

³⁰Therefore Absalom said to his servants, "See, Joab's property is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

³¹Then Joab took action and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"

³²Absalom answered Joab, "I sent for you, saying, 'Come here, so that I may send you to the king to ask, "Why have I come [back] from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there."' Now then, let me see the king's face, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death."

³³So Joab came to the king and told him. Then David called for Absalom, and he came to the king and bowed his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

¹After this, Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men as runners before him.

²He would get up early and stand beside the road to the gate [of the city, where court was held]; and when any man who had a dispute came to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him, "From what city are you?" And he would say, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."

³Then Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man appointed as the king's agent to listen to you."

⁴Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were appointed judge in the land! Then every man who had a dispute could come to me and I would get justice for him."

⁵And whenever a man approached to bow down before him, he would put out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

⁶This is how Absalom dealt with everyone in Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷And after four years, Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow which I have made to the LORD at Hebron [my birthplace].

⁸For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram (Syria), 'If the LORD will in fact bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord [by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving].'"

⁹And [David] the king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron.

¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"

¹¹Then two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited [as guests to his sacrificial feast] went with Absalom. They went innocently and knew nothing [about his plan against David].

¹²And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom increased continually.

¹³Then a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."

¹⁴David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, let us flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom! Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."

¹⁵The king's servants said to him, "Listen, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides."

¹⁶So the king left, and all his household with him. But the king left behind ten women who were concubines to take care of the house (palace).

¹⁷The king left, and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house.

¹⁸All of David's servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherethites, Pelethites and the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you go with us, too? Go back and stay with the king [of your own country], for you are a foreigner and an exile as well; return to your own place.

²⁰You came only yesterday, so should I make you wander with us today while I go where I will? Return and take your brothers back with you also. May lovingkindness and faithfulness be with you."

²¹But Ittai answered the king, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, most certainly wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or life, there will your servant be also."

²²So David said to Ittai, "Go on and cross over [the Brook Kidron]." So Ittai the Gittite crossed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

²³While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people crossed over. The king also crossed the Brook Kidron, and all the people went on toward the way of the wilderness [that lies between Jerusalem and the Jordan River].

²⁴Now Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar [the priest] came up [and officiated] until all the people had finished passing from the city.

²⁵Then the king told Zadok, "Take the ark of God back to [its rightful place in] the city [of Jerusalem, the capital]. If I find favor in the Lord's sight, He will bring me back again and let me see both it and His dwelling place (habitation).

²⁶But if He should say, 'I have no delight in you,' then here I am; let Him do to me what seems good to Him."

²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace [you and Abiathar], and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

²⁸See, I am going to wait at the fords [of the Jordan] in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."

²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they stayed there.

³⁰And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot [in despair]. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

³¹David was told, "Ahithophel [your counselor] is among the conspirators with Absalom." David said, "O LORD, I pray You, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness."

³²It happened when David came to the summit [of the Mount of Olives], where he worshiped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his tunic torn and dust on his head [as if in mourning].

³³David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.

³⁴But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in the past, so I will be your servant now;' then you can thwart (make useless) the advice of Ahithophel for me.

³⁵Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that every word you hear from the king's palace, you shall report it to them.

³⁶Their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send to me everything that you hear."

³⁷So Hushai, David's friend, returned to the city, and [at about the same time] Absalom came into Jerusalem.

¹When David was a little past the summit [of the Mount of Olives], behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine.

²The king said to Ziba, "Why do you have these?" Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household (family) to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone to drink who becomes weary in the wilderness."

³Then the king said, "And where is your master's son [Mephibosheth]?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.'"

⁴Then the king said to Ziba, " Behold, everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is [now] yours." Ziba said, "I bow down [in honor and gratitude]; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord the king."

⁵When King David came to Bahurim, a man named Shimei, the son of Gera, came out from there. He was of the family of Saul's household and he was cursing continually as he came out.

⁶He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; yet all the people and all the warriors remained on his right and on his left.

⁷This is what Shimei said as he cursed: "Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, you worthless and useless man!

⁸The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hands of Absalom your son. And behold, you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!"

⁹Then Abishai [David's nephew], the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog (despicable person) curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head."

¹⁰But the king said, " What business is this of yours, O sons of Zeruiah? If Shimei is cursing because the LORD said to him, 'Curse David,' then who should say, 'Why have you done so?'"

¹¹Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Look, my son [Absalom] who came from my own body, is seeking my life; how much more [reason] now [does] this Benjamite [have to curse me]? Let him alone and let him curse, for [it could be that] the LORD has told him [to do it].

¹²Perhaps the LORD will look on the wrong done to me [by Shimei, if he is acting on his own]; and [in that case perhaps] the Lord will this day return good to me in place of his cursing."

¹³So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei went along on the hillside close beside David and cursed as he went and threw stones and dust at him.

¹⁴The king and all the people who were with him arrived [at the Jordan River] weary, and he refreshed himself there.

¹⁵Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

¹⁶Now it happened when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

¹⁷Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"

¹⁸Hushai said to Absalom, "No! For whomever the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen [as king], I will be his, and I will remain with him.

¹⁹Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of David's son? As I have served in your father's presence, so I shall serve in your presence."

²⁰Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give me your advice. What should we do?"

²¹Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left behind to take care of the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened [by your boldness and audacity]."

²²So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof [of the king's palace], and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

²³The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man had consulted the word of God; that is how all Ahithophel's counsel was regarded by both David and Absalom.

¹Then, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.

²I will strike while he is weary and exhausted, and terrify him; and all the people with him will flee [in terror]. Then I will attack the king alone,

³and I will bring all the people [who follow David] back to you. The return of everyone depends on the [death of the] man you are seeking; then all the people will be at peace [and accept you as king]."

⁴So the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵Nevertheless, Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say."

⁶When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Ahithophel has advised this [plan of action]. Should we do what he says? If not, you speak [and explain why not]."

⁷So Hushai said to Absalom, "Ahithophel has not given good advice this time."

⁸And Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are brave men, and they are enraged and fierce, like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. Your father is a [shrewd] man of war, and will not spend the night with the people [knowing that you seek his life].

⁹Behold, he has hidden himself [even] now in one of the ravines or in another place; and when some of your troops fall at the first attack, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a defeat among the people who follow Absalom.'

¹⁰And even the one who is brave, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart and melt away; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are brave men.

¹¹But I advise that all [the men of] Israel be summoned to you, from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], like the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle.

¹²So shall we come upon David in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls [unseen and unheard] on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left.

¹³If he retreats into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the ravine until not even a pebble [of it] is found there."

¹⁴Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good advice of Ahithophel, so that the LORD could bring disaster upon Absalom.

¹⁵Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, "This is the advice that Ahithophel gave to Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is the advice that I have given.

¹⁶Now then, send word quickly and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords [on the west side of the Jordan] in the wilderness, but by all means cross over [to the east side of the river], or else the king and all the people with him will be destroyed [if Ahithophel is allowed by Absalom to lead an attack].'"

¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz [the priests' sons] were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant [appearing to go for water] would go and tell them [what was happening], and they would go [secretly] and inform King David; for they could not [allow themselves to] be seen coming into the city [of Jerusalem].

¹⁸But a boy saw them and told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and [with his permission] they went down into it.

¹⁹And the woman [of the house] took a covering and spread it over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on it; so nothing was discovered.

²⁰Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have crossed over the brook." When they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹After they left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz came up out of the well and went and informed King David, and said to David, "Arise and cross over the Jordan River quickly, for Ahithophel has advised [an attack] against you."

²²Then David and all the people who were with him departed and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, not even one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

²⁴Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

²⁵Absalom put Amasa in command of the army instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Israelite, who had married Abigail the daughter of Nahash, [the half sister of David and] the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

²⁶So Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim

²⁸brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, broad beans, lentils, and [other] roasted grain,

²⁹honey, cream, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

¹David numbered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

²Then David sent the army out, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, "I myself will certainly go out [to fight] with you."

³But the men said, "You should not go out [to battle with us]. For if in fact we retreat, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. So now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city [of Mahanaim]."

⁴Then the king said to them, "I will do whatever seems best to you." So the king stood beside the gate [of Mahanaim], and all the army went out in groups of hundreds and of thousands.

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

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

⁷The men of Israel [who supported Absalom] were defeated there by the men of David, and a great slaughter took place there that day, 20,000 men.

⁸For the battle there was spread out over the surface of the entire countryside, and the [hazards of the] forest devoured more men that day than did the sword.

⁹Now Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a massive tree, and his head was caught in [the thick branches of] the tree; and he was left hanging [in midair] between heaven and earth, while the mule that had been under him kept going.

¹⁰A certain man saw it and informed Joab, saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree."

¹¹Joab said to the man who informed him, "You saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt."

¹²The man told Joab, "Even if I were to feel the weight of a thousand pieces of silver in my hands, I would not put out my hand against the king's son; for we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'Protect the young man Absalom, for my sake.'

¹³Otherwise, if I had acted treacherously against his life (for nothing is hidden from the king) you yourself would have taken sides against me."

¹⁴Joab said, "I will not waste time with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive [and caught] in the midst of the tree.

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

¹⁶Then Joab blew the trumpet [to signal the end of the combat], and the men returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held them back.

¹⁷They took [down the body of] Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest and set up a huge mound of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his own tent.

¹⁸Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He named the memorial pillar after himself, and to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

¹⁹Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, said, "Let me run and bring the king news that the LORD has vindicated him by rescuing him from [the power of] his enemies."

²⁰But Joab told him, "You are not the man to carry news [to King David] today, but you shall carry news another day. On this day you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead."

²¹Then Joab said to the Cushite (Ethiopian), "Go, tell the king what you have seen." And the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.

²²Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite." Joab said, "Why should you run, my son, seeing you will have no messenger's reward for going [because you have only bad news]?"

²³"But whatever happens, Let me run." So Joab said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain [of the Jordan River] and outran the Cushite.

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

²⁵The lookout called down and told the king. The king said, "If he is alone, he has good news to tell." And he came nearer and nearer.

²⁶Then the lookout saw another man running, and he called to the gatekeeper and said, "Look, another man running alone." The king said, "He also is bringing good news."

²⁷The lookout said, "I think the man in front runs like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." The king said, "He is a good man and is coming with good news."

²⁸And Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, " All is well." And he bowed before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has handed over the men who lifted up their hands [to fight] against my lord the king."

²⁹The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, and your servant, I saw a great turmoil, but I do not know what it was about."

³⁰The king told him, "Step aside; stand here." And he stepped aside and stood still.

³¹Behold, the Cushite (Ethiopian) arrived, and said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has vindicated you today by rescuing you from the hand (power) of all those who stood against you."

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

³³The king was deeply moved and went to the upper room over the gate and wept [in sorrow]. And this is what he said as he walked: "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! How I wish that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

¹It was told to Joab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom."

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

³The people stole into the city [of Mahanaim] that day, as people who are humiliated and ashamed steal away when they retreat in battle.

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

⁵Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have put all your servants to 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.

⁶For you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have shown today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I know that if Absalom had lived and all the rest of us had died today, then you would be pleased.

⁷So now stand up, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will stay with you tonight. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."

⁸Then the king stood and sat at the gate [of Mahanaim]. And they told all the people, "The king is sitting at the gate," and all the people came before the king. But Israel [Absalom's troops] had fled, every man to his tent.

⁹All the people were quarreling throughout the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king rescued us from the hands of our enemies, and he saved us from the hands of the Philistines, but now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.

¹⁰And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. So now, why are you [leaders] doing nothing about bringing back the king?"

¹¹Then King David sent word 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 [in Jerusalem], since the word of all Israel has come to the king, and to his house?

¹²You are my brothers (relatives, relations); you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?'

¹³Say to Amasa [the commander of Absalom's troops], 'Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.'"

¹⁴In this way he changed the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so they sent word to the king, "Return, you and all your servants."

¹⁵So David returned and came to the Jordan. And [supporters from] Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king, to escort him across the Jordan.

¹⁶Then Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men [from the tribe of] of Judah to meet King David,

¹⁷and a thousand men [from the tribe] of Benjamin with him. And Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants with him, rushed down to the Jordan before the king.

¹⁸Then they [repeatedly] crossed the ford to bring over the king's household (family), and to do what pleased him. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan,

¹⁹and said to the king, "Let not my lord consider me guilty, nor remember what your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart.

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

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

²²David said, "What business is this of yours, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?"

²³Therefore the king said to Shimei, "You shall not be put to death." And so the king gave him his promise.

²⁴Then Mephibosheth the [grand]son of Saul came down to meet the king, but he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned in peace and safety.

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

²⁶He said, "My lord the king, my servant [Ziba] betrayed me; for I said, 'Saddle a donkey for me so that I may ride on it and go with the king,' for your servant is lame [but he took the donkeys and left without me].

²⁷Further, he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is like the angel of God; so do what is good in your eyes.

²⁸For were not all of my father's household (family) nothing but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. So what right do I still have to cry out anymore to the king [for help]?"

²⁹The king said to him, "Why speak anymore of your affairs? I have said, 'You and Ziba shall divide the land.'"

³⁰Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has returned to his own house in safety and peace."

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

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

³³The king said to Barzillai, "Cross over with me and I will provide for you in Jerusalem with me."

³⁴But Barzillai said to the king, "How much longer have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

³⁵I am this day eighty years old. Can I [be useful to advise you to] discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or drink? Can I still hear the voices of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?

³⁶Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king compensate me with this reward?

³⁷Please let your servant return, so 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 [my son]; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you."

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

³⁹So all the people crossed over the Jordan. When the king had crossed over, he kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.

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

⁴¹And all the men of Israel came to the king and said to him, "Why have our brothers (relatives), the men [from the tribe] of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household and all David's men with him over the Jordan [instead of waiting for us to arrive]?"

⁴²Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "Because the king is a close relative to us. So why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has anything been taken for us?"

⁴³Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, "We have ten [tribes'] shares in the king, and we have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt and ignore us [by rushing ahead]? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?" But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.

¹There happened to be there a worthless and wicked man named Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. He blew a trumpet [to call Israel to revolt] and said, "We have no portion in David And no inheritance in the son of Jesse, Every man to his tents, O Israel!"

²So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah stayed faithfully with their king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³Then David came to his house (palace) at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to take care of the house, and placed them under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were confined, and lived as widows until the day of their death.

⁴Now the king said to Amasa [the commander of his army], "Summon the [fighting] men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself."

⁵So Amasa went to summon [the fighting men of] Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which David had set for him.

⁶And David said to Abishai [his nephew], "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself and escape from our sight."

⁷So Joab's men went after him, along with [David's bodyguards] the Cherethites and Pelethites and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

⁸When they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing his military uniform, and over it he had a belt with a sheathed sword strapped around his hips; and as he went forward, it fell out.

⁹Joab said to Amasa, "Is it going well with you, my brother?" And with his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard [as if] to kiss him [in greeting].

¹⁰But Amasa [who had replaced Joab as David's commander] was off guard and not attentive to the sword in Joab's hand. So Joab struck Amasa in the abdomen with the sword, spilling his intestines to the ground. Without another blow Amasa died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹¹Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab and is for David, let him follow Joab!"

¹²But Amasa was wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people who came by stopped [to look], he moved Amasa from the highway into the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by Amasa stopped.

¹³When [the body of] Amasa was removed from the highway, everyone followed after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴Now Joab went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they assembled and also went after Sheba.

¹⁵And the army of Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth-maacah, and they built up an assault ramp against the city, and it stood against the outer rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction to make the wall fall.

¹⁶Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, hear! Tell Joab, 'Come here so that I may speak to you.'"

¹⁷So when he approached her, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your maidservant." He answered, "I am listening."

¹⁸Then she said, "In the past people used to say, 'They will certainly ask advice at Abel,' and so they settled the dispute.

¹⁹I am one of the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up (devour) the inheritance of the LORD?"

²⁰Joab answered, "Far be it, far be it from me that I would swallow up or destroy!

²¹That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand [in rebellion] against King David. Only hand him over, and I will leave the city." And the woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall."

²²Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people [to inform them of the agreement]. And they beheaded Sheba the son of Bichri and threw his head [down] to Joab. So he blew the trumpet [signaling the end of the attack], and they dispersed from the city, every man to his own tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to [David] the king.

²³Now Joab was [commander] over the entire army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was [commander] over the Cherethites and Pelethites [the king's bodyguards];

²⁴Adoram was over the forced labor; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

²⁵Sheva was the scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

²⁶also Ira the Jairite was a priest to David.

¹There was famine in the days of David for three consecutive years; and David sought the presence (face) of the LORD [asking the reason]. The LORD replied, "It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

²So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons (descendants) of Israel but of the remnant (survivors) of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn [an oath] to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah had sought to strike down the Gibeonites).

³So David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I make it good so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance (Israel)?"

⁴The Gibeonites said to him, "We will not accept silver or gold belonging to Saul or his household (descendants); nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel." David said, "I will do for you whatever you say."

⁵So they said to the king, "The man who consumed us and planned to exterminate us from remaining in any territory of Israel,

⁶let seven men [chosen] from his sons (descendants) be given to us and we will hang them before the LORD [that is, put them on display, impaled with broken legs and arms] in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."

⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between David and Saul's son Jonathan.

⁸So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

⁹He handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD, and the seven died together. They were put to death in the first days of the grain harvest, the beginning of the barley harvest [in the spring].

¹⁰Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest [in the spring] until [the autumn] rain fell on them; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on their bodies by day, nor the beasts of the field [to feed on them] by night.

¹¹David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

¹²Then David went and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines had killed Saul in Gilboa.

¹³He brought up the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged [with their arms and legs broken].

¹⁴They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. After that, God was moved by prayer for the land.

¹⁵Now the Philistines were at war again with Israel. David went down with his servants, and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary.

¹⁶Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels (six pounds) of bronze, was armed with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.

¹⁷But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to David's aid, and struck and killed the Philistine. Then David's men swore to him, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."

¹⁸After this, there was war again with the Philistines at Gob (Gezer). At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph (Sippai), who was among the descendants of the giant.

¹⁹There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver's beam.

²⁰There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also was a descendant of the giants.

²¹And when he taunted and defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him.

²²These four [warriors] were descended from the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

¹David spoke the words of this song to the LORD when the LORD rescued him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

²He said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress [on the mountain] and my rescuer;

³My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, My Savior—You save me from violence.

⁴"I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

⁵"For the waves of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction overwhelmed and terrified me.

⁶"The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

⁷"In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God, And from His temple [in the heavens] He heard my voice; My cry for help came into His ears.

⁸"Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of the heavens trembled And were shaken, because He was angry.

⁹"Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰"He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.

¹¹"He rode on a cherub and flew; He appeared upon the wings of the wind.

¹²"He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹³"Out of the brightness before Him Coals of fire were set aflame.

¹⁴"The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.

¹⁵"He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning, and confused them.

¹⁶"The channels of the sea appeared, The foundations of the world were uncovered At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

¹⁷"He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of great waters.

¹⁸"He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹"They came upon me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.

²⁰"He also brought me out to an open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

²¹"The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.

²²"For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

²³"For all His judgments (legal decisions) were before me, And from His statutes I did not turn aside.

²⁴"I was also blameless before Him, And kept myself from wrongdoing.

²⁵"Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His sight.

²⁶"With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless.

²⁷"With the pure You show Yourself pure, With the perverted You show Yourself astute.

²⁸"And You save the afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase (humiliate).

²⁹"For You, O LORD, are my lamp; The LORD illumines and dispels my darkness.

³⁰"For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹"As for God, His way is blameless and perfect; The word of the LORD is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge and trust in Him.

³²"For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God?

³³"God is my strong fortress; He sets the blameless in His way.

³⁴"He makes my feet like the doe's feet [firm and swift]; He sets me [secure and confident] on my high places.

³⁵"He trains my hands for war, So that my arms can bend (pull back) a bow of bronze.

³⁶"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help and gentleness make me great.

³⁷"You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

³⁸"I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed (eliminated).

³⁹"I consumed them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; They fell under my feet.

⁴⁰"For You have surrounded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who stood against me.

⁴¹"You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in retreat], And I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴²"They looked, but there was no savior for them— Even to the LORD [they looked], but He did not answer them.

⁴³"Then I beat them as [small as] the dust of the earth; I crushed and stamped them as the mire (dirt, mud) of the streets.

⁴⁴"You also have rescued me from strife with my [own] people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. People whom I have not known served me.

⁴⁵"Foreigners pretend obedience to me; As soon as they hear [me], they obey me.

⁴⁶"Foreigners lose heart; They come trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁷"The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, And exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.

⁴⁸"It is God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down [and disciplines] the peoples under me,

⁴⁹Who also brings me out from my enemies. You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.

⁵⁰"For this I will give thanks and praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.

⁵¹"He is a tower of salvation and great deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his offspring forever."

¹Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

²"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.

³"The God of Israel, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, 'He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,

⁴Is like the morning light when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the fresh grass springs out of the earth Through sunshine after rain.'

⁵"Truly is not my house so [blessed] with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured. For will He not cause to grow and prosper All my salvation and my every wish? Will He not make it grow and prosper?

⁶"But the wicked and worthless are all to be thrown away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;

⁷"But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they are utterly burned and consumed by fire in their place."

⁸These are the names of the mighty men (warriors) whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, also called Adino the Eznite (spear) because of the eight hundred men killed [by him] at one time.

⁹Next to him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three mighty men with David when they taunted and defied the Philistines assembled there for battle, and the men of Israel had gone.

¹⁰Eleazar stood up and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; the people returned after him only to take the spoil [of the slain].

¹¹Next to Eleazar was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines were gathered into an army where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people [of Israel] fled from the Philistines.

¹²But he took his stand in the center of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.

¹³Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time in the cave of Adullam, while an army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁴David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

¹⁵And David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

¹⁶So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink it, but poured it out [in worship] to the LORD.

¹⁷And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should drink this. [Is it not the same as] the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" So he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

¹⁸Now Abishai the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah was chief of the thirty. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and gained a reputation beside the three.

¹⁹He was the most honored of the thirty, so he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the [greatness of the] three.

²⁰Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many notable acts, killed two [famous] warriors of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.

²¹And he killed an Egyptian, an impressive and handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed the man with his own spear.

²²These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and gained a reputation beside the three mighty men.

²³He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the [greatness of the] three. David appointed him over his guard.

²⁴Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; then Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁵Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,

²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,

²⁷Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,

²⁹Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjamites,

³⁰Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

³¹Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

³²Eliahba of Shaalbon, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

³³Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,

³⁴Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai the son of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Giloh,

³⁵Hezro (Hezrai) of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite,

³⁶Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

³⁸Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

³⁹Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.

¹Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He incited David against them to say, "Go, count [the people of] Israel and Judah."

²So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan [in the north] to Beersheba [in the south], and conduct a census of the people, so that I may know the number of the people."

³But Joab said to the king, "May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as there are, and let the eyes of my lord the king see it; but why does my lord the king want to do this thing?"

⁴Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So they went from the king's presence to take a census of the people of Israel.

⁵They crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the south side of the city which is in the middle of the river valley [of the Arnon] toward Gad, and on toward Jazer.

⁶Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon,

⁷and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba.

⁸So when they had gone about through all the land [taking the census], they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

⁹And Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

¹⁰But David's heart (conscience) troubled him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the sin of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly."

¹¹When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

¹²"Go and say to David, 'Thus says the LORD, "I am giving you three choices; select one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you."'"

¹³So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your enemies as they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence (plague) in your land? Now consider this and decide what answer I shall return to Him who sent me."

¹⁴Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hands of man."

¹⁵So the LORD sent a pestilence (plague) [lasting three days] upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

¹⁶When the [avenging] angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the disaster and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he spoke to the LORD and said, "Behold, I [alone] am the one who has sinned and done wrong; but these sheep (people of Israel), what have they done [to deserve this]? Please let Your hand be [only] against me and my father's house (family)."

¹⁸Then Gad [the prophet] came to David that day and said to him, "Go up, set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite [where you saw the angel]."

¹⁹So David went up according to Gad's word, as the LORD commanded.

²⁰Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and he went out and bowed before the king with his face toward the ground.

²¹Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague may be held back from the people."

²²Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for the burnt offering, and threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.

²³All of this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God be favorable to you."

²⁴But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing." So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

²⁵David built an altar to the LORD there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was moved [to compassion] by [David's] prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

¹Now King David was old, advanced in years; they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm.

²So his servants said to him, "Let a young virgin be found for my lord the king and let her attend him and become his nurse; let her lie against your chest, so that my lord the king may feel warm."

³So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

⁴The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king was not intimate with her.

⁵Then Adonijah the son of [David's wife] Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I [the eldest living son] will be king." So [following Absalom's example] he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

⁶His father [David] had never rebuked him at any time by asking, "Why have you done this?" Adonijah was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom.

⁷He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah [David's half sister] and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's most formidable warriors did not side with Adonijah [in his desire to become king].

⁹Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened steers by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is beside [the well] En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants [to this feast].

¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the most formidable warriors, or his brother Solomon.

¹¹Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know about it?

¹²Come now, please let me advise you and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.

¹³Go at once to King David and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, "Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?'

¹⁴Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words."

¹⁵So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Now the king was very old and weak, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.

¹⁶So Bathsheba bowed down and paid respect to the king. And the king said, " What do you wish?"

¹⁷She said to him, "My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, 'Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.'

¹⁸But now, behold, Adonijah is [acting as] king; and now [as things stand], my lord the king, you do not know it.

¹⁹He has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army [to a feast], but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

²⁰Now as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you [waiting for you] to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

²¹Otherwise it will come about when my lord the king lies down [in death] with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered political enemies."

²²While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

²³The king was told, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

²⁴Then Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne'?

²⁵Because he has gone down today [to En-Rogel] and has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest [to this feast]; and [right now] they are eating and drinking in his presence; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!'

²⁶But he has not invited me, your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

²⁷If this thing has been done by my lord the king, why have you not shown your servants who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

²⁸King David answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." And she came into the king's presence and stood before him.

²⁹Then the king swore an oath and said, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul from all distress,

³⁰even as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place'; I will indeed do so this very day."

³¹Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, and laid herself face down before the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever!"

³²Then King David said, "Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to me." And they came before the king.

³³The king told them, "Take the servants of your lord with you and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to [the spring at] Gihon [in the Kidron Valley].

³⁴Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'

³⁵Then you shall come up [to Jerusalem] after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and he shall reign as king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."

³⁶Benaiah [the overseer of the king's bodyguards], the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! (So be it!) May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so too.

³⁷Just as the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

³⁸So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites [the king's bodyguards] went down [from Jerusalem] and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and brought him to [the spring at] Gihon.

³⁹Zadok the priest took a horn of [olive] oil from the [sacred] tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!"

⁴⁰All the people went up after him, and they were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook and seemed to burst open with their [joyful] sound.

⁴¹Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the trumpet sound, he said, " Why is the city in such an uproar?"

⁴²While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. And Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a valiant and trustworthy man and you bring good news."

⁴³But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No, on the contrary, our lord King David has made Solomon king!

⁴⁴The king has sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have had him ride on the king's [own royal] mule.

⁴⁵Also, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there celebrating, so the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard.

⁴⁶Besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.

⁴⁷Moreover, the king's servants came to bless (congratulate) our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better (more famous) than your name and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself [before God] upon the bed.

⁴⁸The king has also said this: 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted one [of my descendants] to sit on my throne today and allowed my eyes to see it.'"

⁴⁹Then all Adonijah's guests were terrified [of being branded as traitors] and stood up and left the feast, and each one went on his way.

⁵⁰And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he got up and went [to the tabernacle on Mt. Zion] and took hold of the horns of the altar [seeking asylum].

⁵¹Now Solomon was told, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has grasped the horns of the altar [seeking God's protection], saying, 'King Solomon must swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'"

⁵²Solomon said, "If he [proves he] is a worthy man, not even one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die."

⁵³So King Solomon sent [soldiers], and they brought Adonijah down from the altar [that was in front of the tabernacle]. And he came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."