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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.