撒母耳记下 18
1 大卫数点跟随他的人，立千夫长、百夫长率领他们。
David organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of them.
2 大卫打发军兵出战，分为三队：一队在约押手下，一队在洗鲁雅的儿子、约押兄弟亚比筛手下，一队在迦特人以太手下。大卫对军兵说：“我必与你们一同出战。”
David sent the army out divided into three sections. One third was commanded by Joab, one third was commanded by Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third was commanded by Ittai the Gittite. The king told the men, “I myself will go out into battle with you.”
3 军兵却说：“你不可出战。若是我们逃跑，敌人必不介意；我们阵亡一半，敌人也不介意。因为你一人强似我们万人，你不如在城里预备帮助我们。”
But the men replied, “No, you must not go out into battle! For if we have to run away, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about that either. But you are worth ten thousand of us, so it's better if you stay here and send us help from the town.”
4 王向他们说：“你们以为怎样好，我就怎样行。”于是王站在城门旁，军兵或百或千地挨次出去了。
“I will do whatever you think best,” the king replied. The king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 王嘱咐约押、亚比筛、以太说：“你们要为我的缘故宽待那少年人押沙龙。”王为押沙龙嘱咐众将的话，兵都听见了。
The king ordered Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for me.” All the men heard the king giving orders to each of his commanders about Absalom.
6 兵就出到田野迎着以色列人，在以法莲树林里交战。
David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 以色列人败在大卫的仆人面前；那日阵亡的甚多，共有二万人。
The Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand.
8 因为在那里四面打仗，死于树林的比死于刀剑的更多。
The battle covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
9 押沙龙偶然遇见大卫的仆人。押沙龙骑着骡子，从大橡树密枝底下经过，他的头发被树枝绕住，就悬挂起来，所骑的骡子便离他去了。
Absalom ran into some of David's men while he was riding on his mule. As the mule went under the twisted branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. The mule he was riding kept going, leaving him hanging between earth and sky.
10 有个人看见，就告诉约押说：“我看见押沙龙挂在橡树上了。”
One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”
11 约押对报信的人说：“你既看见他，为什么不将他打死落在地上呢？你若打死他，我就赏你十舍客勒银子，一条带子。”
“What! You saw him like that?” Joab said to the man. “Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a soldier's belt as a reward!”
12 那人对约押说：“我就是得你一千舍客勒银子，我也不敢伸手害王的儿子；因为我们听见王嘱咐你和亚比筛并以太说：‘你们要谨慎，不可害那少年人押沙龙。’
But the man replied, “Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I wouldn't hurt the king's son. We all heard the king give the order to you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Look after young Absalom for me.’
13 我若妄为害了他的性命，就是你自己也必与我为敌（原来，无论何事都瞒不过王。）”
If I had disobeyed and killed Absalom—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended me.”
14 约押说：“我不能与你留连。”约押手拿三杆短枪，趁押沙龙在橡树上还活着，就刺透他的心。
“I'm not going to waste time waiting around like this with you!” Joab told him. He grabbed three spears and drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the oak tree.
15 给约押拿兵器的十个少年人围绕押沙龙，将他杀死。
Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.
16 约押吹角，拦阻众人，他们就回来，不再追赶以色列人。
Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop.
17 他们将押沙龙丢在林中一个大坑里，上头堆起一大堆石头。以色列众人都逃跑，各回各家去了。
They took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
18 押沙龙活着的时候，在王谷立了一根石柱，因他说：“我没有儿子为我留名。”他就以自己的名称那石柱叫押沙龙柱，直到今日。
Absalom while he was alive had made a stone pillar and set it up in the King's Valley as a memorial to himself, for he thought to himself, “I don't have a son to keep the memory of my name alive.” He named the pillar after himself, and it's called Absalom's Monument even today.
19 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯说：“容我跑去，将耶和华向仇敌给王报仇的信息报与王知。”
Then Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, “Please let me run and take the good news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him over his enemies.”
20 约押对他说：“你今日不可去报信，改日可以报信；因为今日王的儿子死了，所以你不可去报信。”
“You're not the man to take the good news today,” Joab replied. “You can do it some other time, but don't do it today, because the king's son is dead.”
21 约押对古示人说：“你去将你所看见的告诉王。”古示人在约押面前下拜，就跑去了。
So Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” He bowed to Joab and ran off.
22 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯又对约押说：“无论怎样，求你容我随着古示人跑去。”约押说：“我儿，你报这信息，既不得赏赐，何必要跑去呢？”
Ahimaaz asked Joab again, “Never mind what happens, please let me run too, after the Ethiopian!” “Son, why do you want to run—you won't get anything for it?” Joab replied.
23 他又说：“无论怎样，我要跑去。”约押说：“你跑去吧！”亚希玛斯就从平原往前跑，跑过古示人去了。
“Doesn't matter, I want to run anyway,” he said. “Fine, start running!” Joab told him. Ahimaaz took the route over flatter ground and overtook the Ethiopian.
24 大卫正坐在城瓮里。守望的人上城门楼的顶上，举目观看，见有一个人独自跑来。
David was sitting between the inside and outside gates. The watchman climbed up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. He looked out, and saw a man running by himself.
25 守望的人就大声告诉王。王说：“他若独自来，必是报口信的。”那人跑得渐渐近了。
So he shouted down to tell the king. “If he's by himself then he's bringing good news,” the king replied. As the first runner got closer,
26 守望的人又见一人跑来，就对守城门的人说：“又有一人独自跑来。”王说：“这也必是报信的。”
the watchman saw someone else running, and he shouted down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running by himself!” “He'll also be bringing good news,” said the king.
27 守望的人说：“我看前头人的跑法，好像撒督的儿子亚希玛斯的跑法一样。”王说：“他是个好人，必是报好信息。”
“The first man seems to me to be running like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok,” said the watchman. “He's a good man,” he king replied. “He'll bring good news.”
28 亚希玛斯向王呼叫说：“平安了！”就在王面前脸伏于地叩拜，说：“耶和华—你的 神是应当称颂的，因他已将那举手攻击我主我王的人交给王了。”
Ahimaaz shouted out greetings to the king, Then he came and he bowed facedown before the king. “Blessed be the Lord your God!” he said. “He has defeated the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29 王问说：“少年人押沙龙平安不平安？”亚希玛斯回答说：“约押打发王的仆人，那时仆人听见众民大声喧哗，却不知道是什么事。”
“How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, “It was very chaotic when your officer Joab sent me, your servant. I really don't know what was happening.”
30 王说：“你退去，站在旁边。”他就退去，站在旁边。
“Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.
31 古示人也来到，说：“有信息报给我主我王！耶和华今日向一切兴起攻击你的人给你报仇了。”
Right then the Ethiopian arrived and said, “Your Majesty, listen to the good news! Today the Lord has defeated all those who rebelled against you!”
32 王问古示人说：“少年人押沙龙平安不平安？”古示人回答说：“愿我主我王的仇敌，和一切兴起要杀害你的人，都与那少年人一样。”
“How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. The Ethiopian replied, “May what has happened to the young man happen to Your Majesty's enemies, and to everyone who rebels against you!”
33 王就心里伤恸，上城门楼去哀哭，一面走一面说：“我儿押沙龙啊！我儿，我儿押沙龙啊！我恨不得替你死，押沙龙啊，我儿！我儿！”
The king broke down. He went up to the room over the gate and cried. As he walked, he sobbed out, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I'd died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
