撒母耳記下 18
1 大衛數點跟隨他的人，立千夫長、百夫長率領他們。
David organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of them.
2 大衛打發軍兵出戰，分為三隊：一隊在約押手下，一隊在洗魯雅的兒子、約押兄弟亞比篩手下，一隊在迦特人以太手下。大衛對軍兵說：「我必與你們一同出戰。」
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 軍兵卻說：「你不可出戰。若是我們逃跑，敵人必不介意；我們陣亡一半，敵人也不介意。因為你一人強似我們萬人，你不如在城裏預備幫助我們。」
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 王向他們說：「你們以為怎樣好，我就怎樣行。」於是王站在城門旁，軍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 王囑咐約押、亞比篩、以太說：「你們要為我的緣故寬待那少年人押沙龍。」王為押沙龍囑咐眾將的話，兵都聽見了。
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，在以法蓮樹林裏交戰。
David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 以色列人敗在大衛的僕人面前；那日陣亡的甚多，共有二萬人。
The Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand.
8 因為在那裏四面打仗，死於樹林的比死於刀劍的更多。
The battle covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
9 押沙龍偶然遇見大衛的僕人。押沙龍騎着騾子，從大橡樹密枝底下經過，他的頭髮被樹枝繞住，就懸掛起來，所騎的騾子便離他去了。
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 有個人看見，就告訴約押說：「我看見押沙龍掛在橡樹上了。」
One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”
11 約押對報信的人說：「你既看見他，為甚麼不將他打死落在地上呢？你若打死他，我就賞你十舍客勒銀子，一條帶子。」
“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 那人對約押說：「我就是得你一千舍客勒銀子，我也不敢伸手害王的兒子；因為我們聽見王囑咐你和亞比篩並以太說：『你們要謹慎，不可害那少年人押沙龍。』
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 我若妄為害了他的性命，就是你自己也必與我為敵（原來，無論何事都瞞不過王。）」
If I had disobeyed and killed Absalom—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended me.”
14 約押說：「我不能與你留連。」約押手拿三杆短槍，趁押沙龍在橡樹上還活着，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 給約押拿兵器的十個少年人圍繞押沙龍，將他殺死。
Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.
16 約押吹角，攔阻眾人，他們就回來，不再追趕以色列人。
Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop.
17 他們將押沙龍丟在林中一個大坑裏，上頭堆起一大堆石頭。以色列眾人都逃跑，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 押沙龍活着的時候，在王谷立了一根石柱，因他說：「我沒有兒子為我留名。」他就以自己的名稱那石柱叫押沙龍柱，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 撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯說：「容我跑去，將耶和華向仇敵給王報仇的信息報與王知。」
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 約押對他說：「你今日不可去報信，改日可以報信；因為今日王的兒子死了，所以你不可去報信。」
“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 約押對古示人說：「你去將你所看見的告訴王。」古示人在約押面前下拜，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 撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯又對約押說：「無論怎樣，求你容我隨着古示人跑去。」約押說：「我兒，你報這信息，既不得賞賜，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 他又說：「無論怎樣，我要跑去。」約押說：「你跑去吧！」亞希瑪斯就從平原往前跑，跑過古示人去了。
“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 大衛正坐在城甕裏。守望的人上城門樓的頂上，舉目觀看，見有一個人獨自跑來。
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 守望的人就大聲告訴王。王說：「他若獨自來，必是報口信的。」那人跑得漸漸近了。
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 守望的人又見一人跑來，就對守城門的人說：「又有一人獨自跑來。」王說：「這也必是報信的。」
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 守望的人說：「我看前頭人的跑法，好像撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯的跑法一樣。」王說：「他是個好人，必是報好信息。」
“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 亞希瑪斯向王呼叫說：「平安了！」就在王面前臉伏於地叩拜，說：「耶和華－你的上帝是應當稱頌的，因他已將那舉手攻擊我主我王的人交給王了。」
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 王問說：「少年人押沙龍平安不平安？」亞希瑪斯回答說：「約押打發王的僕人，那時僕人聽見眾民大聲喧嘩，卻不知道是甚麼事。」
“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 王說：「你退去，站在旁邊。」他就退去，站在旁邊。
“Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.
31 古示人也來到，說：「有信息報給我主我王！耶和華今日向一切興起攻擊你的人給你報仇了。」
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 王問古示人說：「少年人押沙龍平安不平安？」古示人回答說：「願我主我王的仇敵，和一切興起要殺害你的人，都與那少年人一樣。」
“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 王就心裏傷慟，上城門樓去哀哭，一面走一面說：「我兒押沙龍啊！我兒，我兒押沙龍啊！我恨不得替你死，押沙龍啊，我兒！我兒！」
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!”
