2 Samuel 18
1 And so David, having reviewed his people, appointed over them tribunes and centurions.
And David mustered the people who were with him, and appointed commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds over them.
2 And he placed a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Ittai, who was from Gath. And the king said to the people, “I, too, will go forth with you.”
David divided the army into three, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, "I will surely go forth with you myself also."
3 And the people responded: “You shall not go out. For if we flee, there will not be great concern in them for us. Or if one half part of us will fall, they will not care much. For you are considered as one for ten thousand. Therefore, it is better that you should be in the city to strengthen us.”
But they said, "You must not go out, for if we retreat, no one will care about us. If half of us die, no one will care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. So it is better for you to be in the city to help."
4 And the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems good to you.” Therefore, the king stood beside the gate. And the people went out by their troops, by hundreds and by thousands.
The king said to them, "I will do what seems best to you." The king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Preserve for me the boy Absalom.” And all the people heard the king commanding all the leaders on behalf of Absalom.
The king gave this order to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Be gentle for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people were listening when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.
6 And so, the people departed into the field against Israel. And the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
7 And the people of Israel were cut down in that place by the army of David. And a great slaughter occurred on that day: twenty thousand men.
And the people of Israel were struck there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter took place that day of twenty thousand men.
8 Now the battle in that place was dispersed over the face of all the land. And there were many more of the people whom the forest had consumed, than the sword had devoured, on that day.
For the battle spread over the entire region, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 Then it happened that Absalom, riding on a mule, met the servants of David. And when the mule had entered under a thick and large oak tree, his head became trapped in the oak. And while he was suspended between heaven and earth, the mule on which he had been sitting continued on.
And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. And he was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head got caught in the oak, and he was left suspended in midair, while the mule that was under him kept going.
10 Then a certain one saw this and reported it to Joab, saying, “I saw Absalom hanging from an oak.”
And someone saw it and told Joab, and said, "Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
11 And Joab said to the man who had reported it to him, “If you saw him, why did you not stab him to the ground, and I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt?”
Then Joab said to the man who reported it, "Look, you saw this. So why didn't you strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver, and a belt."
12 And he said to Joab: “Even if you weighed out to my hands one thousand silver coins, I would never lay my hands on the son of the king. For in our hearing the king ordered you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Keep for me the boy Absalom.’
But the man said to Joab, "Even if I could feel in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I still wouldn't lay a hand on the king's son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Be gentle for my sake with the young man Absalom.'
13 Then too, if I had acted with such audacity, against my own life, this would never have been able to be hidden from the king. And would you then have stood by my side?”
Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is no matter hidden from the king), then you yourself would have dissociated yourself from me."
14 And Joab said, “It will not be as you wish. Instead, I will be assailing him in your sight.” Then he took three lances in his hand, and he fixed them in the heart of Absalom. And while he was still clinging to life upon the oak,
Then Joab said, "I'm not going to waste time with you." So he took three sharp sticks in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the oak.
15 ten young men, armor bearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him, they killed him.
Then ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded and struck Absalom and killed him.
16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and he held back the people, lest they pursue Israel in their flight, for he was willing to spare the multitude.
Then Joab blew the trumpet and the people turned back from pursuing Israel, for Joab had called for the people to halt.
17 And they took Absalom, and they threw him into a great pit in the forest. And they piled an exceedingly great heap of stones over him. But all of Israel fled to their own tents.
And they took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest, and heaped up over him a huge pile of stones. Then all Israel fled, each one to his tent.
18 Now Absalom had raised up for himself, when he was still alive, a monument, which is in the Valley of the King. For he said, “I have no son, and so this shall be the memorial to my name.” And he called the monument by his own name. And it is called the Hand of Absalom, even to this day.
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the King's Valley; for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in memory." He called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.
19 Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, “I will run and report to the king that the Lord has accomplished judgment for him, from the hand of his enemies.”
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me run, let me carry the king news how that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies."
20 And Joab said to him: “You shall not be the messenger on this day. Instead, you shall report on another day. I am not willing for you to give the report today, because the son of the king is dead.”
But Joab said, "You are not to bring the news today, but you may bring news another day. But today you are to bring no news." For it was because the king's son was dead.
21 Then Joab said to Hushai, “Go, and report to the king what you have seen.” Hushai reverenced Joab, and he ran.
Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed before Joab and departed.
22 And Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab again, “What prevents me from running after Hushai also?” And Joab said to him: “Why do you want to run, my son? You would not be the bearer of good news.”
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "Whatever happens, please let me go after the Cushite." But Joab said, "Why do you want to run, my son, since you will have no reward for the news?"
23 And he responded, “But what if I do run?” And he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz, running along a shorter way, passed Hushai.
But he said, "But whatever happens, I will run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the two gates. Truly, the watchman, who was at the summit of the gate upon the wall, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running alone.
Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall and raised his eyes and looked, and there was a man running alone towards him.
25 And crying out, he told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth.” But as he was advancing and drawing nearer,
Then the watchman shouted and informed the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth." And he kept coming nearer.
26 the watchman saw another man running. And so, crying out from the height, he said: “Another man has appeared, running alone.” And the king said, “This one also is a good messenger.”
Then the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman above the gate called out, and said, "Look, another man running alone." And the king said, "He also brings good news."
27 Then the watchman said, “The running of the closest one seems like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and he arrives bearing good news.”
Then the watchman said, "I think the first runner is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news."
28 Then, Ahimaaz, crying out, said to the king, “Be well, O king.” And reverencing the king prone on the ground before him, he said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has enclosed the men who had lifted up their hands against my lord the king.”
And Ahimaaz came near and said to the king, "All is well." Then he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground, and said, "Blessed is the LORD your God, who has defeated the men who opposed my lord the king."
29 And the king said, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said: “I saw a great tumult, O king, when your servant Joab sent me, your servant. I know nothing else.”
And the king asked, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab, the king's servant, sent your servant off, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was."
30 And the king said to him, “Pass, and stand here.” And when he had passed and stood still,
Then the king said, "Step aside and stand here." So he stepped aside and waited.
31 Hushai appeared. And approaching, he said: “I bear good news, my lord the king. For today the Lord has judged for you, from the hand of all who had risen up against you.”
Then look, the Cushite arrived, and he said, "Good news for my lord the king, for the LORD has delivered you today from all those who rose up against you."
32 But the king said to Hushai, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And responding, Hushai said to him, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against him for evil, be as the boy is.”
Then the king asked the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you with evil intent be like that young man."
33 And so the king, being greatly saddened, ascended to the upper room of the gate, and he wept. And as he went, he was speaking in this manner: “My son Absalom! Absalom my son! Who can grant to me that I may die on your behalf? Absalom, my son! My son, Absalom!”
And the king was shaken, and went up to the room over the gate and wept. And as he wept he said, "My son Absalom. My son, my son Absalom. If only I had died in your place, Absalom, my son, my son."
