2 Samuel 18
1 And David inspects the people who [are] with him, and sets over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds,
And David numbered the people with him, and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.
2 and David sends the third of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and the king says to the people, “I certainly go out—I also—with you.”
And David sent away the people, the third part under the hand of Joab, and the third part under the hand of Abessa the son of Saruia, the brother of Joab, and the third part under the hand of Ethi the Gittite. And David said to the people, I also will surely go out with you.
3 And the people say, “You do not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set [their] heart on us; and if half of us die, they do not set [their] heart to us—for [you are] now like ten thousand of us; and now, [it is] better that you are for a helper to us from the city.”
And they said, You shall not go out: for if we should indeed flee, they will not care for us; and if half of us should die, they will not mind us; for you [are] as ten thousand of us: and now [it is] well that you shall be to us an aid to help us in the city.
4 And the king says to them, “That which is good in your eyes I do”; and the king stands at the side of the gate, and all the people have gone out by hundreds and by thousands,
And the king said to them, Whatsoever shall seem good in your eyes I will do. And the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 and the king charges Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, “[Deal] gently—for me, for the youth, for Absalom”; and all the people heard in the king’s charging all the heads concerning Absalom.
And the king commanded Joab and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Spare for my sake the young man Abessalom. And all the people heard the king charging all the commanders concerning Abessalom.
6 And the people go out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;
And all the people went out into the wood against Israel; and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim.
7 and the people of Israel are struck there before the servants of David, and the striking there is great on that day—twenty thousand;
And the people of Israel fell down there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter in that day, [even] twenty thousand men.
8 and the battle there is scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest multiplies to devour among the people more than those whom the sword has devoured in that day.
And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the land: and the wood consumed more of the people than the sword consumed among the people in that day.
9 And Absalom meets before the servants of David, and Absalom is riding on the mule, and the mule comes in under an entangled bough of the great oak, and his head takes hold on the oak, and he is placed between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that [is] under him has passed on.
And Abessalom went to meet the servants of David: and Abessalom was mounted on his mule, and the mule came under the thick boughs of a great oak; and his head was entangled in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth; and the mule passed on from under him.
10 And one man sees, and declares [it] to Joab, and says, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
And a man saw it, and reported to Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Abessalom hanging in an oak.
11 And Joab says to the man who is declaring [it] to him, “And behold, you have seen—and why did you not strike him there to the earth—and [it would be] on me to give to you ten pieces of silver and one girdle?”
And Joab said to the man who reported it to him, And, behold, you did see him: why did you not strike him there to the ground? and I would have given you ten [pieces] of silver, and a girdle.
12 And the man says to Joab, “Indeed, though I am weighing on my hand one thousand pieces of silver, I do not put forth my hand to the son of the king; for in our ears the king has charged you, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Observe who [is] against the youth—against Absalom;
And the man said to Joab, Were I even to receive a thousand shekels of silver, I would not lift my hand against the king's son; for in our ears the king charged you and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Take care of the young man Abessalom for me,
13 or I had done a vain thing against my soul, and no matter is hid from the king, and you would station yourself opposite from [me].”
so as to do no harm to his life: and nothing of the matter will be concealed from the king, and you will set yourself against me.
14 And Joab says, “[It is] not right [that] I linger before you”; and he takes three darts in his hand, and strikes them into the heart of Absalom, while he [is] alive, in the midst of the oak.
And Joab said, I will begin this; I will not thus remain with you. And Joab took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Abessalom, while he was yet alive in the heart of the oak.
15 And they go around—ten youths carrying weapons of Joab—and strike Absalom, and put him to death.
And ten young men that bore Joab's armor compassed Abessalom, and struck him and killed him.
16 And Joab blows with a horn, and the people turn back from pursuing after Israel, for Joab has kept back the people;
And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab spared the people.
17 and they take Absalom and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and set up a very great heap of stones over him, and all Israel has fled—each to his tent.
And he took Abessalom, and cast him into a great cavern in the wood, into a deep pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every man to his tent.
18 And Absalom has taken, and sets up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that [is] in the king’s valley, for he said, “I have no son to cause my name to be remembered”; and he calls the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called “The Monument of Absalom” to this day.
Now Abessalom while yet alive had taken and set up for himself the pillar near which he was taken, and set it up so as to have the pillar in the king's dale; for he said he had no son to keep his name in remembrance: and he called the pillar, Abessalom's hand, until this day.
19 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run, and I bear the king tidings, for YHWH has delivered him out of the hand of his enemies”;
And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said, Let me run now and carry glad tidings to the king, for the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.
20 and Joab says to him, “You are not a man of tidings this day, but you have borne tidings on another day, and this day you do not bear tidings, because the king’s son [is] dead.”
And Joab said to him, You [shall] not [be] a messenger of glad tidings this day; you shall bear them another day; but on this day you shall bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.
21 And Joab says to Cushi, “Go, declare to the king that which you have seen”; and Cushi bows himself to Joab, and runs.
And Joab said to Chusi, Go, report to the king all that you have seen. And Chusi did obeisance to Joab, and went out.
22 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok adds again and says to Joab, “And whatever it is, please let me run, I also, after the Cushite.” And Joab says, “Why [is] this—you are running, my son, and [there are] no tidings found from you?”
And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said again to Joab, Nay, let me also run after Chusi. And Joab said, Why would you thus run, my son? attend, you have no tidings for profit if you go.
23 “And whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.” And he says to him, “Run”; and Ahimaaz runs the way of the circuit, and passes by the Cushite.
And he said, Why should I not run? and Joab said to him, Run. And Achimaas ran along the way of Kechar, and outran Chusi.
24 And David is sitting between the two gates, and the watchman goes to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifts up his eyes, and looks, and behold, a man running by himself.
And David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up on the top of the gate of the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone before him.
25 And the watchman calls, and declares [it] to the king, and the king says, “If [he is] by himself, tidings [are] in his mouth”; and he comes, coming on and drawing near.
And the watchman cried out, and reported to the king. And the king said, If he be alone, [there are] good tidings in his mouth. And the man came and drew near.
26 And the watchman sees another man running, and the watchman calls to the gatekeeper, and says, “Behold, a man running by himself”; and the king says, “This one is also bearing tidings.”
And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman cried at the gate, and said, And look, another man running alone. And the king said, He also brings glad tidings.
27 And the watchman says, “I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” And the king says, “This [is] a good man, and he comes with good tidings.”
And the watchman said, I see the running of the first as the running of Achimaas the son of Sadoc. And the king said, He [is] a good man, and will come to [report] glad tidings.
28 And Ahimaaz calls and says to the king, “Peace”; and he bows himself to the king, on his face, to the earth, and says, “Blessed [is] your God YHWH who has shut up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.”
And Achimaas cried out and said to the king, Peace. And he did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground, and said, Blessed [be] the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men that lifted up their hands against my lord the king.
29 And the king says, “Peace to the youth—for Absalom?” And Ahimaaz says, “I saw the great multitude, at the sending away of the servant of the king, even your servant [by] Joab, and I have not known what [it is].”
And the king said, [Is] the young man Abessalom safe? and Achimaas said, I saw a great multitude [at the time] of Joab's sending the king's servant and your servant, and I knew not what was there.
30 And the king says, “Turn around, station yourself here”; and he turns around and stands still.
And the king said, Turn aside, stand still here. And he turned aside, and stood.
31 And behold, the Cushite has come, and the Cushite says, “Let tidings be proclaimed, my lord, O king; for today YHWH has delivered you out of the hand of all those rising up against you.”
And, behold, Chusi came up, and said to the king, Let my lord the king hear glad tidings, for the Lord has avenged you this day upon all them that rose up against you.
32 And the king says to the Cushite, “Peace to the youth—for Absalom?” And the Cushite says, “Let them be—as the youth—the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against you for evil.”
And the king said to Chusi, Is it well with the young man Abessalom? and Chusi said, Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all whoever have risen up against him for evil, be as that young man.
33 And the king trembles, and goes up on the upper chamber of the gate, and weeps, and thus he has said in his going, “My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! Oh that I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
And the king was troubled, and went to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and thus he said as he went, My son Abessalom, my son, my son Abessalom; would God I had died for you, [even] I [had died] for you, Abessalom, my son, my son!
