2 Samuel 18
1 And David inspects the people who [are] with him, and sets over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds,
igitur considerato David populo suo constituit super eum tribunos et centuriones
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.”
et dedit populi tertiam partem sub manu Ioab et tertiam in manu Abisai filii Sarviae fratris Ioab et tertiam sub manu Ethai qui erat de Geth dixitque rex ad populum egrediar et ego vobiscum
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.”
et respondit populus non exibis sive enim fugerimus non magnopere ad eos de nobis pertinebit sive media pars ceciderit e nobis non satis curabunt quia tu unus pro decem milibus conputaris melius est igitur ut sis nobis in urbe praesidio
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,
ad quos rex ait quod vobis rectum videtur hoc faciam stetit ergo rex iuxta portam egrediebaturque populus per turmas suas centeni et milleni
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.
et praecepit rex Ioab et Abisai et Ethai dicens servate mihi puerum Absalom et omnis populus audiebat praecipientem regem cunctis principibus pro Absalom
6 And the people go out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;
itaque egressus est populus in campum contra Israhel et factum est proelium in saltu 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;
et caesus est ibi populus Israhel ab exercitu David factaque est ibi plaga magna in die illa viginti milium
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.
fuit autem ibi proelium dispersum super faciem omnis terrae et multo plures erant quos saltus consumpserat de populo quam hii quos voraverat gladius in die illa
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.
accidit autem ut occurreret Absalom servis David sedens mulo cumque ingressus fuisset mulus subter condensam quercum et magnam adhesit caput eius quercui et illo suspenso inter caelum et terram mulus cui sederat pertransivit
10 And one man sees, and declares [it] to Joab, and says, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
vidit autem hoc quispiam et nuntiavit Ioab dicens vidi Absalom pendere de quercu
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?”
et ait Ioab viro qui nuntiaverat ei si vidisti quare non confodisti eum cum terra et ego dedissem tibi decem argenti siclos et unum balteum
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;
qui dixit ad Ioab si adpenderes in manibus meis mille argenteos nequaquam mitterem manum meam in filium regis audientibus enim nobis praecepit rex tibi et Abisai et Ethai dicens custodite mihi puerum Absalom
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].”
sed et si fecissem contra animam meam audacter nequaquam hoc regem latere potuisset et tu stares ex adverso
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.
et ait Ioab non sicut tu vis sed adgrediar eum coram te tulit ergo tres lanceas in manu sua et infixit eas in corde Absalom cumque adhuc palpitaret herens in quercu
15 And they go around—ten youths carrying weapons of Joab—and strike Absalom, and put him to death.
cucurrerunt decem iuvenes armigeri Ioab et percutientes interfecerunt eum
16 And Joab blows with a horn, and the people turn back from pursuing after Israel, for Joab has kept back the people;
cecinit autem Ioab bucina et retinuit populum ne persequeretur fugientem Israhel volens parcere multitudini
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.
et tulerunt Absalom et proiecerunt eum in saltu in foveam grandem et conportaverunt super eum acervum lapidum magnum nimis omnis autem Israhel fugit in tabernacula sua
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.
porro Absalom erexerat sibi cum adhuc viveret titulum qui est in valle Regis dixerat enim non habeo filium et hoc erit monumentum nominis mei vocavitque titulum nomine suo et appellatur manus Absalom usque ad hanc diem
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”;
Achimaas autem filius Sadoc ait curram et nuntiabo regi quia iudicium fecerit ei Dominus de manu inimicorum eius
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.”
ad quem Ioab dixit non eris nuntius in hac die sed nuntiabis in alia hodie nolo te nuntiare filius enim regis est mortuus
21 And Joab says to Cushi, “Go, declare to the king that which you have seen”; and Cushi bows himself to Joab, and runs.
et ait Ioab Chusi vade et nuntia regi quae vidisti adoravit Chusi Ioab et cucurrit
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?”
rursum autem Achimaas filius Sadoc dixit ad Ioab quid inpedit si etiam ego curram post Chusi dixitque Ioab quid vis currere fili mi non eris boni nuntii baiulus
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.
qui respondit quid enim si cucurrero et ait ei curre currens ergo Achimaas per viam conpendii transivit 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.
David autem sedebat inter duas portas speculator vero qui erat in fastigio portae super murum elevans oculos vidit hominem currentem solum
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.
et exclamans indicavit regi dixitque rex si solus est bonus est nuntius in ore eius properante autem illo et accedente propius
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.”
vidit speculator hominem alterum currentem et vociferans in culmine ait apparet mihi homo currens solus dixitque rex et iste bonus est nuntius
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.”
speculator autem contemplor ait cursum prioris quasi cursum Achimaas filii Sadoc et ait rex vir bonus est et nuntium portans bonum venit
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.”
clamans autem Achimaas dixit ad regem salve et adorans regem coram eo pronus in terram ait benedictus Dominus Deus tuus qui conclusit homines qui levaverunt manus suas contra dominum meum regem
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].”
et ait rex estne pax puero Absalom dixitque Achimaas vidi tumultum magnum cum mitteret Ioab servus tuus o rex me servum tuum nescio aliud
30 And the king says, “Turn around, station yourself here”; and he turns around and stands still.
ad quem rex transi ait et sta hic cumque ille transisset et staret
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.”
apparuit Chusi et veniens ait bonum adporto nuntium domine mi rex iudicavit enim pro te Dominus hodie de manu omnium qui surrexerunt contra te
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.”
dixit autem rex ad Chusi estne pax puero Absalom cui respondens Chusi fiant inquit sicut puer inimici domini mei regis et universi qui consurgunt adversum eum in malum
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!”
contristatus itaque rex ascendit cenaculum portae et flevit et sic loquebatur vadens fili mi Absalom fili mi Absalom quis mihi tribuat ut ego moriar pro te Absalom fili mi fili mi
