2 Samuel 18
1 Therfor Dauid, whanne the puple `was biholdun, ordeynede tribunes and centuriouns on hem.
David counted the soldiers who were with him and appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
2 And he yaf the thridde part of the puple vndur the hond of Joab; and the thridde part vndur the hond of Abisai, sone of Saruye, brother of Joab; and the thridde part vndur the hond of Ethai, that was of Geth. And the kyng seide to the puple, Also Y schal go out with you.
Then David sent out the army, one-third under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and still another third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the army, “I will certainly go out with you myself, too.”
3 And the puple answeride, Thou schalt not go out; for whether we fleen, it schal not perteyne to hem bi greet werk of vs; whether half the part fallith doun of vs, thei schulen not recke ynow, for thou art rekynyd for ten thousynde; therfor it is betere, that thou be to vs in the citee in stronge hold.
But the men said, “You must not go to battle, for if we flee away they will not care about us, or if half of us die they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us! Therefore it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.”
4 `To whiche the kyng seide, Y schal do this, that semeth riytful to you. Therfor the kyng stood bisidis the yate, and the puple yede out bi her cumpenyes, bi hundridis and bi thousyndis.
So the king answered them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.” The king stood by the city gate while all the army went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 And the king comaundide to Joab, and to Abisai, and Ethai, and seyde, Kepe ye to me the child Absolon. And al the puple herde the kyng comaundinge to alle the princes for Absolon.
The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Absalom.” All the people heard that the king had given the captains this command about Absalom.
6 Therfor the puple yede out in to the feeld ayens Israel; and the batel was maad in the forest of Effraym.
So the army went out into the countryside against Israel; the battle spread into the forest of Ephraim.
7 And the puple of Israel was slayn there of the oost of Dauid, and a greet sleyng of twenti thousynde was maad in that dai.
The army of Israel was defeated there before the soldiers of David; there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
8 Forsothe the batel was scaterid there on the face of al erthe, and many mo weren of the puple whiche the forest wastide, than thei whiche the swerd deuourid in that dai.
The battle spread throughout the whole countryside, and more men were consumed by the forest than by the sword.
9 Sotheli it bifeld, that Absalon sittinge on a mule, cam ayens the seruauntis of Dauid; and whanne the mule hadde entrid vndur a thicke ook, and greet, the heed of Absolon cleuyde to the ook; and whanne he was hangid bitwixe heuene and erthe, the mule, on which he sat, passide.
Absalom happened to meet some of David's soldiers. Absalom was riding his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak tree, and his head was caught up in the tree branches. He was left dangling between the ground and the sky while the mule he was riding kept going.
10 Sotheli `sum man siy this, and telde to Joab, and seide, Y siy Absolon hange on an ook.
Someone saw this and told Joab, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 And Joab seide to the man that `hadde telde to hym, If thou siyest, whi persidist thou not hym to the erthe, and Y schulde haue youe `to thee ten siclis of siluer, and a girdil?
Joab said to the man who told him about Absalom, “Look! You saw him! Why did you not strike him down to the ground? I would have given you ten silver shekels and a belt.”
12 And he seide to Joab, Thouy thou paiedist in myn hondis a thousynde platis of siluer, Y nolde sende myn hond in to the sone of the king; for the while we herden, the kyng comaundide to thee, and to Abisai, and to Ethai, and seide, Kepe ye to me the child Absolon.
The man replied to Joab, “Even if I received a thousand silver shekels, still I would not have reached out my hand against the king's son, because we all heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'No one must touch the young man Absalom.'
13 But and if Y hadde do ayens my lijf hardili, this myyte not be hid fro the kyng, and thou woldist stonde on the contrarye side.
If I had risked my life by a falsehood (and there is nothing hidden from the king), you would have abandoned me.”
14 And Joab seide, Not as thou wolt, `Absolon schal be kept, but Y schal asaile hym bifor thee. Therfore Joab took thre speris in his hond, and fitchide tho in the herte of Absolon. And whanne he spraulide, yit cleuynge in the ook,
Then Joab said, “I will not wait for you.” So Joab took three javelins in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive and hanging from the oak.
15 ten yonge squieris of Joab runnen, and smytiden, and killiden hym.
Then ten young men who carried Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.
16 Sotheli Joab sownede with a clarioun, and withhelde the puple, lest it pursuede Israel fleynge, and he wolde spare the multitude.
Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the army returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the army.
17 And thei token Absolon, and castiden forth him in to a greet dich in the forest, and baren togidere a ful greet heep of stoonys on hym; forsothe al Israel fledde in to his tabernaclis.
They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest; they buried his body under a very large pile of stones, while all Israel fled, every man to his own home.
18 Forsothe Absolon, while he lyuyde yit, hadde reisid to hym a memorial, which is in the valey of the kyng; for he seide, Y haue no sone, and this schal be the mynde of my name; and he clepide `the memorial bi his name, and it is clepid the Hond, `that is, werk, of Absolon `til to this dai.
Now Absalom, while still alive, had built for himself a large stone pillar in the King's Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry along the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after his own name, so it is called Absalom's Monument to this very day.
19 Forsothe Achymaas, sone of Sadoch, seide, Y schal renne, and Y schal telle to the kyng, that the Lord hath maad doom to hym of the hond of hise enemyes.
Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me now run to the king with the good news, how Yahweh has rescued him from the hand of his enemies.”
20 To whom Joab seide, Thou schalt not be messanger in this dai, but thou schalt telle in another dai; I nyle that thou telle to dai, for the sone of the kyng is deed.
Joab answered him, “You will not be the bearer of news today; you must do it another day. Today you will bear no news because the king's son is dead.”
21 And Joab seide to Chusi, Go thou, and telle to the kyng tho thingis that thou hast seyn. Chusi worschypide Joab, and ran.
Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down to Joab, and ran.
22 Eft Achymaas, sone of Sadoch, seide to Joab, What lettith, if also Y renne aftir Chusi? And Joab seide to hym, What wolt thou renne, my sone? Come thou hidur, thou schalt not be a berere of good message.
Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Regardless of what may happen, please let me also run and follow the Cushite.” Joab replied, “Why do you want to run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?”
23 Which answeride, `What sotheli if Y schal renne? And Joab seide to hym, Renn thou. Therfor Achymaas ran bi the weie of schortnesse, `and sped, and passide Chusi.
“Whatever happens,” said Ahimaaz, “I will run.” So Joab answered him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.
24 Forsothe Dauid sat bitwixe twei yatis; sotheli the spiere, that was in the hiynesse of the yate on the wal, reiside the iyen, and siy a man aloone rennynge;
Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates. The watchman had gone up to the roof of the gate to the wall and raised his eyes. As he looked, he saw a man approaching, running alone.
25 and the spiere criede, and schewide to the kyng. And the kyng seide to hym, If he is aloone, good message is in his mouth.
The watchman shouted out and told the king. Then the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” The runner came closer and neared the city.
26 Sotheli while he hastide, and neiyede neer, the spiere siy another man rennynge; and the spiere criede `in the hiynesse, and seide, Another man rennynge aloone apperith to me. And the kyng seide to hym, And this man is a good messanger.
Then the watchman noticed another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper; he said, “Look, there is another man running alone.” The king said, “He is also bringing news.”
27 Sotheli the spiere seide, Y biholde the rennyng of the formere, as the rennyng of Achymaas, sone of Sadoch. And the kyng seide, He is a good man, and he cometh bryngynge a good message.
So the watchman said, “I think the running of the man in front is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man and is coming with good news.”
28 Forsothe Achymaas criede, and seide to the kyng, Heil kyng! And he worschipide the kyng lowli bifor hym to erthe, and seide, Blessid be thi Lord God, that closide togidere the men, that reisyden her hondis ayens my lord the kyng.
Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “All is well.” He bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be Yahweh your God! He has delivered the men who lifted up their hand against my master the king.”
29 And the kyng seide, Whether pees is to the child Absolon? And Achymaas seide, Y siy, `that is, Y herde, a great noise, whanne Joab, thi seruaunt, thou kyng, sente me thi seruaunt; Y kan noon othir thing.
So the king replied, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent me, the king's servant, to you, king, I saw a great disturbance, but I did not know what it was.”
30 To whom the kyng seide, Passe thou, and stonde here. And whanne he hadde passid, and stood, Chusi apperide;
Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So Ahimaaz turned aside, and stood still.
31 and he cam and seide, My lord the kyng, Y brynge good message; for the Lord hath demed to dai for thee of the hond of alle men that risiden ayens thee.
Immediately then the Cushite arrived and said, “There is good news for my master the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today from all who rose up against you.”
32 Forsothe the kyng seide to Chusi, Whether pees is to the child Absolon? To whom Chusi answeride, and seide, The enemyes of my lord the kyng, and alle men that risiden ayens hym in to yuel, be maad as the child.
Then the king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “The enemies of my master the king, and all who rise up against you to do harm to you, should be as that young man is.”
33 Therfor the kyng was sory, and stiede in to the soler of the yate, and wepte, and spak thus goynge, My sone, Absolon! Absolon, my sone! who yyueth to me, that Y die for thee? Absolon, my sone! my sone, Absolon!
Then the king was deeply unnerved, and he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he went he grieved, “My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
