2 Samuel 15

1 And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Absalom prepareth for himself a chariot, and horses, and fifty men are running before him;

Now after this, Absalom got for himself a carriage and horses, and fifty runners to go before him.

2 and Absalom hath risen early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate, and it cometh to pass, every man who hath a pleading to come unto the king for judgment, that Absalom calleth unto him, and saith, 'Of what city [art] thou?' and he saith, 'Of one of the tribes of Israel [is] thy servant.'

And Absalom got up early, morning after morning, and took his place at the side of the public meeting-place: and when any man had a cause which had to come to the king to be judged, then Absalom, crying out to him, said, What is your town? and he would say, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

3 And Absalom saith unto him, 'See, thy matters [are] good and straightforward — and there is none hearkening to thee from the king.'

And Absalom would say to him, See, your cause is true and right; but no man has been named by the king to give you a hearing.

4 And Absalom saith, 'Who doth make me a judge in the land, that unto me doth come every man who hath a plea and judgment? — then I have declared him righteous.'

And more than this, Absalom said, If only I was made judge in the land, so that every man who has any cause or question might come to me, and I would give a right decision for him!

5 And it hath come to pass, in the drawing nearing of any one to bow himself to him, that he hath put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and given a kiss to him;

And if any man came near to give him honour, he took him by the hand and gave him a kiss.

6 and Absalom doth according to this thing to all Israel who come in for judgment unto the king, and Absalom stealeth the heart of the men of Israel.

And this Absalom did to everyone in Israel who came to the king to have his cause judged: so Absalom, like a thief, took away the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 And it cometh to pass, at the end of forty years, that Absalom saith unto the king, 'Let me go, I pray thee, and I complete my vow, that I vowed to Jehovah in Hebron,

Now at the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, Let me go to Hebron and give effect to the oath which I made to the Lord:

8 for a vow hath thy servant vowed in my dwelling in Geshur, in Aram, saying, If Jehovah doth certainly bring me back to Jerusalem, then I have served Jehovah.'

For while I was living in Geshur in Aram, your servant made an oath, saying, If ever the Lord lets me come back to Jerusalem, I will give him worship in Hebron.

9 And the king saith to him, 'Go in peace;' and he riseth and goeth to Hebron,

And the king said to him, Go in peace. So he got up and went to Hebron.

10 and Absalom sendeth spies through all the tribes of Israel, saying, 'At your hearing the voice of the trumpet, then ye have said, Absalom hath reigned in Hebron.'

But Absalom at the same time sent watchers through all the tribes of Israel to say, At the sound of the horn you are to say, Absalom is king in Hebron.

11 And with Absalom have gone two hundred men, out of Jerusalem, invited ones, and they are going in their simplicity, and have not known anything;

And with Absalom, at his request, went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who were completely unconscious of his designs.

12 and Absalom sendeth Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counsellor of David, out of his city, out of Gilo, in his sacrificing sacrifices; and the conspiracy is strong, and the people are going and increasing with Absalom.

And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, one of David's helpers, from Giloh his town, while he was making the offerings. And the design against David became strong, for more and more people were joined to Absalom.

13 And he who is declaring tidings cometh in unto David, saying, 'The heart of the men of Israel hath been after Absalom.'

And one came to David and said, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.

14 And David saith to all his servants who [are] with him in Jerusalem, 'Rise, and we flee, for we have no escape from the face of Absalom; haste to go, lest he hasten, and have overtaken us, and forced on us evil, and smitten the city by the mouth of the sword.'

And David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Come, let us go in flight, or not one of us will be safe from Absalom: let us go without loss of time, or he will overtake us quickly and send evil on us, and put the town to the sword.

15 And the servants of the king say unto the king, 'According to all that my lord the king chooseth — lo, thy servants [do].'

And the king's servants said to the king, See, your servants are ready to do whatever the king says is to be done.

16 And the king goeth out, and all his household at his feet, and the king leaveth ten women — concubines — to keep the house.

So the king went out, taking with him all the people of his house, but for ten of his women, who were to take care of the house.

17 And the king goeth out, and all the people at his feet, and they stand still at the farthest off house.

And the king went out, and all his servants went after him, and made a stop at the Far House.

18 And all his servants are passing on at his side, and all the Cherethite, and all the Pelethite, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came at his feet from Gath, are passing on at the front of the king.

And all the people went on by his side; and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the men of Ittai of Gath, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, went on before the king.

19 And the king saith unto Ittai the Gittite, 'Why dost thou go — thou also — with us? turn back — and abide with the king, for thou [art] a stranger, and also an exile thou — to thy place.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why are you coming with us? go back and keep with the king: for you are a man of another country, you are far from the land of your birth.

20 Yesterday [is] thy coming in, and to-day I move thee to go with us, and I am going on that which I am going! — turn back, and take back thy brethren with thee, — kindness and truth.'

It was only yesterday you came to us; why then am I to make you go up and down with us? for I have to go where I may; go back then, and take your countrymen with you, and may the Lord's mercy and good faith be with you.

21 And Ittai answereth the king and saith, 'Jehovah liveth, and my lord the king liveth, surely in the place where my lord the king is — if for death, if for life, surely there is thy servant.'

And Ittai the Gittite in answer said, By the living Lord, and by the life of my lord the king, in whatever place my lord the king may be, for life or death, there will your servant be.

22 And David saith unto Ittai, 'Go and pass over;' and Ittai the Gittite passeth over, and all his men, and all the infants who [are] with him.

And David said to Ittai, Go forward, then. And Ittai the Gittite went on, with all his men and all the little ones he had with him.

23 And all the land are weeping — a great voice, and all the people are passing over; and the king is passing over through the brook Kidron, and all the people are passing over on the front of the way of the wilderness;

And there was great weeping in all the country when all the people went through; and the king himself was waiting in the Kidron valley and all the people went by him in the direction of the olive-tree on the edge of the waste land.

24 and lo, also Zadok, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God, and they make the ark of God firm, and Abiathar goeth up, till the completion of all the people to pass over out of the city.

Then Zadok came, and Abiathar, and with them the ark of God's agreement: and they put down the ark of God, till all the people from the town had gone by.

25 And the king saith to Zadok, 'Take back the ark of God to the city; if I find grace in the eyes of Jehovah, then He hath brought me back, and shewn me it and His habitation;

And the king said to Zadok, Take the ark of God back into the town: if I have grace in the eyes of the Lord, he will let me come back and see it and his House again:

26 and if thus He say, I have not delighted in thee; here [am] I, He doth to me as [is] good in His eyes.'

But if he says, I have no delight in you: then, here I am; let him do to me what seems good to him.

27 And the king saith unto Zadok the priest, 'Art thou a seer? turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you;

The king said further to Zadok the priest, See, you and Abiathar are to go back to the town in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.

28 see ye, I am tarrying in the plains of the wilderness till the coming in of a word from you to declare to me.'

See, I will be waiting at the way across the river, in the waste land, till I get news from you.

29 And Zadok taketh back — and Abiathar — the ark of God to Jerusalem, and they abide there.

So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and did not go away from there.

30 And David is going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping, and he hath the head covered, and he is going barefooted, and all the people who [are] with him have covered each his head, and have gone up, going up and weeping;

And David went up the slopes of the Mount of Olives weeping all the way, with his head covered and no shoes on his feet: and all the people who were with him, covering their heads, went up weeping.

31 and David declared, saying, 'Ahithophel [is] among the conspirators with Absalom;' and David saith, 'Make foolish, I pray Thee, the counsel of Ahithophel, O Jehovah.'

And word came to David, saying, Ahithophel is among those who are joined to Absalom. And David said, O Lord, let the wisdom of Ahithophel be made foolish.

32 And it cometh to pass, David hath come unto the top, where he boweth himself to God, and lo, to meet him [is] Hushai the Archite, his coat rent, and earth on his head;

Now when David had come to the top of the slope, where they gave worship to God, Hushai the Archite came to him in great grief with dust on his head:

33 and David saith to him, 'If thou hast passed on with me then thou hast been on me for a burden,

David said to him, If you go on with me, you will be a trouble to me:

34 and if to the city thou dost turn back, and hast said to Absalom, Thy servant I am, O king; servant of thy father I [am] also hitherto, and now, I [am] also thy servant; then thou hast made void for me the counsel of Ahithophel;

But if you go back to the town and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; as in the past I have been your father's servant, so now I will be yours: then you will be able to keep Ahithophel's designs against me from being put into effect.

35 and are there not with thee there Zadok and Abiathar the priests? and it hath been, the whole of the matter that thou hearest from the house of the king thou dost declare to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests.

And have you not there Zadok and Abiathar the priests? so whatever comes to your ears from the king's house, give word of it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

36 Lo, there with them [are] their two sons, Ahimaaz to Zadok, and Jonathan to Abiathar, and ye have sent by their hand unto me anything that ye hear.'

See, they have with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar; by them you may send word to me of everything which comes to your ears.

37 And Hushai, David's friend, cometh in to the city, and Absalom cometh in to Jerusalem.

So Hushai, David's friend, went into the town, and Absalom came to Jerusalem.