Βασιλειῶν Βʹ 15
1 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐποίησεν ἑαυτῷ Αβεσσαλωμ ἅρματα καὶ ἵππους καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρας παρατρέχειν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ
Sometime later, Absalom got himself a chariot with horses, and fifty men as bodyguards to run ahead of him.
2 καὶ ὤρθρισεν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἔστη ἀνὰ χεῖρα τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πύλης καὶ ἐγένετο πᾶς ἀνήρ ᾧ ἐγένετο κρίσις ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰς κρίσιν καὶ ἐβόησεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ ἐκ ποίας πόλεως σὺ εἶ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀνήρ ἐκ μιᾶς φυλῶν Ισραηλ ὁ δοῦλός σου
He used to get up early and stand by the main road that led to the city gate. When people brought a case to the king for his decision, Absalom would call out and ask them, “What town are you from?” If they replied, “Your servant is from this particular tribe of Israel,”
3 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Αβεσσαλωμ ἰδοὺ οἱ λόγοι σου ἀγαθοὶ καὶ εὔκολοι καὶ ἀκούων οὐκ ἔστιν σοι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως
Absalom would tell them, “Look, you're in the right and you've got a good case. It's such a shame there's no one from the king to hear you.”
4 καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ τίς με καταστήσει κριτὴν ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ ἐλεύσεται πᾶς ἀνήρ ᾧ ἐὰν ᾖ ἀντιλογία καὶ κρίσις καὶ δικαιώσω αὐτόν
Then he would say, “If only there was someone to appoint me as judge for the country. Then everyone could come to me with their case or complaint, and I would give them justice.”
5 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν ἄνδρα τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ καὶ ἐξέτεινεν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπελαμβάνετο αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν
When anyone came to bow down before him, Absalom would stop them by reaching out his hand, taking hold of him, and kissing him.
6 καὶ ἐποίησεν Αβεσσαλωμ κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο παντὶ Ισραηλ τοῖς παραγινομένοις εἰς κρίσιν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἰδιοποιεῖτο Αβεσσαλωμ τὴν καρδίαν ἀνδρῶν Ισραηλ
This is how Absalom treated all the Israelites who came to the king for his judgment. So he captured the loyalty of the men of Israel.
7 καὶ ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τέλους τεσσαράκοντα ἐτῶν καὶ εἶπεν Αβεσσαλωμ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ πορεύσομαι δὴ καὶ ἀποτείσω τὰς εὐχάς μου ἃς ηὐξάμην τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν Χεβρων
Four years later Absalom asked the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a promise I made to the Lord.
8 ὅτι εὐχὴν ηὔξατο ὁ δοῦλός σου ἐν τῷ οἰκεῖν με ἐν Γεδσουρ ἐν Συρίᾳ λέγων ἐὰν ἐπιστρέφων ἐπιστρέψῃ με κύριος εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ λατρεύσω τῷ κυρίῳ
For I, your servant, made this promise while living at Geshur in Aram, saying: ‘If the Lord does bring me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.’”
9 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεύς βάδιζε εἰς εἰρήνην καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐπορεύθη εἰς Χεβρων
“Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom went to Hebron.
10 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Αβεσσαλωμ κατασκόπους ἐν πάσαις φυλαῖς Ισραηλ λέγων ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι ὑμᾶς τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κερατίνης καὶ ἐρεῖτε βεβασίλευκεν βασιλεὺς Αβεσσαλωμ ἐν Χεβρων
Then Absalom sent his accomplices among all the tribes of Israel, saying, “When you hear the sound of the ram's horn, you shout, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’”
11 καὶ μετὰ Αβεσσαλωμ ἐπορεύθησαν διακόσιοι ἄνδρες ἐξ Ιερουσαλημ κλητοὶ καὶ πορευόμενοι τῇ ἁπλότητι αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν πᾶν ῥῆμα
Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and went in all innocence, because they didn't know anything about what was planned.
12 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸν Αχιτοφελ τὸν Γελμωναῖον τὸν σύμβουλον Δαυιδ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως αὐτοῦ ἐκ Γωλα ἐν τῷ θυσιάζειν αὐτόν καὶ ἐγένετο σύστρεμμα ἰσχυρόν καὶ ὁ λαὸς πορευόμενος καὶ πολὺς μετὰ Αβεσσαλωμ
While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's advisor, asking him to come from Giloh, the town where he lived. The conspiracy grew stronger, and Absalom's followers went on increasing.
13 καὶ παρεγένετο ὁ ἀπαγγέλλων πρὸς Δαυιδ λέγων ἐγενήθη ἡ καρδία ἀνδρῶν Ισραηλ ὀπίσω Αβεσσαλωμ
A messenger came to tell David, “Absalom has the loyalty of the men of Israel.”
14 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πᾶσιν τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ τοῖς μετ’ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἀνάστητε καὶ φύγωμεν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν σωτηρία ἀπὸ προσώπου Αβεσσαλωμ ταχύνατε τοῦ πορευθῆναι ἵνα μὴ ταχύνῃ καὶ καταλάβῃ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐξώσῃ ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὴν κακίαν καὶ πατάξῃ τὴν πόλιν στόματι μαχαίρης
David said to all the officials with him in Jerusalem, “Quick! Let's go! Otherwise we won't be able to get away from Absalom! We must leave immediately, or he will soon catch up with us, attack us, and kill the people here in the city.”
15 καὶ εἶπον οἱ παῖδες τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κατὰ πάντα ὅσα αἱρεῖται ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὁ βασιλεύς ἰδοὺ οἱ παῖδές σου
“Whatever Your Majesty decides, we'll do what you want,” the king's servants replied.
16 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πᾶς ὁ οἶκος αὐτοῦ τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀφῆκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς δέκα γυναῖκας τῶν παλλακῶν αὐτοῦ φυλάσσειν τὸν οἶκον
The king set off with his whole household following him, but he left behind ten concubines to look after the palace.
17 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ πεζῇ καὶ ἔστησαν ἐν οἴκῳ τῷ μακράν
The king left with all his soldiers following him. He stopped at the last house,
18 καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ ἀνὰ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ παρῆγον καὶ πᾶς ὁ Χεττι καὶ πᾶς ὁ Φελετθι καὶ ἔστησαν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐλαίας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς παρεπορεύετο ἐχόμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ πάντες οἱ ἁδροὶ καὶ πάντες οἱ μαχηταί ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες καὶ παρῆσαν ἐπὶ χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶς ὁ Χερεθθι καὶ πᾶς ὁ Φελεθθι καὶ πάντες οἱ Γεθθαῖοι ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ ἐλθόντες τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῶν ἐκ Γεθ πορευόμενοι ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως
and all his men marched past him, including all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath.
19 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Εθθι τὸν Γεθθαῖον ἵνα τί πορεύῃ καὶ σὺ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἐπίστρεφε καὶ οἴκει μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ὅτι ξένος εἶ σὺ καὶ ὅτι μετῴκηκας σὺ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου σου
The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you coming with us too? Go back and stay with the new king, because you are a foreigner and an exile a long way from home.
20 εἰ ἐχθὲς παραγέγονας καὶ σήμερον κινήσω σε μεθ’ ἡμῶν καί γε μεταναστήσεις τὸν τόπον σου ἐχθὲς ἡ ἐξέλευσίς σου καὶ σήμερον μετακινήσω σε μεθ’ ἡμῶν τοῦ πορευθῆναι καὶ ἐγὼ πορεύσομαι οὗ ἂν ἐγὼ πορευθῶ ἐπιστρέφου καὶ ἐπίστρεψον τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου μετὰ σοῦ καὶ κύριος ποιήσει μετὰ σοῦ ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθειαν
You only just got here, so why should I make you wander around with us now when I don't even know where I am going? Go back and take your men with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”
21 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Εθθι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ εἶπεν ζῇ κύριος καὶ ζῇ ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεύς ὅτι εἰς τὸν τόπον οὗ ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ἐὰν εἰς θάνατον καὶ ἐὰν εἰς ζωήν ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ δοῦλός σου
But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as Your Majesty lives, wherever Your Majesty may be, whether dead or alive, that's where your servant will be!”
22 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Εθθι δεῦρο καὶ διάβαινε μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ παρῆλθεν Εθθι ὁ Γεθθαῖος καὶ πάντες οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ὁ μετ’ αὐτοῦ
“Go ahead, march on!” David replied. Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the families that were with him.
23 καὶ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ἔκλαιεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς παρεπορεύοντο ἐν τῷ χειμάρρῳ Κεδρων καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς διέβη τὸν χειμάρρουν Κεδρων καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς παρεπορεύοντο ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ὁδοῦ τὴν ἔρημον
All the people in the countryside were crying aloud as everyone with David passed by. They crossed the Kidron Valley with the king on the way toward the wilderness.
24 καὶ ἰδοὺ καί γε Σαδωκ καὶ πάντες οἱ Λευῖται μετ’ αὐτοῦ αἴροντες τὴν κιβωτὸν διαθήκης κυρίου ἀπὸ Βαιθαρ καὶ ἔστησαν τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἀνέβη Αβιαθαρ ἕως ἐπαύσατο πᾶς ὁ λαὸς παρελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως
Zadok was there too, and all the Levites were with him, carrying the Ark of God's Agreement. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until everyone had left the city.
25 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Σαδωκ ἀπόστρεψον τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐὰν εὕρω χάριν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς κυρίου καὶ ἐπιστρέψει με καὶ δείξει μοι αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν εὐπρέπειαν αὐτῆς
Then the king told Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back to the city. If I find the Lord approves of me, he will bring me back and let me see both the Ark and his Tent again.
26 καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ οὕτως οὐκ ἠθέληκα ἐν σοί ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι ποιείτω μοι κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ
But if he says, ‘I'm not happy with you,’ then here I stand. Let him do to me whatever he thinks best.”
27 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Σαδωκ τῷ ἱερεῖ ἴδετε σὺ ἐπιστρέφεις εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ Αχιμαας ὁ υἱός σου καὶ Ιωναθαν ὁ υἱὸς Αβιαθαρ οἱ δύο υἱοὶ ὑμῶν μεθ’ ὑμῶν
The king also told Zadok the priest, “You understand the situation, don't you? Go back to the city safely with your son Ahimaaz, and also Jonathan, son of Abiathar. You and Abiathar take both of your sons back with you.
28 ἴδετε ἐγώ εἰμι στρατεύομαι ἐν Αραβωθ τῆς ἐρήμου ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ῥῆμα παρ’ ὑμῶν τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαί μοι
I'll wait at the fords of the wilderness until I hear from you.”
29 καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν Σαδωκ καὶ Αβιαθαρ τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐκεῖ
Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
30 καὶ Δαυιδ ἀνέβαινεν ἐν τῇ ἀναβάσει τῶν ἐλαιῶν ἀναβαίνων καὶ κλαίων καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπικεκαλυμμένος καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπορεύετο ἀνυπόδετος καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐπεκάλυψεν ἀνὴρ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνέβαινον ἀναβαίνοντες καὶ κλαίοντες
David went on his way up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he did so. He had his head covered, and walked barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads, weeping as they went along.
31 καὶ ἀνηγγέλη Δαυιδ λέγοντες καὶ Αχιτοφελ ἐν τοῖς συστρεφομένοις μετὰ Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ διασκέδασον δὴ τὴν βουλὴν Αχιτοφελ κύριε ὁ θεός μου
David was told, “Ahithophel is one of the people conspiring with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, please make Ahithophel's advice worthless.”
32 καὶ ἦν Δαυιδ ἐρχόμενος ἕως τοῦ Ροως οὗ προσεκύνησεν ἐκεῖ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἰδοὺ εἰς ἀπαντὴν αὐτῷ Χουσι ὁ Αρχι ἑταῖρος Δαυιδ διερρηχὼς τὸν χιτῶνα αὐτοῦ καὶ γῆ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ
When David arrived at the top of the Mount of Olives, where people worshiped God, there to meet him was Hushai the Archite, with his robe torn and with dust on his head.
33 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Δαυιδ ἐὰν μὲν διαβῇς μετ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἔσῃ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ εἴς βάσταγμα
David told him, “If you come with me, you'll only be a burden to me,
34 καὶ ἐὰν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπιστρέψῃς καὶ ἐρεῖς τῷ Αβεσσαλωμ διεληλύθασιν οἱ ἀδελφοί σου καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατόπισθέν μου διελήλυθεν ὁ πατήρ σου καὶ νῦν παῖς σού εἰμι βασιλεῦ ἔασόν με ζῆσαι παῖς τοῦ πατρός σου ἤμην τότε καὶ ἀρτίως καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ δοῦλος σός καὶ διασκεδάσεις μοι τὴν βουλὴν Αχιτοφελ
but if you go back to the city and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, Your Majesty! Formerly I worked for your father, but now I'll work for you,’ then you can block Ahithophel's advice for me.
35 καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ σοῦ ἐκεῖ Σαδωκ καὶ Αβιαθαρ οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ ἔσται πᾶν ῥῆμα ὃ ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς ἐξ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἀναγγελεῖς τῷ Σαδωκ καὶ τῷ Αβιαθαρ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν
Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there too. Tell them everything you hear in the king's palace.
36 ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖ μετ’ αὐτῶν δύο υἱοὶ αὐτῶν Αχιμαας υἱὸς τῷ Σαδωκ καὶ Ιωναθαν υἱὸς τῷ Αβιαθαρ καὶ ἀποστελεῖτε ἐν χειρὶ αὐτῶν πρός με πᾶν ῥῆμα ὃ ἐὰν ἀκούσητε
Their two sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan, are there with them. Send them to me so they can tell me everything you hear.”
37 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Χουσι ὁ ἑταῖρος Δαυιδ εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ Αβεσσαλωμ εἰσεπορεύετο εἰς Ιερουσαλημ
David's friend Hushai arrived back in Jerusalem at the same time Absalom was entering the city.
