Βασιλειῶν Βʹ 18
1 καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο Δαυιδ τὸν λαὸν τὸν μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ κατέστησεν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν χιλιάρχους καὶ ἑκατοντάρχους
And David having reviewed his people, appointed over them captains of thousands and of hundreds,
2 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Δαυιδ τὸν λαόν τὸ τρίτον ἐν χειρὶ Ιωαβ καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐν χειρὶ Αβεσσα υἱοῦ Σαρουιας ἀδελφοῦ Ιωαβ καὶ τὸ τρίτον ἐν χειρὶ Εθθι τοῦ Γεθθαίου καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς τὸν λαόν ἐξελθὼν ἐξελεύσομαι καί γε ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν
And sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abisai the son of Sarvia Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ethai, who was of Geth: and the king said to the people: I also will go forth with you.
3 καὶ εἶπαν οὐκ ἐξελεύσῃ ὅτι ἐὰν φυγῇ φύγωμεν οὐ θήσουσιν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καρδίαν καὶ ἐὰν ἀποθάνωμεν τὸ ἥμισυ ἡμῶν οὐ θήσουσιν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καρδίαν ὅτι σὺ ὡς ἡμεῖς δέκα χιλιάδες καὶ νῦν ἀγαθὸν ὅτι ἔσῃ ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει βοήθεια τοῦ βοηθεῖν
And the people answered: Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not much mind us: or if half of us should fall, they will not greatly care: for thou alone art accounted for ten thousand: it is better therefore that thou shouldst be in the city to succour us.
4 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεύς ὃ ἐὰν ἀρέσῃ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑμῶν ποιήσω καὶ ἔστη ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνὰ χεῖρα τῆς πύλης καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐξεπορεύετο εἰς ἑκατοντάδας καὶ εἰς χιλιάδας
And the king said to them: What seemeth good to you, that will I do. And the king stood by the gate: and all the people went forth by their troops, by hundreds and by thousands.
5 καὶ ἐνετείλατο ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ Ιωαβ καὶ τῷ Αβεσσα καὶ τῷ Εθθι λέγων φείσασθέ μοι τοῦ παιδαρίου τοῦ Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἤκουσεν ἐντελλομένου τοῦ βασιλέως πᾶσιν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ὑπὲρ Αβεσσαλωμ
And the king commanded Joab, and Abisai, and Ethai, saying: Save me the boy Absalom. And all the people heard the king giving charge to all the princes concerning Absalom.
6 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς εἰς τὸν δρυμὸν ἐξ ἐναντίας Ισραηλ καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ πόλεμος ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ Εφραιμ
So the people went out into the field against Israel and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 καὶ ἔπταισεν ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς Ισραηλ ἐνώπιον τῶν παίδων Δαυιδ καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ θραῦσις μεγάλη ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ εἴκοσι χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν
And the people of Israel were defeated there by David’s army, and a great slaughter was made that day of twenty thousand men.
8 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐκεῖ ὁ πόλεμος διεσπαρμένος ἐπὶ πρόσωπον πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπλεόνασεν ὁ δρυμὸς τοῦ καταφαγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ ὑπὲρ οὓς κατέφαγεν ἐν τῷ λαῷ ἡ μάχαιρα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ
And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the country, and there were many more of the people whom the forest consumed, than whom the sword devoured that day.
9 καὶ συνήντησεν Αβεσσαλωμ ἐνώπιον τῶν παίδων Δαυιδ καὶ Αβεσσαλωμ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμιόνου αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ ἡμίονος ὑπὸ τὸ δάσος τῆς δρυὸς τῆς μεγάλης καὶ ἐκρεμάσθη ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ δρυί καὶ ἐκρεμάσθη ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γῆς καὶ ὁ ἡμίονος ὑποκάτω αὐτοῦ παρῆλθεν
And it happened that Absalom met the servants of David, riding on a mule: and as the mule went under a thick and large oak, his head stuck in the oak: and while he hung between the heaven and the earth, the mule on which he rode passed on.
10 καὶ εἶδεν ἀνὴρ εἷς καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν Ιωαβ καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἑώρακα τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ κρεμάμενον ἐν τῇ δρυί
And one saw this and told Joab, saying: I saw Absalom hanging upon an oak.
11 καὶ εἶπεν Ιωαβ τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ ἀπαγγέλλοντι καὶ ἰδοὺ ἑόρακας τί ὅτι οὐκ ἐπάταξας αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐγὼ ἂν δεδώκειν σοι δέκα ἀργυρίου καὶ παραζώνην μίαν
And Joab said to the man that told him: If thou sawest him, why didst thou not stab him to the ground, and I would have given thee ten sicles of silver, and belt?
12 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ πρὸς Ιωαβ καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ἵστημι ἐπὶ τὰς χεῖράς μου χιλίους σίκλους ἀργυρίου οὐ μὴ ἐπιβάλω χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως ὅτι ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶν ἡμῶν ἐνετείλατο ὁ βασιλεὺς σοὶ καὶ Αβεσσα καὶ τῷ Εθθι λέγων φυλάξατέ μοι τὸ παιδάριον τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ
And he said to Joab: If thou wouldst have paid down in my hands a thousand pieces of silver, I would not lay my hands upon the king’s son: for in our hearing he king charged thee, and Abisai, and Ethai, saying: Save me the boy Absalom.
13 μὴ ποιῆσαι ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἄδικον καὶ πᾶς ὁ λόγος οὐ λήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ σὺ στήσῃ ἐξ ἐναντίας
Yea and if I should have acted boldly against my own life, this could not have been hid from the king, and wouldst thou have stood by me?
14 καὶ εἶπεν Ιωαβ τοῦτο ἐγὼ ἄρξομαι οὐχ οὕτως μενῶ ἐνώπιόν σου καὶ ἔλαβεν Ιωαβ τρία βέλη ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνέπηξεν αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ Αβεσσαλωμ ἔτι αὐτοῦ ζῶντος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς δρυὸς
And Joab said: Not as thou wilt, but will set upon him in thy sight. So he took three lances in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom: and whilst he yet panted for life, sticking on the oak,
15 καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν δέκα παιδάρια αἴροντα τὰ σκεύη Ιωαβ καὶ ἐπάταξαν τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτόν
Ten young men, armourbearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him slew him.
16 καὶ ἐσάλπισεν Ιωαβ ἐν κερατίνῃ καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ λαὸς τοῦ μὴ διώκειν ὀπίσω Ισραηλ ὅτι ἐφείδετο Ιωαβ τοῦ λαοῦ
And Joab sounded the trumpet, and kept back the people from pursuing after Israel in their flight, being willing to spare he multitude.
17 καὶ ἔλαβεν τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἔρριψεν αὐτὸν εἰς χάσμα μέγα ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ εἰς τὸν βόθυνον τὸν μέγαν καὶ ἐστήλωσεν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν σωρὸν λίθων μέγαν σφόδρα καὶ πᾶς Ισραηλ ἔφυγεν ἀνὴρ εἰς τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ
And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and they laid an exceeding great heap of stories upon him: but all Israel fled to their own dwellings.
18 καὶ Αβεσσαλωμ ἔτι ζῶν καὶ ἔστησεν ἑαυτῷ τὴν στήλην ἐν ᾗ ἐλήμφθη καὶ ἐστήλωσεν αὐτὴν λαβεῖν τὴν στήλην τὴν ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι τοῦ βασιλέως ὅτι εἶπεν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ υἱὸς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὴν στήλην Χεὶρ Αβεσσαλωμ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης
Now Absalom had reared up for himself, in his lifetime, a pillar, which is in the king’s valley: for he said: I have no son, and this shall be the monument of my name. And he called the pillar by is own name, and it is called the hand of Absalom, to this day.
19 καὶ Αχιμαας υἱὸς Σαδωκ εἶπεν δράμω δὴ καὶ εὐαγγελιῶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ἔκρινεν αὐτῷ κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ
And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said: I will run and tell the king, that the Lord hath done judgment for him from the hand of his enemies.
20 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ιωαβ οὐκ ἀνὴρ εὐαγγελίας σὺ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ καὶ εὐαγγελιῇ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἄλλῃ ἐν δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ οὐκ εὐαγγελιῇ οὗ εἵνεκεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπέθανεν
And Joab said to him: Thou shalt not be the messenger this day, but shalt bear tidings another day: this day I will not have thee bear tidings, because the king’s son is dead.
21 καὶ εἶπεν Ιωαβ τῷ Χουσι βαδίσας ἀνάγγειλον τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅσα εἶδες καὶ προσεκύνησεν Χουσι τῷ Ιωαβ καὶ ἐξῆλθεν
And Joab said to Chusai: Go, and tell the king what thou hast seen. Chusai bowed down to Joab, and ran.
22 καὶ προσέθετο ἔτι Αχιμαας υἱὸς Σαδωκ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς Ιωαβ καὶ ἔστω ὅτι δράμω καί γε ἐγὼ ὀπίσω τοῦ Χουσι καὶ εἶπεν Ιωαβ ἵνα τί τοῦτο τρέχεις υἱέ μου δεῦρο οὐκ ἔστιν σοι εὐαγγελία εἰς ὠφέλειαν πορευομένῳ
Then Achimaas the son of Sadoc said to Joab again: Why might not I also run after Chusai? And Joab said to him: Why wilt thou run, my son? thou wilt not be the bearer of good tidings.
23 καὶ εἶπεν τί γὰρ ἐὰν δραμοῦμαι καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ιωαβ δράμε καὶ ἔδραμεν Αχιμαας ὁδὸν τὴν τοῦ Κεχαρ καὶ ὑπερέβη τὸν Χουσι
He answered: But what if I run? And he said to him: Run. Then Achimaas running by a nearer way passed Chusai.
24 καὶ Δαυιδ ἐκάθητο ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο πυλῶν καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὁ σκοπὸς εἰς τὸ δῶμα τῆς πύλης πρὸς τὸ τεῖχος καὶ ἐπῆρεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶδεν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ τρέχων μόνος ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ
And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman that was on the top of the gate upon the wall, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running alone.
25 καὶ ἀνεβόησεν ὁ σκοπὸς καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς εἰ μόνος ἐστίν εὐαγγελία ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπορεύετο πορευόμενος καὶ ἐγγίζων
And crying out he told the king: and the king said: If he be alone, there are good tidings in his mouth. And as he was coming apace, and drawing nearer,
26 καὶ εἶδεν ὁ σκοπὸς ἄνδρα ἕτερον τρέχοντα καὶ ἐβόησεν ὁ σκοπὸς πρὸς τῇ πύλῃ καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ ἕτερος τρέχων μόνος καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς καί γε οὗτος εὐαγγελιζόμενος
The watchman saw another man running, and crying aloud from above, he said: I see another man running alone. And the king said: He also is a good messenger.
27 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ σκοπός ἐγὼ ὁρῶ τὸν δρόμον τοῦ πρώτου ὡς δρόμον Αχιμαας υἱοῦ Σαδωκ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς οὗτος καί γε εἰς εὐαγγελίαν ἀγαθὴν ἐλεύσεται
And the watchman said: The running of the foremost seemeth to me like the running of Achimaas the son of Sadoc. And the king said: He is a good man: and cometh with good news.
28 καὶ ἐβόησεν Αχιμαας καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰρήνη καὶ προσεκύνησεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ εἶπεν εὐλογητὸς κύριος ὁ θεός σου ὃς ἀπέκλεισεν τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς μισοῦντας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ βασιλεῖ
And Achimaas crying out, said to the king: God save thee, O king. And falling down before the king with his face to the ground, he said: Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath shut up the men that have lifted up their hands against the lord my king.
29 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς εἰρήνη τῷ παιδαρίῳ τῷ Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ εἶπεν Αχιμαας εἶδον τὸ πλῆθος τὸ μέγα τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαι τὸν δοῦλον τοῦ βασιλέως Ιωαβ καὶ τὸν δοῦλόν σου καὶ οὐκ ἔγνων τί ἐκεῖ
And the king said: Is the young man Absalom safe? And Achimaas said: I saw a great tumult, O king, when thy servant Joab sent me thy servant: I know nothing else.
30 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς ἐπίστρεψον στηλώθητι ὧδε καὶ ἐπεστράφη καὶ ἔστη
And the king said to him: Pass, and stand here.
31 καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ Χουσι παρεγένετο καὶ εἶπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ εὐαγγελισθήτω ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεύς ὅτι ἔκρινέν σοι κύριος σήμερον ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν ἐπεγειρομένων ἐπὶ σέ
And when he bad passed, and stood still, Chusai appeared: and coming up he said: I bring good tidings, my lord, the king, for the Lord hath judged for thee this day from the hand of all that have risen up against thee.
32 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸν Χουσι εἰ εἰρήνη τῷ παιδαρίῳ τῷ Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Χουσι γένοιντο ὡς τὸ παιδάριον οἱ ἐχθροὶ τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πάντες ὅσοι ἐπανέστησαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν εἰς κακά
And the king said to Chusai: Is the young man Absalom safe? And Chusai answering him, said: Let the enemies of my lord, the king, and all that rise against him unto evil, be as the young man is.
33 καὶ ἐταράχθη ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον τῆς πύλης καὶ ἔκλαυσεν καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν ἐν τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτόν υἱέ μου Αβεσσαλωμ υἱέ μου υἱέ μου Αβεσσαλωμ τίς δῴη τὸν θάνατόν μου ἀντὶ σοῦ ἐγὼ ἀντὶ σοῦ Αβεσσαλωμ υἱέ μου υἱέ μου
The king therefore being much moved, went up to the high chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went he spoke in this manner: My son Absalom, Absalom my son: would to God that I might die for thee, Absalom my son, my son Absalom.
