撒母耳记下 18
1 大卫数点跟随他的人，立千夫长、百夫长率领他们。
David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
2 大卫打发军兵出战，分为三队：一队在约押手下，一队在洗鲁雅的儿子、约押兄弟亚比筛手下，一队在迦特人以太手下。大卫对军兵说：“我必与你们一同出战。”
David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, "I will surely go forth with you myself also."
3 军兵却说：“你不可出战。若是我们逃跑，敌人必不介意；我们阵亡一半，敌人也不介意。因为你一人强似我们万人，你不如在城里预备帮助我们。”
But the people said, "You must not go out, for if we retreat, no one will care about us. If half of us die, no one will care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better now if you support us in the city."
4 王向他们说：“你们以为怎样好，我就怎样行。”于是王站在城门旁，军兵或百或千地挨次出去了。
The king said to them, "I will do what seems best to you." The king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 王嘱咐约押、亚比筛、以太说：“你们要为我的缘故宽待那少年人押沙龙。”王为押沙龙嘱咐众将的话，兵都听见了。
The king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom." And all the people were listening when the king commanded all the captains concerning Absalom.
6 兵就出到田野迎着以色列人，在以法莲树林里交战。
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.
7 以色列人败在大卫的仆人面前；那日阵亡的甚多，共有二万人。
The people of Israel were struck there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
8 因为在那里四面打仗，死于树林的比死于刀剑的更多。
For the battle there spread over the entire region, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 押沙龙偶然遇见大卫的仆人。押沙龙骑着骡子，从大橡树密枝底下经过，他的头发被树枝绕住，就悬挂起来，所骑的骡子便离他去了。
And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. And he was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was left hanging between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.
10 有个人看见，就告诉约押说：“我看见押沙龙挂在橡树上了。”
And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, "Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak."
11 约押对报信的人说：“你既看见他，为什么不将他打死落在地上呢？你若打死他，我就赏你十舍客勒银子，一条带子。”
Joab said to the man who told him, "Look, you saw it, and why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver, and a belt."
12 那人对约押说：“我就是得你一千舍客勒银子，我也不敢伸手害王的儿子；因为我们听见王嘱咐你和亚比筛并以太说：‘你们要谨慎，不可害那少年人押沙龙。’
The man said to Joab, "Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I still wouldn't put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.'
13 我若妄为害了他的性命，就是你自己也必与我为敌（原来，无论何事都瞒不过王。）”
Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hidden from the king), then you yourself would have set yourself against me."
14 约押说：“我不能与你留连。”约押手拿三杆短枪，趁押沙龙在橡树上还活着，就刺透他的心。
Then Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this with you." He took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15 给约押拿兵器的十个少年人围绕押沙龙，将他杀死。
Ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded and struck Absalom, and killed him.
16 约押吹角，拦阻众人，他们就回来，不再追赶以色列人。
Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people.
17 他们将押沙龙丢在林中一个大坑里，上头堆起一大堆石头。以色列众人都逃跑，各回各家去了。
They took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Then all Israel fled everyone to his tent.
18 押沙龙活着的时候，在王谷立了一根石柱，因他说：“我没有儿子为我留名。”他就以自己的名称那石柱叫押沙龙柱，直到今日。
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the King's Valley; for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in memory." He called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, to this day.
19 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯说：“容我跑去，将耶和华向仇敌给王报仇的信息报与王知。”
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me now run, and bear the king news, how that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies."
20 约押对他说：“你今日不可去报信，改日可以报信；因为今日王的儿子死了，所以你不可去报信。”
Joab said to him, "You shall not be the bearer of news this day, but you shall bear news another day. But today you shall bear no news, because the king's son is dead."
21 约押对古示人说：“你去将你所看见的告诉王。”古示人在约押面前下拜，就跑去了。
Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed himself to Joab, and ran.
22 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯又对约押说：“无论怎样，求你容我随着古示人跑去。”约押说：“我儿，你报这信息，既不得赏赐，何必要跑去呢？”
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, "But come what may, please let me also run after the Cushite." Joab said, "Why do you want to run, my son, since that you will have no reward for the news?"
23 他又说：“无论怎样，我要跑去。”约押说：“你跑去吧！”亚希玛斯就从平原往前跑，跑过古示人去了。
And he said, "But come what may, I will run." He said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
24 大卫正坐在城瓮里。守望的人上城门楼的顶上，举目观看，见有一个人独自跑来。
Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate to the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked and saw a man was running alone towards him.
25 守望的人就大声告诉王。王说：“他若独自来，必是报口信的。”那人跑得渐渐近了。
And the watchman called out, and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth." And he came closer and closer.
26 守望的人又见一人跑来，就对守城门的人说：“又有一人独自跑来。”王说：“这也必是报信的。”
And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman above the gate called out, and said, "Look, another man running alone." And the king said, "He also brings good news."
27 守望的人说：“我看前头人的跑法，好像撒督的儿子亚希玛斯的跑法一样。”王说：“他是个好人，必是报好信息。”
The watchman said, "I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." The king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news."
28 亚希玛斯向王呼叫说：“平安了！”就在王面前脸伏于地叩拜，说：“耶和华—你的 神是应当称颂的，因他已将那举手攻击我主我王的人交给王了。”
And Ahimaaz came near and said to the king, "All is well." He bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, "Blessed is the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king."
29 王问说：“少年人押沙龙平安不平安？”亚希玛斯回答说：“约押打发王的仆人，那时仆人听见众民大声喧哗，却不知道是什么事。”
The king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab, the king's servant, sent your servant off, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was."
30 王说：“你退去，站在旁边。”他就退去，站在旁边。
The king said, "Turn aside, and stand here." He turned aside, and stood still.
31 古示人也来到，说：“有信息报给我主我王！耶和华今日向一切兴起攻击你的人给你报仇了。”
Look, the Cushite came. And he said, "News for my lord the king; for the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose up against you."
32 王问古示人说：“少年人押沙龙平安不平安？”古示人回答说：“愿我主我王的仇敌，和一切兴起要杀害你的人，都与那少年人一样。”
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you harm, be as that young man is."
33 王就心里伤恸，上城门楼去哀哭，一面走一面说：“我儿押沙龙啊！我儿，我儿押沙龙啊！我恨不得替你死，押沙龙啊，我儿！我儿！”
The king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate, and wept. As he went, he said, "My son Absalom. My son, my son Absalom. I wish I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son."
