Βασιλειῶν Βʹ 18
1 καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο Δαυιδ τὸν λαὸν τὸν μετ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ κατέστησεν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν χιλιάρχους καὶ ἑκατοντάρχους
David counted the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
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
David sent the people out, 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 also surely go out with you myself.”
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
But the people said, “You shall not go out, for if we flee away, they will not care for us, neither if half of us die, will they care for us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore now it is better that you are ready to help us out of the city.”
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
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 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
The king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” All the people heard when the king commanded all the captains 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 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
The people of Israel were struck there before David’s servants, and there was a great slaughter there 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
For the battle was there spread over the surface of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
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
Absalom happened to meet David’s servants. Absalom 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 hanging between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.
10 καὶ εἶδεν ἀνὴρ εἷς καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν Ιωαβ καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ ἑώρακα τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ κρεμάμενον ἐν τῇ δρυί
A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in 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
Joab said to the man who told him, “Behold, you saw it, and why didn’t you strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a sash.”
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
The man said to Joab, “Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I still wouldn’t stretch out my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Beware that no one touch the young man Absalom.’
13 μὴ ποιῆσαι ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἄδικον καὶ πᾶς ὁ λόγος οὐ λήσεται ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ σὺ στήσῃ ἐξ ἐναντίας
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 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
Then Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this with you.” He took three darts in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the middle of the oak.
15 καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν δέκα παιδάρια αἴροντα τὰ σκεύη Ιωαβ καὶ ἐπάταξαν τὸν Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἐθανάτωσαν αὐτόν
Ten young men who bore Joab’s armor surrounded and struck Absalom, and killed him.
16 καὶ ἐσάλπισεν Ιωαβ ἐν κερατίνῃ καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν ὁ λαὸς τοῦ μὴ διώκειν ὀπίσω Ισραηλ ὅτι ἐφείδετο Ιωαβ τοῦ λαοῦ
Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held the people back.
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
They took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Then all Israel fled, each to his own tent.
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 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. It is called Absalom’s monument, to this day.
19 καὶ Αχιμαας υἱὸς Σαδωκ εἶπεν δράμω δὴ καὶ εὐαγγελιῶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι ἔκρινεν αὐτῷ κύριος ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me now run and carry the king news, how Yahweh has avenged him 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
Joab said to him, “You must not be the bearer of news today, but you must carry news another day. But today you must carry no news, 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
Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen!” The Cushite bowed himself 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 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 you will have no reward for the news?”
23 καὶ εἶπεν τί γὰρ ἐὰν δραμοῦμαι καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ιωαβ δράμε καὶ ἔδραμεν Αχιμαας ὁδὸν τὴν τοῦ Κεχαρ καὶ ὑπερέβη τὸν Χουσι
“But come what may,” he said, “I will run.” He said to him, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
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
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, behold, 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
The watchman shouted and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” He came closer and closer.
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 the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, a man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.”
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
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 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
Ahimaaz called, and said to the king, “All is well.” He bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, “Blessed is Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the 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
The king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, even me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I don’t know what it was.”
30 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς ἐπίστρεψον στηλώθητι ὧδε καὶ ἐπεστράφη καὶ ἔστη
The king said, “Come and stand here.” He came and stood still.
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
Behold, the Cushite came. The Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today of all those who rose up against you.”
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
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 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 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 instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
