2 Samuel 18
1 David organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of them.
And David numbered the people that were with him, and he set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.
2 David sent the army out divided into three sections. One third was commanded by Joab, one third was commanded by Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third was commanded by Ittai the Gittite. The king told the men, “I myself will go out into battle with you.”
And David sent forth the people a third part under the command of Joab, and a third part under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruyah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I myself also will without fail go forth with you.
3 But the men replied, “No, you must not go out into battle! For if we have to run away, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about that either. But you are worth ten thousand of us, so it's better if you stay here and send us help from the town.”
But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth; for if we should have to flee away, they will not care for us; and if half of us die, they will not care for us; for now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou shouldst be a succor to us out of the city.
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king replied. The king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
And the king said unto them, What seemeth good in your eyes will I do. And the king placed himself by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 The king ordered Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for me.” All the men heard the king giving orders to each of his commanders about Absalom.
And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, with Abshalom. And all the people heard when the king charged all the captains with respect to Abshalom.
6 David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand.
And the people of Israel were smitten there before David's servants, and the slaughter was great there on that day—twenty thousand men.
8 The battle covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
And the battle became extended there over the face of all the country: and the forest devoured yet more of the people than the sword had devoured on that day.
9 Absalom ran into some of David's men while he was riding on his mule. As the mule went under the twisted branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. The mule he was riding kept going, leaving him hanging between earth and sky.
And Abshalom happened to come before the servants of David. And Abshalom was riding upon a mule, and the mule came under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was left hanging between the heaven and the earth: and the mule that was under him passed on.
10 One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”
And a certain man saw, and told it to Joab, and said, Behold, I have seen Abshalom hanging on an oak.
11 “What! You saw him like that?” Joab said to the man. “Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a soldier's belt as a reward!”
And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him: why then didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and it would have been obligatory on me to give thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle.
12 But the man replied, “Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I wouldn't hurt the king's son. We all heard the king give the order to you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Look after young Absalom for me.’
And the man said unto Joab, And though I should weigh on my hands a thousand shekels of silver, I would not stretch forth my hand against the king's son; for before our ears did the king charge thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take heed, whoever it be, of the young man, of Abshalom.
13 If I had disobeyed and killed Absalom—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended me.”
Or should I even have acted with falsehood against my own life, since there is no matter which can be hidden from the king; thou wouldst surely have placed thyself aloof.
14 “I'm not going to waste time waiting around like this with you!” Joab told him. He grabbed three spears and drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the oak tree.
Then said Joab, I will not wait thus before thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Abshalom, who was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15 Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.
And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, encompassed and smote Abshalom, and slew him.
16 Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop.
And Joab blew the cornet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab restrained the people.
17 They took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.
And they took Abshalom, and cast him down in the forest, into the large pit, and erected upon him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled, every one, to his tents.
18 Absalom while he was alive had made a stone pillar and set it up in the King's Valley as a memorial to himself, for he thought to himself, “I don't have a son to keep the memory of my name alive.” He named the pillar after himself, and it's called Absalom's Monument even today.
Now Abshalom had taken and reared up for himself in his lifetime, the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son, so as to keep my name in remembrance; and he called the pillar after his own name: and it was called Abshalom's monument, even until this day.
19 Then Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, “Please let me run and take the good news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him over his enemies.”
And Achima'az the son of Zadok said, Do let me run, I pray thee, and bear the king tidings, that the Lord hath done him justice from the power of his enemies.
20 “You're not the man to take the good news today,” Joab replied. “You can do it some other time, but don't do it today, because the king's son is dead.”
And Joab said unto him, Thou art not the man to bear [good] tidings this day, and thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.
21 So Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” He bowed to Joab and ran off.
Then said Joab to the Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen, And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.
22 Ahimaaz asked Joab again, “Never mind what happens, please let me run too, after the Ethiopian!” “Son, why do you want to run—you won't get anything for it?” Joab replied.
Then said Achima'az the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, Be it as it may, let me, I pray thee, run also after the Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore is it that thou wilt run, my son, seeing that thou hast no profitable tidings?
23 “Doesn't matter, I want to run anyway,” he said. “Fine, start running!” Joab told him. Ahimaaz took the route over flatter ground and overtook the Ethiopian.
But be it as it may, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. And Achima'az ran by the way of the plain, and passed the Cushi.
24 David was sitting between the inside and outside gates. The watchman climbed up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. He looked out, and saw a man running by himself.
And David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, upon the wall, and as he lifted up his eyes, he saw, and behold, a man was running alone.
25 So he shouted down to tell the king. “If he's by himself then he's bringing good news,” the king replied. As the first runner got closer,
And the watchman cried, and told it to the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there are tidings in his mouth. And he came nearer and nearer continually.
26 the watchman saw someone else running, and he shouted down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running by himself!” “He'll also be bringing good news,” said the king.
And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the gate-keeper, and said, Behold, here is a man running alone. And the king said, Also this one bringeth tidings.
27 “The first man seems to me to be running like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok,” said the watchman. “He's a good man,” he king replied. “He'll bring good news.”
And the watchman said, I regard the running of the foremost as the running of Achima'az the son of Zadok. And the king said, That is a good man, and with good tidings must he come.
28 Ahimaaz shouted out greetings to the king, Then he came and he bowed facedown before the king. “Blessed be the Lord your God!” he said. “He has defeated the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
And Achima'az called, and said unto the king, Peace. And he prostrated himself to the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath surrendered the men that had lifted up their hand against my Lord the king.
29 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, “It was very chaotic when your officer Joab sent me, your servant. I really don't know what was happening.”
And the king said, Is the young man Abshalom safe? And Achima'az answered, I saw the greatest crowd when Joab sent off the king's servant, and thy servant; but I know not what hath happened.
30 “Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.
And the king said, Turn aside, place thyself here. And he turned aside, and remained standing.
31 Right then the Ethiopian arrived and said, “Your Majesty, listen to the good news! Today the Lord has defeated all those who rebelled against you!”
And, behold, the Cushi came [next]; and the Cushi said, Let my lord the king receive the tidings, that the Lord hath done thee justice this day from the power of all those that had risen up against thee.
32 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked. The Ethiopian replied, “May what has happened to the young man happen to Your Majesty's enemies, and to everyone who rebels against you!”
And the king said unto the Cushi, Is the young man Abshalom safe? And the Cushi answered, May like the young man be the enemies of my Lord the king, and all that have risen up against thee for evil.
33 The king broke down. He went up to the room over the gate and cried. As he walked, he sobbed out, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I'd died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
And the king was much moved, and he went up to the upper chamber of the gate, and wept: and thus he said as he went, O my son Abshalom, my son, my son Abshalom! who would grant that I had died in thy stead, O Abshalom, my son, my son!
