Chapter 14

1; And Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart was on Absalom.

2; And Joab sent to Tekoah and took a wise woman from there, and said to her, Pretend yourself to be a mourner now, and please put on garments of mourning. And do not anoint yourself with oil, and you shall be a woman mourning for one who died these many days.

3; And you shall go to the king and speak with him according to this word. And Joab put the words into her mouth.

4; And the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, and fell on her face to the earth, and bowed and said, Save, O king!

5; And the king said to her, What shall be to you? And she said, Truly I am a widow woman, and my husband died.

6; And your servant had two sons. And the two of them fought in the field, and there was no deliverer between them. And the one struck the other, and killed him.

7; And, behold, the whole family has risen against your servant, and said, Give up him who struck his brother, and we shall kill him for the life of his brother whom he has slain. And we shall also destroy the heir. And they shall quench my coal which is left, so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the earth.

8; And the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will give command concerning you.

9; And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My master, O king, let the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne shall be guiltless.

10; And the king said, Whoever speaks to you, you also shall bring him to me, then he shall not touch you any more.

11; And she said, Please let the king remember YAHWEH your Elohim, that the avenger of blood not destroy any more, and that they may not destroy my son. And he said, As YAHWEH lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the earth.

12; And the woman said, Please let your servant speak a word to my master the king. And he said, Speak.

13; And the woman said, And why have you thought in this way about the people of Elohim? Yea, the king is speaking this thing as a guilty one, in that the king has not brought back his outcast one.

14; For surely we do die and are as water which is spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. And Elohim does not take a life, but has devised plans so that the outcast is not cast out from Him.

15; And now that I have come to speak this word to my master the king, because the people made me afraid; and your servant said, Please let me speak to the king; it may be the king shall do the word of his servant.

16; For the king has listened, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man seeking to destroy me and my son together, out of the inheritance of Elohim.

17; And your servant said, Please let the word of my master the king be comforting. For as a messenger of Elohim, so is my master the king, to understand the good and the evil. And YAHWEH your Elohim shall be with you.

18; And the king answered and said to the woman, Please do not hide from me the thing that I am asking you. And the woman said, Then let my master the king speak.

19; And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, my master, O king, none shall turn to the right or to the left from all that my master the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in your servant's mouth.

20; Your servant Joab has done this thing to turn about the face of the matter, and my master is wise according to the wisdom of an messenger of Elohim, to know all that is in the land.

21; And the king said to Joab, Behold, now, I have done this thing. Then go, bring back the young man Absalom.

22; And Joab fell on his face to the earth, and bowed, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today your servant has known that I have found grace in your eyes, my master, O king, in that the king has done the word of his servant.

23; And Joab rose up and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24; And the king said, Let him turn to his house, and he shall not see my face. And Absalom turned to his house, and he did not see the king's face.

25; And no man was handsome like Absalom in all Israel, to be so greatly praised. From the sole of his foot to his crown, there was not a blemish in him.

26; And when he sheared his head, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king's weight.

27; And three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter. And her name was Tamar; she was a woman of a beautiful form.

28; And Absalom lived in Jerusalem two years, and had not seen the king's face.

29; And Absalom sent to Joab, to send him to the king. But he was not willing to come to him. And he sent again a second time, and he was not willing to come.

30; And he said to his servants, Behold, Joab's allotment is beside mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the allotment on fire.

31; And Joab rose up and came to Absalom, to the house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my allotment on fire?

32; And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, and I will send you to the king to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It was good for me to be there still. And now, let me see the king's face, and if there is guilt in me, then you shall cause me to die.

33; And Joab came to the king and told him. And he called to Absalom; and he came to the king, and bowed to him on his face to the earth before the king. And the king gave a kiss to Absalom.

 

Chapter 15

1; And it happened afterward that Absalom prepared a chariot for himself, and horses, and fifty men running before him.

2; And Absalom rose up and stood by the side of the way of the gate. And it happened that every man who had a cause to come to the king for judgment, Absalom called to him and said, Of what city are you? And he said, Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.

3; And Absalom said to him, Behold, your matters are good and right. And there is no listener to you from the king.

4; And Absalom said, Who shall make me a judge in the land, that every man who has a dispute, I will then declare him right, even with justice?

5; And it happened, when a man drew near to bow himself to him, he put out his hand and laid hold on him, and gave him a kiss.

6; And Absalom acted this way to all Israel who came in to the king for judgment. And Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel.

7; And at the end of forty years (should be 4; years, copyist error), it happened, Absalom said to the king, Please let me go and I shall pay my vow that I have vowed to YAHWEH, in Hebron.

8; For your servant has vowed a vow when I lived in Geshur in Syria, saying, If YAHWEH bringing shall bring me back to Jerusalem, then I shall serve YAHWEH.

9; And the king said to him, Go in peace. And he rose up and went to Hebron.

10; And Absalom sent spies among all the tribes of Israel, saying, When you hear the sound of the ram's horn, then you shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron.

11; And two hundred men went out of Jerusalem with Absalom, invited ones. And they went out in their simplicity and did not know anything.

12; And Absalom sent Ahithophel a Gilonite, a counselor of David, out of his city, out of Giloh, as he offered the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong. And the people were going on and increasing with Absalom.

13; And a messenger came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.

14; And David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Rise up, and we will flee; for we have no escape from the face of Absalom. Hurry to leave, that he not overtake us and bring evil down on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.

15; And the king's servants said to the king, According to all that my master the king desires, behold, your servants will do.

16; And the king went out, and all his household at his feet. And the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house.

17; And the king went out, and all the people at his feet. And they stood still at the house farthest away.

18; And all his servants were passing on by his side, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came at his feet from Gath. These were passing on before the king.

19; And the king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why do you go, even you with us? Turn back and remain with the king, for you are an alien, and also you are an exile. Go to your place.

20; You came in yesterday and today. Should I make you roam with us, to go while I go, where I go? Turn back, and turn your brothers to go with you in kindness and truth.

21; And Ittai replied to the king and said, As YAHWEH lives, and my master the king lives, surely in the place where my master the king is, there your servant shall be, whether for death or for life.

22; And David said to Ittai, Go on and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones with him.

23; And all the land was weeping with a loud voice. And all the people were passing over. And the king was passing over through the torrent Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

24; And, behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of Elohim. And they set the ark of Elohim down. And Abiathar went up until all the people finished passing on out of the city.

25; And the king said to Zadok, Take the ark of Elohim back to the city. If I find grace in the eyes of YAHWEH, then He will bring me back and make me see it and His dwelling place.

26; And if He says this, I have not delighted in you, behold, I am here. He shall do to me as seems good in His eyes.

27; And the king said to Zadok the priest, Are you a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

28; Behold, I will wait in the plain of the wilderness until word comes from you to report to me.

29; And Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of Elohim back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.

30; And David was going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping. And his head was covered, and he was going barefooted. And all the people who were with him each had covered his head, and had gone up, going up and weeping.

31; And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O YAHWEH, I pray You, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolish.

32; And it happened as David had come to the top, there where he bowed to Elohim. And, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him, his tunic torn, and earth on his head.

33; And David said to him, If you pass on with me, then you shall be a burden to me.

34; But if you return to the city, and shall say to Absalom, I also will be your servant, O king; I was servant of your father before now; and now I am also your servant. Then you can break down the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

35; And do you not have there with you Zadok and Abiathar, the priests? And it shall be, you shall declare everything that you hear from the house of the king; you shall report to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests.

36; Behold, there are with them their two sons, Ahimaaz to Zadok, and

Jonathan to Abiathar. And you shall send to me by their hand anything that you hear.

37; And David's friend Hushai came into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.

 

Chapter 16

1; And David had passed on a little from the top. And behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to meet him with a couple of saddled donkeys , and on them two hundred loaves and a hundred bunches of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruit, and a skin of wine.

2; And the king said to Ziba, What are these to you? And Ziba said, The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, and the bread and the summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.

3; And the king said, And where is the son of your master? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give back to me the kingdom of my father.

4; And the king said to Ziba, Behold, all that Mephibosheth has is yours. And Ziba said, I bow myself; may I find favor in your eyes, my master, O king.

5; And King David came to Bahurim. And, behold, a man was coming out from there, of the family of the house of Saul; and his name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, and he came cursing.

6; And he stoned David with stones and all the servants of King David, and all the people, and all the mighty men on his right and on his left.

7; And Shimei said this in his cursing, Go out! Go out, O man of blood, O worthless man!

8; YAHWEH has turned back on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And YAHWEH shall give the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And, behold, you are taken in your evil, for you are a man of blood.

9; And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why does this dead dog curse my master the king? Please let me pass over, and I will take off his head.

10; And the king said, What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? For let him curse, even because YAHWEH has said to him, Curse David. And who shall say, Why have you done so?

11; And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son who came out of my loins is seeking my life, and surely now also the Benjamite. Leave him alone, and let him curse, for YAHWEH has spoken to him.

12; Perhaps YAHWEH will look on my affliction, and YAHWEH will return good to me for his cursing this day.

13; And David went with his men in the highway, and Shimei was going along at the side of the hill across from him. As he went, he cursed, and stoned with stones across from him, and dusted with dust.

14; And the king came in wearied, and all the people with him; and he was refreshed there.

15; And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had come into Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

16; And it happened, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, had come to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Let the king live! Let the king live!

17; And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness with your friend? Why have you not gone with your friend?

18; And Hushai said to Absalom, No, for he whom YAHWEH and this people have chosen, even all the men of Israel, his I shall be, and I shall remain with him.

19; And a second time, Whom should I serve? Should I not serve before the face of his son. As I served before the face of your father, so shall I be before your face.

20; And Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your counsel, what we shall do.

21; And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, those he left to keep the house. And all Israel shall hear that you have become odious with your father. And the hands of all who are with you will be strong.

22; And they spread out a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines before the eyes of all Israel.

23; And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days was as one who had inquired at the Word of the Elohim. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both to David and to Absalom.

 

Chapter 17

1; And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I shall rise up and pursue David tonight.

2; And I shall come on him, and he shall be weary and feeble handed. And I will make him tremble, and the people with him shall flee. And I shall strike the king by himself.

3; And I shall bring all the people back to you when all return, except the man whom you are seeking. All the people shall be in peace.

4; And the thing was pleasing in Absalom's eyes, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

5; And Absalom said, Please call for Hushai the Archite also. And we shall hear what is in his mouth, also he.

6; And Hushai came in to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him, saying, Ahithophel has spoken according to this word. Shall we do this word? If not, you speak.

7; And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel Ahithophel counseled is not good at this time.

8; And Hushai said, You have known your father and his men, that they are mighty men. And they are bitter of soul, like a bear bereaved of cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and shall not stay the night with the people.

9; Behold, now he is hidden in one of the pits, or in one of the places. And it shall be, at the falling among them at the beginning, that whoever hears even shall say, There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.

10; And also he, the son of valor, whose heart is as the heart of the lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those with him sons of valor.

11; So I counsel this: Gathering, let all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude. And you in person shall go into battle.

12; And we shall come in to him, in one of the places, there where he shall be found. And we shall fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of all the men who are with him, not even one shall be left.

13; And if he is taken into a city, then all Israel shall bear ropes to that city. And we shall draw it into the torrent bed, until there shall not be found even a pebble.

14; And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. And YAHWEH had ordained to break down the good counsel of Ahithophel, for the sake of bringing the evil of YAHWEH to Absalom.

15; And Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, Ahithophel has counseled this and this to Absalom and the elders of Israel. And I have counseled this and this.

16; And now send quickly and tell David, saying, Do not stay in the fords of the wilderness tonight. And, also, crossing, pass over, that there not be a swallowing up of the king and of all the people with him.

17; And Jonathan and Ahimaaz were standing at En-Rogel, for they were not able to be seen going into the city. And a slave-girl went and told them. And they went and told it to King David.

18; And a youth saw them, and told Absalom. And they went on, both of them in haste, and came into the house of a man in Bahurim. And he had a well in his court, and they went down there.

19; And the woman took and spread the covering over the well, and spread ground grain on it. And the thing was not known.

20; And the servants of Absalom came in to the woman, to the house, and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They passed over the river of water. And they looked and did not find them. And they returned to Jerusalem.

21; And it happened after they left, they came up out of the well and went and told King David. And they said to David, Rise up and quickly pass over the waters, for Ahithophel has counseled this against you.

22; And David and all the people with him rose up, and they passed over the Jordan until the light of the morning, until there was not one lacking who had not crossed the Jordan.

23; And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not done. And he saddled the donkey and rose up and went to his house, to his city. And he gave command to his household, then hanged himself, and died. And he was buried in the burying place of his father.

24; And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25; And Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. And Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who had gone in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab.

26; And Israel camped with Absalom in the land of Gilead.

27; And it happened as David came into Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite, from Rogelim,

28; brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and roasted grain, and beans, and lentils, and roasted grain,

29; and honey, and curds and sheep, and cheese from the herd, for David, and for the people who were with him to eat. For they said, The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.

 

Chapter 18

1; And David mustered the people who were with him, and he set over them commanders of hundreds.

2; And David sent one third of the people by the hand of Joab, and one third by the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third by Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people. Going out I will go with you, I also.

3; And the people said, You shall not go out, for if we flee they will not set their heart on us even if half of us die; for now you are like ten thousand to us. And now it is good that you be a helper for us from the city.

4; And the king said to them, I will do that which is good in your eyes. And the king stood at the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

5; And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, For my sake deal gently with the young man, with Absalom. And all the people heard as the king commanded the commanders concerning Absalom.

6; And the people went into the field to meet Israel. And the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

7; And the people of Israel were stricken before David's servants. And there was a great destruction on that day of twenty thousand.

8; And the battle was scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured among the people more than the sword had devoured in that day.

9; And Absalom came before David's servants. And Absalom was riding on a mule, and the mule came in under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught hold in the oak, and he was lifted up between the heavens and the earth. And the mule under him passed on.

10; And a man saw and told Joab, and said, Behold! I saw Absalom hanging in the oak;

11; and Joab said to the man who told him, And behold, you have seen. And why did you not strike him to the earth there and call on me to give you ten silver pieces and a girdle?

12; And the man said to Joab, Yes, though I weighed a thousand silver pieces in my hand, I would not put forth my hand to the king's son. For in our ears the king commanded you, and Abishai, and Ittai saying, Take heed, whoever goes against the young man, against Absalom.

13; Or I would have dealt falsely against my soul. For no matter is hidden from the king, and you, you yourself would have set against me.

14; And Joab said, I will not wait this before you. And he took three darts in his hand and struck them into Absalom's heart while he was alive, in the midst of the oak.

15; And they went around, ten young men bearing Joab's weapons, and struck Absalom, and killed him.

16; And Joab blew the ram's horn, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab had held the people back.

17; And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and set up a very great heap of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each one to his tent.

18; And during his lifetime Absalom had taken and set up for himself a standing-pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to cause my name to be remembered. And he called the standing pillar by his name and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

19; And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Please let me run, and I will bear news to the king. For YAHWEH has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.

20; And Joab said to him, You are not a man of tidings today. But you shall bear tidings another day. And today you shall not bear tidings, because the king's son is dead.

21; And Joab said to Cushi, Go, tell the king that which you have seen. And Cushi bowed to Joab, and ran.

22; And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, Yet whatever may be, please let me run after the Cushite, I also. And Joab said, Why is this that you are running, my son? Also for you there are no tidings found.

23; And he said, Yet whatever it may be, let me run. And he said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran the way of the circuit and passed by the Cushite.

24; And David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went to the roof of the gate and lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a man running by himself!

25; And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, If he is by himself, tidings are in his mouth. And he came, coming on, and drawing near.

26; And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, Behold, a man running by himself! And the king said, Also this one is bearing tidings.

27; And the watchman said, I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, This is a good man and he comes with good news.

28; And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, Peace! And he bowed on his face to the earth to the king and said, Blessed be YAHWEH your Elohim who has shut up the men who lifted up their hand against my master the king.

29; And the king said, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And Ahimaaz said, I saw the great tumult, at the sending away of the servant of the king, even your servant sent by Joab, but I do not know what.

30; And the king said, Turn aside, stand here. And he turned aside and stood.

31; And, behold, the Cushite had come. And the Cushite said, News is borne, my master, O king! For YAHWEH has vindicated you today out of the hand of those rising up against you.

32; And the king said to the Cushite, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And the Cushite said, Let them be as the young man, the enemies of my master the king, and all who have risen up against you for evil.

33; And the king trembled. And he went up to the upper room of the gate and wept. And he said this as he went, My son! My son Absalom! My son Absalom! Oh that I had died instead of you, my son Absalom, my son!