2 Samuel 14-15
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 14
1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was drawn toward Absalom. 2So Joab sent a messenger to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there, and said to her, 'Please follow mourning rites, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for many days. 3Then go to the king and speak to him in this way.' So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4Now when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, 'Help, O king!'
5And the king said to her, 'What is troubling you?' And she answered, 'Truly I am a widow, for my husband is dead.
6And your servant had two sons, but the two of them fought in the field, and there was no one to save them from each other, so one struck the other and killed him.
7Now behold, the entire family has risen against your servant, and they have said, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and eliminate the heir as well.’ So they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.'
8Then the king said to the woman, 'Go to your home, and I will issue orders concerning you.'
9The woman of Tekoa said to the king, 'My lord, the king, the guilt is on me and my father’s house, but the king and his throne are guiltless.'
10So the king said, 'Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.'
11Then she said, 'May the king please remember the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son.' And he said, 'As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.'
12Then the woman said, 'Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.' And he said, 'Speak.'
13The woman said, 'Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
14For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. Yet God does not take away life, but makes plans so that the banished one will not be cast out from Him.
15Now then, the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your servant said, ‘Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his slave.
16For the king will listen, to save his slave from the hand of the man who would eliminate both me and my son from the inheritance of God.’
17Then your servant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’?'
18Then the king answered and said to the woman, 'Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you.' And the woman said, 'Let my lord the king please speak.'
19So the king said, 'Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?' And the woman replied, 'As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
20In order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is on the earth.'
21Then the king said to Joab, 'Behold now, I will certainly do this thing; go then, bring back the young man Absalom.'
22And Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself, and blessed the king; then Joab said, 'Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant.'
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24However, the king said, 'He shall return to his own house, but he shall not see my face.' So Absalom returned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.
25Now in all Israel there was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no impairment in him.
26And when he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, because it was heavy on him, so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
27And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.
28Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, yet he did not see the king’s face.
29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent word again a second time, but he would not come.
30Therefore he said to his servants, 'See, Joab’s plot is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.' So Absalom’s servants set the plot on fire.
31Then Joab got up, came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, 'Why have your servants set my plot on fire?'
32Absalom answered Joab, 'Behold, I sent for you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, 'Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there.'?’ Now then, let me see the king’s face, and if there is guilt in me, he can have me executed.'
33So when Joab came to the king and told him, he summoned Absalom. Then Absalom came to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.
Chapter 15
1Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. 2And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road to the gate; and when any man who had a lawsuit was to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out to him and say, 'From what city are you?' And he would say, 'Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.' 3Then Absalom would say to him, 'See, your claims are good and right, but you have no one to listen to you on the part of the king.' 4Moreover, Absalom would say, 'Oh that someone would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has a lawsuit or claim could come to me, and I would give him justice!' 5And whenever a man approached to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6Absalom dealt this way with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
7Now it came about at the end of four years that Absalom said to the king, 'Please let me go and pay my vow which I have made to the Lord, in Hebron.
8For your servant made a vow while I was living in Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’?'
9The king said to him, 'Go in peace.' So he got up and went to Hebron.
10But Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel, saying, 'As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’?'
11Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, for they did not know anything.
12And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people continually increased with Absalom.
13Then a messenger came to David, saying, 'The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.'
14So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, 'Arise and let’s flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go quickly, or he will hurry and overtake us, and bring disaster on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.'
15Then the king’s servants said to the king, 'Behold, your servants will do whatever my lord the king chooses.'
16So the king left, and all his household with him; but the king left ten concubines behind to take care of the house.
17The king left, and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house.
18Now all of his servants passed by beside him, and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed by before the king.
19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, 'Why should you go with us too? Return and stay with your king, since you are a foreigner and an exile as well; return to your own place.
20You came only yesterday, so should I make you wander with us today, while I go wherever I go? Return and take your brothers back; mercy and truth be with you.'
21But Ittai answered the king and said, 'As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there assuredly shall your servant be!'
22Then David said to Ittai, 'Go and cross over the brook Kidron.' So Ittai the Gittite crossed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
23While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people were crossing over. The king was also crossing over the brook Kidron, and all the people were crossing over toward the way of the wilderness.
24Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.
25And the king said to Zadok, 'Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back and show me both it and His habitation.
26But if He says this: ‘I have no delight in you,’ then here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.'
27The king also said to Zadok the priest, 'Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28See, I am going to wait at the river crossing places of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.'
29So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.
30And David was going up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, and his head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his own head, and they were going up, weeping as they went.
31Now someone informed David, saying, 'Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.' And David said, 'Lord, please make the advice of Ahithophel foolish.'
32It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn, and dust on his head.
33And David said to him, 'If you go over with me, then you will become a burden to me.
34But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; even as I was your father’s servant in time past, so now I will also be your servant,’ then you can foil the advice of Ahithophel for me.
35Are Zadok and Abiathar the priests not with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36Behold their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear.'
37So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
King James Version
Chapter 14
1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom. 2And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: 3And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4And when the woman of Tekoah spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.
6And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
7And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.
8And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.
10And the king said, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
11Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.
12Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
13And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.
14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
15Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.
16For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
17Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee.
18Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
19And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
20To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.
21And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
22And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, Today thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.
25But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it: ) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
27And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
28So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
31Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?
32And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me.
Chapter 15
1And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. 3And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. 4Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
5And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.
6And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.
8For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.
9And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.
10But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.
11And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing.
12And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
13And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
14And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
15And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.
16And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house.
17And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.
18And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
19Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.
20Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.
21And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.
22And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.
23And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.
24And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.
25And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation:
26But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.
27The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.
29Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.
30And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
31And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
32And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshiped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head:
33Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
34But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
35And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 14
1Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king’s mind was on Absalom. 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, "Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don’t put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3Go to the king and speak these words to him." Then Joab told her exactly what to say.
5"What’s the matter?" the king asked her. "Sadly, I am a widow; my husband died," she said.
6"Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth."
13The woman asked, "Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one.
14We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished.
15"Now therefore, I’ve come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant’s request.
16The king will surely listen in order to keep his servant from the grasp of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God’s inheritance.
17Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the Lord your God be with you."
19The king asked, "Did Joab put you up to all this?" The woman answered. "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say.
20Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing everything on earth."
23So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24However, the king added, "He may return to his house, but he may not see my face." So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king.
25No man in all Israel was as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.
26When he shaved his head—he shaved it at the end of every year because his hair got so heavy for him that he had to shave it off—he would weigh the hair from his head and it would be five pounds according to the royal standard.
27Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman.
28Absalom resided in Jerusalem two years but never saw the king.
29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come to him. So he sent again, a second time, but he still would not come.
30Then Absalom said to his servants, "See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set fire to it!" So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
Chapter 15
1After this, Absalom got himself a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for settlement, Absalom called out to him and asked, "What city are you from?" If he replied, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel," 3Absalom said to him, "Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have anyone to listen to you." 4He added, "If only someone would appoint me judge in the land. Then anyone who had a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would make sure he received justice." 5When a person approached to pay homage to him, Absalom reached out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him. 6Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for a settlement. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7When four years had passed, Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.
8For your servant made a vow when I lived in Geshur of Aram, saying: If the Lord really brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron."
11Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they did not know the whole situation.
12While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for David’s adviser Ahithophel the Gilonite, from his city of Giloh. So the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase.
15The king’s servants said to the king, "Whatever my lord the king decides, we are your servants."
16Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.
17So the king set out, and all the people followed him. They stopped at the last house
18while all his servants marched past him. Then all the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the people of Gath—six hundred men who came with him from there —marched past the king.
19The king said to Ittai of Gath, "Why are you also going with us? Go back and stay with the new king since you’re both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.
20Besides, you only arrived yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I go wherever I can? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness."
22"March on," David replied to Ittai. So Ittai of Gath marched past with all his men and the dependents who were with him.
23Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly while all the people were marching out of the city. As the king was crossing the Kidron Valley, all the people were marching past on the road that leads to the wilderness.
24Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until the people had finished marching past.
25Then the king instructed Zadok, "Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor with the Lord, he will bring me back and allow me to see both it and its dwelling place.
26However, if he should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am—he can do with me whatever pleases him."
27The king also said to the priest Zadok, "Look, return to the city in peace and your two sons with you: your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan.
28Remember, I’ll wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."
29So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there.
32When David came to the summit where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
33David said to him, "If you go away with me, you’ll be a burden to me,
34but if you return to the city and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, Your Majesty! Previously, I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant,’ then you can counteract Ahithophel’s counsel for me.
35Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Report everything you hear from the palace to the priests Zadok and Abiathar.
36Take note: their two sons are there with them—Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. Send them to tell me everything you hear."
37So Hushai, David’s personal adviser, entered Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.
New Living Translation
Chapter 14
1Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom. 2So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, 'Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.' Then Joab told her what to say.
5What’s the trouble?' the king asked. 'Alas, I am a widow!' she replied. 'My husband is dead.
6My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed.
7Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.'
13She replied, 'Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.
14All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.
15I have come to plead with my lord the king because people have threatened me. I said to myself, ‘Perhaps the king will listen to me
16and rescue us from those who would cut us off from the inheritance God has given us.
17Yes, my lord the king will give us peace of mind again.’ I know that you are like an angel of God in discerning good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you.'
19Did Joab put you up to this?' And the woman replied, 'My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.
20He did it to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you understand everything that happens among us!'
23Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24But the king gave this order: 'Absalom may go to his own house, but he must never come into my presence.' So Absalom did not see the king.
25Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.
26He cut his hair only once a year, and then only because it was so heavy. When he weighed it out, it came to five pounds!
27He had three sons and one daughter. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she was very beautiful.
28Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never got to see the king.
29Then Absalom sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but again Joab refused to come.
30So Absalom said to his servants, 'Go and set fire to Joab’s barley field, the field next to mine.' So they set his field on fire, as Absalom had commanded.
31Then Joab came to Absalom at his house and demanded, 'Why did your servants set my field on fire?'
Chapter 15
1After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him. 2He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe. 3Then Absalom would say, 'You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it. 4I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!'
5When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them.
6Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.
7After four years, Absalom said to the king, 'Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and fulfill a vow I made to him.
8For while your servant was at Geshur in Aram, I promised to sacrifice to the Lord in Hebron if he would bring me back to Jerusalem.'
9All right,' the king told him. 'Go and fulfill your vow.' So Absalom went to Hebron.
10But while he was there, he sent secret messengers to all the tribes of Israel to stir up a rebellion against the king. 'As soon as you hear the ram’s horn,' his message read, 'you are to say, ‘Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron.’'
11He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions.
12While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors who lived in Giloh. Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum.
16So the king and all his household set out at once. He left no one behind except ten of his concubines to look after the palace.
17The king and all his people set out on foot, pausing at the last house
18to let all the king’s men move past to lead the way. There were 600 men from Gath who had come with David, along with the king’s bodyguard.
19Then the king turned and said to Ittai, a leader of the men from Gath, 'Why are you coming with us? Go on back to King Absalom, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile.
20You arrived only recently, and should I force you today to wander with us? I don’t even know where we will go. Go on back and take your kinsmen with you, and may the Lord show you his unfailing love and faithfulness. '
25Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. 'If the Lord sees fit,' David said, 'he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again.
26But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.'
27The king also told Zadok the priest, 'Look, here is my plan. You and Abiathar should return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan.
28I will stop at the shallows of the Jordan River and wait there for a report from you.'
29So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to the city and stayed there.
30David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.
31When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, 'O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!'
32When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning.
33But David told him, 'If you go with me, you will only be a burden.
34Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, ‘I will now be your adviser, O king, just as I was your father’s adviser in the past.’ Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel’s advice.
35Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there. Tell them about the plans being made in the king’s palace,
36and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.'
English Standard Version
Chapter 14
1Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king 's heart went out to Absalom. 2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, "Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3Go to the king and speak thus to him." So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, "Save me, O king."
5And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
7And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth."
8Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."
9And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father 's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless."
10The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again."
11Then she said, "Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed." He said, "As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."
12Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak."
13And the woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
14We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
15Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
16For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’
17And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!"
18Then the king answered the woman, "Do not hide from me anything I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak."
19The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
20In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth."
21Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom."
22And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant."
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24And the king said, "Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence." So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king 's presence.
25Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king 's weight.
27There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
28So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king 's presence.
29Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.
30Then he said to his servants, "See, Joab 's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Absalom 's servants set the field on fire.
31Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"
32Absalom answered Joab, "Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still." Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’"
33Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
Chapter 15
1After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And when he said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel," 3Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you." 4Then Absalom would say, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice." 5And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.
8For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’"
9The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron.
10But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’"
11With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
12And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David 's counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
13And a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom."
14Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."
15And the king 's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides."
16So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
17And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.
18And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home.
20You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you."
21But Ittai answered the king, "As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be."
22And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
23And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
24And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.
25Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
26But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him."
27The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."
29So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
30But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
31And it was told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."
32While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
33David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
34But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father 's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
35Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king 's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok 's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar 's son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear."
37So Hushai, David 's friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
New International Version
Chapter 14
1Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. 2So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don’t use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. 3Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth.
5The king asked her, "What is troubling you?" She said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead.
6I your servant had two sons. They got into a fight with each other in the field, and no one was there to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.
7Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant; they say, ‘Hand over the one who struck his brother down, so that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed; then we will get rid of the heir as well.’ They would put out the only burning coal I have left, leaving my husband neither name nor descendant on the face of the earth."
13The woman said, "Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?
14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
15"And now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; perhaps he will grant his servant’s request.
16Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
19The king asked, "Isn’t the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything my lord the king says. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.
20Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land."
23Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.
24But the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face." So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
25In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him.
26Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.
28Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face.
29Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So he sent a second time, but he refused to come.
30Then he said to his servants, "Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
Chapter 15
1In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, "What town are you from?" He would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." 3Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you." 4And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice."
5Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him.
6Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
7At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.
8While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron. ’ "
10Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’ "
11Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter.
12While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.
16The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace.
17So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city.
18All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
19The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.
20You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness."
25Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again.
26But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."
27The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons.
28I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."
29So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.
31Now David had been told, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness."
32When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head.
33David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me.
34But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’ then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel’s advice.
35Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.
36Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear."
New King James Version
Chapter 14
1So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom. 2And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
5Then the king said to her, “What troubles you?” And she answered, “Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead.
6Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.
7And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”
13So the woman said: “Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.
14For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.
15Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant.
16For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.’
17Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
19So the king said, “ Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “ As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.
20To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth.”
22Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.”
23So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24And the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face.” So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king’s face.
25Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
26And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s standard.
27To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.
28And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king’s face.
29Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come.
30So he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
Chapter 15
1After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, “What city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.” 3Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.” 4Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.” 5And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. 6In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7Now it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord.
8For your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If the Lord indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’ ”
10Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’ ”
11And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything.
12Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city—from Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number.
15And the king’s servants said to the king, “We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.”
16Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house.
17And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts.
18Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.
19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place.
20In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you.”
22So David said to Ittai, “Go, and cross over.” Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over.
23And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.
24There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.
25Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place.
26But if He says thus: ‘I have no delight in you,’ here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.”
27The king also said to Zadok the priest, “ Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28See, I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
29Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.
30So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up.
31Then someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
32Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
33David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become a burden to me.
34But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.
35And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear.”