2 Samuel 18
18
David Gets Ready for Battle
1David counted his men and chose captains over 1000 and captains over 100 to lead them. 2He separated the people into three groups and sent them out. Joab led a third of the men. Joab’s brother, Abishai son of Zeruiah, led another third. And Ittai from Gath led the last third.
King David said to the people, “I will also go with you.”
3But they said, “No! You must not go with us. If we run away in the battle, Absalom’s men will not care. No, even if only half of us are killed, Absalom’s men will not care. But you are worth 10,000 of us! It is better for you to stay in the city. Then, if we need help, you can come to help us.”
4The king said to them, “I will do what you think is best.”
Then the king stood by the gate as the army went out in groups of 100 and 1000.
5The king gave a command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. He said, “Do this for me: Be gentle with young Absalom!” Everyone heard the king’s orders about Absalom to the captains.
David’s Army Defeats Absalom’s Army
6David’s army went out into the field against Absalom’s Israelites. They fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7David’s army defeated the Israelites. It was a great defeat because 20,000 men were killed that day. 8The battle spread throughout the country, but more men died in the forest than by the sword.
9It so happened that David’s officers found Absalom. Absalom jumped on his mule and tried to escape, but the mule went under the branches of a large oak tree. The branches were thick, and Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. His mule ran out from under him, so Absalom was left hanging above the ground.#18:9 above the ground Literally, “between heaven and earth.”
10Someone saw this happen and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”
11Joab said to the man, “Why didn’t you kill him and let him fall to the ground? I would have given you a belt and ten pieces of silver!”
12The man said to Joab, “I would not try to hurt the king’s son even if you gave me 1000 pieces of silver. We heard the king’s command to you, Abishai, and Ittai. The king said, ‘Be careful not to hurt young Absalom.’ 13If I had killed Absalom, the king himself would find out, and you would punish me.#18:13 you would punish me Or “you would have opposed me.””
14Joab said, “I will not waste my time here with you!”
Absalom was still alive and hanging in the oak tree. Joab took three sticks in his hand and hit him in the heart. 15Ten of Joab’s young helpers gathered around Absalom and killed him.
16Joab blew the trumpet and called the people to stop chasing Israelites. 17Then Joab’s men took Absalom’s body and threw it into a large hole in the forest and covered it with stones.
All the Israelites ran away and went home.
18While Absalom was alive he put up a memorial stone in King’s Valley. He said, “I have no son to keep my name alive.” So he named that monument after himself. It is called “Absalom’s Monument” even today.
Joab Sends the News to David
19Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said to Joab, “May I run and take the news to King David? I’ll tell him the Lord has destroyed the enemy for him.”
20Joab answered Ahimaaz, “No, you will not carry the message today. You can do it some other time, but not today because it is the king’s son who is dead.”
21Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.”
So the Ethiopian bowed to Joab and ran to tell David.
22But Ahimaaz son of Zadok begged Joab again, “No matter what happens, please let me also run after the Ethiopian!”
Joab said, “Son, why do you want to carry the news? You will not get any reward for the news you bring.”
23Ahimaaz answered, “No matter what happens, I will run to David.”
Joab said to Ahimaaz, “All right, run to David!”
Then Ahimaaz ran through Jordan Valley and passed the Ethiopian.
David Hears the News
24David was sitting between the two gates of the city. The watchman went up to the roof over the gate walls and saw a man running alone. 25The watchman shouted to tell King David.
King David said, “If the man is alone, he is bringing news.”
The man came closer and closer to the city. 26But then the watchman saw another man running. He called to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone.”
The king said, “He is also bringing news.”
27The watchman said, “I think the first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
The king said, “Ahimaaz is a good man, he must be bringing good news.”
28Ahimaaz called to the king, “All is well!” Ahimaaz bowed with his face to the ground in front of the king and said, “Praise the Lord your God! The Lord has defeated the men who were against you, my lord and king.”
29The king asked, “Is young Absalom all right?”
Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent me, I saw some great excitement, but I don’t know what it was.”
30Then the king said, “Step over here and wait.” Ahimaaz went there and stood waiting.
31The Ethiopian arrived and said, “News for my lord and king. Today the Lord has punished all those who were against you!”
32The king asked the Ethiopian, “Is young Absalom all right?”
The Ethiopian answered, “May your enemies, or whoever tries to hurt you, suffer the same as this young man did.”
33So the king knew Absalom was dead and he became very upset. He went upstairs to the room over the gate, crying, “O my son Absalom! My son Absalom, I wish I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
2 Samuel 18
18
David Defeats Absalom
1David called together the troops that were with him. He appointed commanders in charge of regiments and battalions. 2David put a third of the troops under Joab’s command, another third under Joab’s brother Abishai (Zeruiah’s son), and the last third under Ittai from Gath.
“I am going ⌞into battle⌟ with you,” the king said to the troops.
3“You’re not going ⌞with us⌟,” the troops said. “If we flee, they won’t care about us, and if half of us die, they won’t care either. But you’re worth 10,000 of us. It’s better for you to be ready to send us help from the city.”
4“I’ll do what you think best,” the king responded. So the king stood by the gate while all the troops marched out by battalions and regiments.
5The king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the troops heard him give all the commanders this order regarding Absalom.
6So the troops went out to the country to fight Israel in the forest of Ephraim. 7There David’s men defeated Israel’s army, and the massacre was sizable that day—20,000 men. 8The fighting spread over the whole country. That day the woods devoured more people than the battle.
9Absalom happened to come face to face with some of David’s men. He was riding on a mule, and the mule went under the tangled branches of a large tree. Absalom’s head became caught in the tree. So he was left hanging #18:9 Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek, Latin, Syriac; Masoretic Text “he was put.” in midair when the mule that was under him ran away. 10A man who saw this told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.”
11“What! You saw that!” Joab said to the man who told him. “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground? Then I would have felt obligated to give you four ounces of silver and a belt.”
12But the man told Joab, “Even if I felt the weight of 25 pounds of silver in my hand, I wouldn’t raise my hand against the king’s son. We heard the order the king gave you, Abishai, and Ittai: ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ #18:12 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Greek, Syriac, Targum, Latin; meaning of other Hebrew manuscripts uncertain. 13If I had done something treacherous to him, would you have stood by me? Like everything else, it wouldn’t stay hidden from the king.”
14Then Joab said, “I shouldn’t waste time with you like this.” He took three sharp sticks and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the tree. 15Then ten of Joab’s armorbearers surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.
16Joab blew the ram’s horn to stop their ⌞fighting⌟, and the troops returned from pursuing Israel. 17They took Absalom, threw him into a huge pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. Meanwhile, all Israel fled and went back to their homes.
18(⌞While he was still living,⌟ Absalom had taken a rock and set it up for himself in the king’s valley. He said, “I have no son to keep the memory of my name alive.” He called the rock by his name, and it is still called Absalom’s Monument today.)
19Then Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, said, “Let me run and bring the king the good news that the Lord has freed him from his enemies.”
20But Joab told him, “You won’t be the man carrying good news today. You can carry the news some other day. You must not deliver the news today because the king’s son is dead.” 21Then Joab said to a man from Sudan, “Go, tell the king what you saw.” The messenger bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of Joab and then ran off.
22Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, spoke to Joab again, “Whatever may happen, I also want to run after the Sudanese messenger.”
“Now, son, why should you deliver the message?” Joab asked. “You won’t be rewarded for this news.”
23“Whatever happens, I’d like to run,” ⌞replied Ahimaaz.⌟
“Run,” Joab told him. So Ahimaaz ran along the valley road and got ahead of the Sudanese messenger.
24David was sitting between the two gates while the watchman walked along the roof of the gate by the wall. As he looked, he saw a man running alone. 25The watchman called and alerted the king.
“If he’s alone,” the king said, “he has good news to tell.” The runner continued to come closer.
26When the watchman saw another man running, the watchman called, “There’s ⌞another⌟ man running alone.”
The king said, “This one is also bringing good news.”
27The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son.”
“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He must be coming with good news.”
28Then Ahimaaz came up to the king, greeted him, and bowed down in front of him. Ahimaaz said, “May the Lord your God be praised. He has handed over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty.”
29“Is the young man Absalom alright?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw a lot of confusion when Joab sent me away, but I didn’t know what it meant.”
30“Step aside, and stand here,” the king said. He stepped aside and stood there.
31Then the Sudanese messenger came. “Good news for Your Majesty!” he said. “Today the Lord has freed you from all who turned against you.”
32“Is the young man Absalom alright?” the king asked.
The Sudanese messenger answered, “May your enemies and all who turned against you be like that young man!” #18:32 2 Samuel 18:33 in English Bibles is 2 Samuel 19:1 in the Hebrew Bible.
33The king was shaken ⌞by the news⌟. He went to the room above the gate and cried. “My son Absalom!” he said as he went. “My son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”
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