2 Samuel 18
18
Absalom Dies in Battle
1Then David mustered the people who were with him, and he appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2David sent forth a third of the troops under the command of Joab,#Literally “in the hand of Joab” and a third under the command of Abishai,#Literally “in the hand of Abishai” the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the remaining third under the command of Ittai#Literally “in the hand of Ittai” the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I, even I, will certainly go out#Literally “going out I will go out” with you.” 3Then the troops said, “You will not go out, for if we must flee,#Literally “fleeing we must flee” then they will not care about us;#Literally “they will not set heart toward us” even if half of us die, they will not care about us,#Literally “they will not set heart toward us” but now, you are like ten thousand of us. And so then, it is better for us that you be in the city to help.” 4The king said to them, “I will do what seems good in your eyes.” So the king stood at the side of the gate while all of the troops went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5The king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “With respect to the young man Absalom, deal gently for me.” And all the troops heard when the king ordered all of the commanders concerning the matter of Absalom.
6The army went out to the field to meet Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7The army of Israel was defeated there before the servants of David, and the defeat there was great on that day: twenty thousand. 8The battle there was spreading over the surface of all the land, and the forest devoured more among the army than#Literally “the forest made numerous to eat among the army more than” the sword did on that day. 9Absalom was found in the presence of the servants of David as he was riding on the mule. The mule went under the thicket of the great oak tree, and his head was caught in the tree. He was left hanging between heaven and earth, and the mule which was under him went on. 10When a certain man saw it, he told Joab, and he said, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in the oak tree!” 11Then Joab said to the man who was telling him, “Look, if you saw, why did you not strike him down to the ground there? I would have gladly given you#Literally “And upon me to give to you” ten pieces of silver and a leather belt.” 12The man said to Joab, “Even if I felt the weight#Literally “I am not weighing out on my palms” of a thousand pieces of silver in my palms, I would not have sent my hand against the son of the king, for in our ears the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Whoever you may be, protect the young man Absalom.’ 13If I had dealt treacherously against his life, and there is not any matter hidden from the king, you would have presented yourself aloof.”#Literally “you would have presented yourself from before” 14Joab said, “No longer will I wait in your presence.” Then he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree. 15Then ten of the young men who bore the weapons of Joab surrounded him and struck and killed Absalom. 16Then Joab blew on the trumpet and the troops returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab kept back the troops. 17They took Absalom and they threw him into the large pit in the forest and raised a very great heap of stones over him. Then all of Israel fled, each to his tent.
18(Now Absalom had taken and set up for himself in his lifetime a stone pillar that is in the valley of the king, because he said, “I have no son in order to remember my name,” and he called the stone pillar by his name. It is called the monument of Absalom until this day). 19Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the good news to the king that Yahweh has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.” 20Joab said to him, “You will not be a man bringing#Literally “for upon” good news this day! You may bring good news on another day, but today you will not be bringing good news because the king’s son is dead.” 21Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen”; then the Cushite bowed down to Joab and ran off. 22Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may,#Literally “And let it happen what” please let me also run after the Cushite.” Joab asked, “Why are you wanting to run, my son, when for you there is no messenger’s reward?”#Literally “and for you there is no good news finding” 23“Come what may,#Literally “And let it happen what” I want to run.” He said to him, “Run,” so Ahimaaz ran on the road on the plain, and he passed the Cushite.
24Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall and he lifted up his eyes and watched, and look, a man was running by himself. 25The sentry called and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, good news is in his mouth.” He kept coming closer.#Literally “And he came, coming and near” 26Then the sentinel saw another man running, so the sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, “Look, a man running alone.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27The sentinel said, “I am seeing that the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zakok.” The king said, “He is a good man; he will come, for good news.” 28Then Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “Peace.” He bowed down to the king with his face to the ground, and he said, “May Yahweh your God be blessed, who has delivered the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29The king said, “Is it peace for the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz said, “I saw the great commotion when Joab the servant of the king sent your servant, but I do not know what it was all about.” 30Then the king said, “Turn aside, take your place here,” so he turned aside and waited. 31Suddenly the Cushite arrived and said, “May my lord the king receive the good news, for Yahweh has vindicated you today from the power of all who stood up against you.” 32The king said to the Cushite, “Is it peace for the young man Absalom?” Then the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you#Literally “for evil” be like the young man!” 33#2 Samuel 18:33–19:43 in the English Bible is 19:1–44 in the Hebrew Bible The king was upset, and he went up to the upper room of the gate and wept. He said as he went, “My son, Absalom, my son, my son, Absalom. If only#Literally “Who would grant my dying in place of you” I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son.”
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2 Samuel 18: LEB
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2 Samuel 18
18
Absalom’s Defeat
1David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of thousands and of hundreds over them. 2He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai of Gath. The king said to the troops, “I must also march out with you.”
3“You must not go!” #2Sm 21:17 the people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth#18:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read because there would now be about ten thousand of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”
4“I will do whatever you think is best,” the king replied to them. So he stood beside the city gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. 5The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
6Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7Israel’s army was defeated by David’s soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day — twenty thousand dead. 8The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword.
Absalom’s Death
9Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David’s soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair.#18:9 Lit was between heaven and earth 10One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed.#18:11 Lit Joab said to the man who told him “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces#18:11 About four ounces of silver and a belt!”
12The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver#18:12 About 25 pounds of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’#18:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read ‘Protect, whoever, the young man Absalom’; Hb obscure#2Sm 18:5 13If I had jeopardized my own#18:13 Alt Hb tradition reads jeopardized his life — and nothing is hidden from the king — you would have abandoned me.”
14Joab said, “I’m not going to waste time with you!” He then took three spears#18:14 Lit rods in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s chest. While Absalom was still alive in the oak tree, 15ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him. 16Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. 17They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him.#Jos 7:24–26; 8:29 And all Israel fled, each to his tent.#1Sm 4:10; 2Sm 19:8; 20:1,22; 2Kg 8:21
18When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up#Gn 28:18; Dt 16:22; 1Sm 15:12; 2Kg 18:4 for himself in the King’s Valley,#Gn 14:17 since he thought, “I have no son#2Sm 14:27 to preserve the memory of my name.” So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.
19Ahimaaz son of Zadok#2Sm 15:36 said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him by freeing him from his enemies.”
20Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren’t taking good news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21Joab then said to a Cushite, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.
22However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”
Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a reward?” #18:22 Or you have no good news?
23“No matter what, I want to run!”
“Then run!” Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.
24David was sitting between the city gates#2Sm 19:8 when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall.#2Sm 13:34; 2Kg 9:17 The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. 25He called out and told the king.
The king said, “If he’s alone, he bears good news.”
As the first runner came closer, 26the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”
“This one is also bringing good news,” said the king.
27The watchman said, “The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs.”#2Kg 9:20
“This is a good man; he comes with good news,”#1Kg 1:42 the king commented.
28Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well,” and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”
29The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”
30The king said, “Move aside and stand here.” So he stood to one side.
31Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!”
32The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”
The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”#1Sm 25:26
33The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” #2Sm 19:4
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