²And he defeated Moab, and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground; two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute. ³David also defeated Hadade'zer the son of Re'hob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. ⁴And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for a hundred chariots. ⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadade'zer king of Zobah, David slew twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Ar'am of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷And David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadade'zer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸And from Betah and from Bero'thai, cities of Hadade'zer, King David took very much bronze.

⁹When To'i king of Ha'math heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadade'zer, ¹⁰To'i sent his son Jo'ram to King David, to greet him, and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadade'zer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze; ¹¹these also King David dedicated to the LORD, together with the silver and gold which he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, ¹²from E'dom, Moab, the Am'monites, the Philis'tines, Am'alek, and from the spoil of Hadade'zer the son of Re'hob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David won a name for himself. When he returned, he slew eighteen thousand E'domites^w in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴And he put garrisons in E'dom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the E'domites became David’s servants. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and equity to all his people. ¹⁶And Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah was over the army; and Jehosh'aphat the son of Ahi'lud was recorder; ¹⁷and Zad'ok the son of Ahi'tub and Ahim'elech the son of Abi'athar were priests; and Serai'ah was secretary; ¹⁸and Bena'iah the son of Jehoi'ada was over^x the Cher'ethites and the Pel'ethites; and David’s sons were priests.

⁹Then the king called Zi'ba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s son. ¹⁰And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephib'osheth your master’s son shall always eat at my table.” Now Zi'ba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹Then Zi'ba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephib'osheth ate at David’s^y table, like one of the king’s sons. ¹²And Mephib'osheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who dwelt in Zi'ba’s house became Mephib'osheth’s servants. ¹³So Mephib'osheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

⁶When the Am'monites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-re'hob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Ma'acah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. ⁷And when David heard of it, he sent Jo'ab and all the host of the mighty men. ⁸And the Am'monites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate; and the Syrians of Zobah and of Re'hob, and the men of Tob and Ma'acah, were by themselves in the open country.

⁹When Jo'ab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Syrians; ¹⁰the rest of his men he put in the charge of Abi'shai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Am'monites. ¹¹And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Am'monites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ¹²Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” ¹³So Jo'ab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians; and they fled before him. ¹⁴And when the Am'monites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abi'shai, and entered the city. Then Jo'ab returned from fighting against the Ammonites, and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶And Hadade'zer sent, and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphra'tes;^z and they came to He'lam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. ¹⁷And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and crossed the Jordan, and came to He'lam. And the Syrians arrayed themselves against David, and fought with him. ¹⁸And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. ¹⁹And when all the kings who were servants of Hadade'zer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel, and became subject to them. So the Syrians feared to help the Am'monites any more.

²It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. ³And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathshe'ba, the daughter of Eli'am, the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite?” ⁴So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. ⁵And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am with child.”

⁶So David sent word to Jo'ab, “Send me Uri'ah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷When Uri'ah came to him, David asked how Jo'ab was doing, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. ⁸Then David said to Uri'ah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. ⁹But Uri'ah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰When they told David, “Uri'ah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹Uri'ah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths; and my lord Jo'ab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?* As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” ¹²Then David said to Uri'ah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day, and the next. ¹³And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Jo'ab, and sent it by the hand of Uri'ah. ¹⁵In the letter he wrote, “Set Uri'ah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” ¹⁶And as Jo'ab was besieging the city, he assigned Uri'ah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷And the men of the city came out and fought with Jo'ab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uri'ah the Hittite was slain also. ¹⁸Then Jo'ab sent and told David all the news about the fighting; ¹⁹and he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, ²⁰then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹Who killed Abim'elech the son of Jerub'besheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at The'bez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uri'ah the Hittite is dead also.’”

²²So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Jo'ab had sent him to tell. ²³The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us, and came out against us in the field; but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall; some of the king’s servants are dead; and your servant Uri'ah the Hittite is dead also.” ²⁵David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Jo'ab, ‘Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another; strengthen your attack upon the city, and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

²⁶When the wife of Uri'ah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband. ²⁷And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

⁷Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul; ⁸and I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. ⁹Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uri'ah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have slain him with the sword of the Am'monites. ¹⁰Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uri'ah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹²For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.’” ¹³David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD,^a the child that is born to you shall die.” ¹⁵Then Nathan went to his house.

And the LORD struck the child that Uri'ah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick. ¹⁶David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground. ¹⁷And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” ¹⁹But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” ²⁰Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. ²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” ²²He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ ²³But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴Then David comforted his wife, Bathshe'ba, and went in to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him, ²⁵and sent a message by Nathan the prophet; so he called his name Jedidi'ah,^b because of the LORD.

²⁶Now Jo'ab fought against Rabbah of the Am'monites, and took the royal city. ²⁷And Jo'ab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. ²⁸Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and it be called by my name.” ²⁹So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it. ³⁰And he took the crown of their king^c from his head; the weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount. ³¹And he brought forth the people who were in it, and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them toil at^d the brick-kilns; and thus he did to all the cities of the Am'monites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

⁷Then David sent home to Ta'mar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” ⁸So Ta'mar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. ⁹And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out every one from me.” So every one went out from him. ¹⁰Then Amnon said to Ta'mar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹²She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this wanton folly. ¹³As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the wanton fools in Israel. Now therefore, I beg you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴But he would not listen to her; and being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone.” ¹⁶But she said to him, “No, my brother; for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other which you did to me.”^e But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for thus were the virgin daughters of the king clad of old.^f So his servant put her out, and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Ta'mar put ashes on her head, and tore the long robe which she wore; and she laid her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰And her brother Ab'salom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Ta'mar dwelt, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. ²¹When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. ²²But Ab'salom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Ta'mar.

²³After two full years Ab'salom had sheepshearers at Ba'al-ha'zor, which is near E'phraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴And Ab'salom came to the king, and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” ²⁵But the king said to Ab'salom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. ²⁶Then Ab'salom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Ab'salom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. ²⁸Then Ab'salom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” ²⁹So the servants of Ab'salom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were on the way, tidings came to David, “Ab'salom has slain all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” ³¹Then the king arose, and tore his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. ³²But Jon'adab the son of Shim'e-ah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead, for by the command of Ab'salom this has been determined from the day he forced his sister Ta'mar. ³³Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon alone is dead.”

³⁴But Ab'salom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the Horona'im road^g by the side of the mountain. ³⁵And Jon'adab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” ³⁶And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.

³⁷But Ab'salom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammi'hud, king of Ge'shur. And David mourned for his son day after day. ³⁸So Ab'salom fled, and went to Ge'shur, and was there three years. ³⁹And the spirit^h of the king longed to go forth to Ab'salom; for he was comforted about Amnon, seeing he was dead.

⁴When the woman of Teko'a came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, “Help, 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 handmaid had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field; there was no one to part them, and one struck the other and killed him. ⁷And now the whole family has risen against your handmaid, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew’; and so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal which is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant upon 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 Teko'a 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 any one 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 slay 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 handmaid 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 spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; but God will not take away the life of him who devisesⁱ means not to keep his banished one an outcast. ¹⁵Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid; and your handmaid 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 handmaid 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 Jo'ab 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 bade me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid. ²⁰In order to change the course of affairs your servant Jo'ab 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 Jo'ab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Ab'salom.” ²²And Jo'ab fell on his face to the ground, and did obeisance, 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 Jo'ab arose and went to Ge'shur, and brought Ab'salom to Jerusalem. ²⁴And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Ab'salom dwelt 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 beauty as Ab'salom; 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 Ab'salom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Ta'mar; she was a beautiful woman.

²⁸So Ab'salom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. ²⁹Then Ab'salom sent for Jo'ab, 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, Jo'ab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Ab'salom’s servants set the field on fire. ³¹Then Jo'ab arose and went to Ab'salom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” ³²Ab'salom answered Jo'ab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Ge'shur? 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 kill me.’” ³³Then Jo'ab went to the king, and told him; and he summoned Ab'salom. So he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

⁷And at the end of four^j years Ab'salom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in He'bron. ⁸For your servant vowed a vow while I dwelt at Ge'shur in Ar'am, 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 He'bron. ¹⁰But Ab'salom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Ab'salom is king at He'bron!’” ¹¹With Ab'salom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their simplicity, and knew nothing. ¹²And while Ab'salom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for^k Ahith'ophel the Gi'lonite, David’s counselor, from his city Gi'loh. 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 Ab'salom.” 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 Ab'salom; go in haste, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon 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 forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. ¹⁷And the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they halted at the last house. ¹⁸And all his servants passed by him; and all the Cher'ethites, and all the Pel'ethites, 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^l your home. ²⁰You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, seeing I go I know not where? Go back, and take your brethren with you; and may the LORD show^m mercy 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 country 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 Abi'athar came up, and behold, Za'dok 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 Za'dok, “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 habitation; 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 Za'dok the priest, “Look,ⁿ go back to the city in peace, you and Abi'athar,^o with your two sons, Ahim'a-az 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 Za'dok and Abi'athar 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, “Ahith'ophel is among the conspirators with Ab'salom.” And David said, “O LORD, I pray you, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

³²When David came to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hu'shai the Ar'chite came to meet him with his coat torn and earth upon 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 Ab'salom, ‘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 Ahith'ophel. ³⁵Are not Za'dok and Abi'athar 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, Ahim'a-az, Za'dok’s son, and Jonathan, Abi'athar’s son; and by them you shall send to me everything you hear.” ³⁷So Hu'shai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Ab'salom was entering Jerusalem.

⁵When King David came to Bahu'rim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shim'e-i, the son of Gera; and as he came he cursed continually. ⁶And he threw stones at David, and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷And Shim'e-i said as he cursed, “Begone, begone, you man of blood, you worthless fellow! ⁸The LORD has avenged upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Ab'salom. See, your ruin is on you; for you are a man of blood.”

⁹Then Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” ¹⁰But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeru'iah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹And David said to Abi'shai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD has bidden him. ¹²It may be that the LORD will look upon my affliction,^p and that the LORD will repay me with good for this cursing of me today.” ¹³So David and his men went on the road, while Shim'e-i went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him and flung dust. ¹⁴And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan;^q and there he refreshed himself.

¹⁵Now Ab'salom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahith'ophel with him. ¹⁶And when Hu'shai the Ar'chite, David’s friend, came to Ab'salom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷And Ab'salom said to Hu'shai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸And Hu'shai said to Ab'salom, “No; for whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

²⁰Then Ab'salom said to Ahith'ophel, “Give your counsel; what shall we do?” ²¹Ahith'ophel said to Ab'salom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²²So they pitched a tent for Ab'salom upon the roof; and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.* ²³Now in those days the counsel which Ahith'ophel gave was as if one consulted the oracle^r of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Ab'salom.

⁵Then Ab'salom said, “Call Hu'shai the Ar'chite also, and let us hear what he has to say.” ⁶And when Hu'shai came to Ab'salom, Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahith'ophel spoken; shall we do as he advises? If not, you speak.” ⁷Then Hu'shai said to Ab'salom, “This time the counsel which Ahith'ophel has given is not good.” ⁸Hu'shai said moreover, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people. ⁹Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits, or in some other place. And when some of the people fall^t at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Ab'salom.’ ¹⁰Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Be'er-she'ba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹²So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and all the men with him not one will be left. ¹³If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” ¹⁴And Ab'salom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hu'shai the Ar'chite is better than the counsel of Ahith'ophel.” For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring evil upon Ab'salom.

¹⁵Then Hu'shai said to Za'dok and Abi'athar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahith'ophel counsel Ab'salom and the elders of Israel; and thus and so have I counseled. ¹⁶Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over; lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” ¹⁷Now Jonathan and Ahim'a-az were waiting at En-ro'gel; a maidservant used to go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David; for they must not be seen entering the city. ¹⁸But a lad saw them, and told Ab'salom; so both of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man at Bahu'rim, who had a well in his courtyard; and they went down into it. ¹⁹And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and scattered grain upon it; and nothing was known of it. ²⁰When Ab'salom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahim'a-az and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook^u of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, “Arise, and go quickly over the water; for thus and so has Ahith'ophel counseled against you.” ²²Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan; by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³When Ahith'ophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, and went off home to his own city. And he set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.

²⁴Then David came to Ma''hana'im. And Ab'salom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. ²⁵Now Ab'salom had set Ama'sa over the army instead of Jo'ab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ish'maelite,^v who had married Ab'igail the daughter of Na'hash, sister of Zeru'iah, Jo'ab’s mother. ²⁶And Israel and Ab'salom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷When David came to Ma''hana'im, Shobi the son of Na'hash from Rabbah of the Am'monites, and Ma'chir the son of Am'mi-el from Lo-de'bar, and Barzil'lai the Gileadite from Ro'gelim, ²⁸brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans and lentils,^{w 29}honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

18Then David mustered the men who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ²And David sent forth the army, one third under the command of Jo'ab, one third under the command of Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” ³But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us;^x therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” ⁴The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵And the king ordered Jo'ab and Abi'shai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Ab'salom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

⁶So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of E'phraim. ⁷And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. ⁸The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

⁹And Ab'salom chanced to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging^y between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. ¹⁰And a certain man saw it, and told Jo'ab, “Behold, I saw Ab'salom hanging in an oak.” ¹¹Jo'ab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” ¹²But the man said to Jo'ab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not put forth my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abi'shai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Ab'salom.’ ¹³On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life^z (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” ¹⁴Jo'ab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Ab'salom, while he was still alive in the oak. ¹⁵And ten young men, Jo'ab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Ab'salom and struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶Then Jo'ab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel; for Joab restrained them. ¹⁷And they took Ab'salom, and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones; and all Israel fled every one to his own home. ¹⁸Now Ab'salom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance”; he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.

¹⁹Then said Ahim'a-az the son of Za'dok, “Let me run, and carry tidings to the king that the LORD has delivered him from the power of his enemies.” ²⁰And Jo'ab said to him, “You are not to carry tidings today; you may carry tidings another day, but today you shall carry no tidings, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹Then Jo'ab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Jo'ab, and ran. ²²Then Ahim'a-az the son of Za'dok said again to Jo'ab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Jo'ab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the tidings?” ²³“Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahim'a-az ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.” And he came apace, and drew near. ²⁶And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings tidings.” ²⁷And the watchman said, “I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahim'a-az the son of Za'dok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good tidings.”

²⁸Then Ahim'a-az cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth, and said, “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” ²⁹And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Ab'salom?” Ahim'a-az answered, “When Jo'ab sent your servant,^b I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.” ³⁰And the king said, “Turn aside, and stand here.” So he turned aside, and stood still.

³¹And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you.” ³²The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Ab'salom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man.” ^33cAnd the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Ab'salom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Now Israel had fled every man to his own home. ⁹And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and saved us from the hand of the Philis'tines; and now he has fled out of the land from Ab'salom. ¹⁰But Ab'salom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

¹¹And King David sent this message to Za'dok and Abi'athar the priests, “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?^{d 12}You are my kinsmen, you are my bone and my flesh; why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³And say to Ama'sa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of my army henceforth in place of Jo'ab.’” ¹⁴And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man; so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” ¹⁵So the king came back to the Jordan; and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶And Shim'e-i the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahu'rim, made haste to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David; ¹⁷and with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Zi'ba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, ¹⁸and they crossed the ford^e to bring over the king’s household, and to do his pleasure. And Shim'e-i the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, ¹⁹and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem; let not the king bear it in mind. ²⁰For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah answered, “Shall not Shim'e-i be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?” ²²But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeru'iah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall any one be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” ²³And the king said to Shim'e-i, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

²⁴And Mephib'osheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. ²⁵And when he came from^f Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephib'osheth?” ²⁶He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me,^g that I may ride upon it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. ²⁷He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. ²⁸For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king; but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” ²⁹And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Zi'ba shall divide the land.” ³⁰And Mephib'osheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

³¹Now Barzil'lai the Gileadite had come down from Ro'gelim; and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. ³²Barzil'lai was a very aged man, eighty years old; and he had provided the king with food while he stayed at Ma''hana'im; for he was a very wealthy man. ³³And the king said to Barzil'lai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” ³⁴But Barzil'lai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵I am this day eighty years old; can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? ³⁶Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king recompense me with such a reward? ³⁷Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city, near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do for him whatever seems good to you.” ³⁸And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you; and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” ³⁹Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over; and the king kissed Barzil'lai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. ⁴⁰The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; all the people of Judah, and also half the sons of Israel, brought the king on his way.

⁴¹Then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?” ⁴²All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?” ⁴³And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

Now there happened to be there a worthless fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet, and said, “We have no portion in David,and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;every man to his tents, O Israel!”²So all the men of Israel withdrew from David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.³And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood. ⁴Then the king said to Ama'sa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” ⁵So Ama'sa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time which had been appointed him. ⁶And David said to Abi'shai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Ab'salom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and cause us trouble.”^{h 7}And there went out after Abi'shai, Jo'abⁱ and the Cher'ethites and the Pel'ethites, and all the mighty men; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸When they were at the great stone which is in Gib'eon, Ama'sa came to meet them. Now Jo'ab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened upon his loins, and as he went forward it fell out. ⁹And Jo'ab said to Ama'sa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰But Ama'sa did not observe the sword which was in Jo'ab’s hand; so Joab struck him with it in the body, and shed his bowels to the ground, without striking a second blow; and he died.*Then Joab and Abi'shai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹And one of Jo'ab’s men took his stand by Ama'sa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” ¹²And Ama'sa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And any one who came by, seeing him, stopped;^j and when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and threw a garment over him. ¹³When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Jo'ab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.¹⁴And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-ma'acah;^k and all the Bichrites^l assembled, and followed him in. ¹⁵And all the men who were with Jo'ab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-ma'acah; they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and they were battering the wall, to throw it down. ¹⁶Then a wise woman called from the city, “Hear! Hear! Tell Jo'ab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” ¹⁷And he came near her; and the woman said, “Are you Jo'ab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your maidservant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸Then she said, “They were wont to say in old time, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel’; and so they settled a matter. ¹⁹I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel; you seek to destroy a city which is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?” ²⁰Jo'ab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹That is not true. But a man of the hill country of E'phraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David; give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Jo'ab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” ²²Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Jo'ab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.²³Now Jo'ab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Bena'iah the son of Jehoi'ada was in command of the Cher'ethites and the Pel'ethites; ²⁴and Ador'am was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehosh'aphat the son of Ahi'lud was the recorder; ²⁵and Sheva was secretary; and Za'dok and Abi'athar were priests; ²⁶and Ira the Ja'irite was also David’s priest.

21Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gib'eonites to death.” ²So the king called the Gib'eonites.^m Now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Am'orites; although the sons of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to slay them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah. ³And David said to the Gib'eonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?” ⁴The Gib'eonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” ⁵They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, ⁶let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them up before the LORD at Gib'eon on the mountain of the LORD.”ⁿ And the king said, “I will give them.”

⁷But the king spared Mephib'osheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah, whom she bore to Saul, Armo'ni and Mephib'osheth; and the five sons of Merab^o the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to A'dri-el the son of Barzil'lai the Meho'lathite; ⁹and he gave them into the hands of the Gib'eonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰Then Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah took sackcloth, and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens; and she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah, the concubine of Saul, had done, ¹²David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Ja'besh-gil'ead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philis'tines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilbo'a; ¹³and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. ¹⁴And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Ze'la, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded supplications for the land.

¹⁵The Philis'tines had war again with Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines; and David grew weary. ¹⁶And Ish'bi-be'nob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. ¹⁷But Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah came to his aid, and attacked the Philis'tine and killed him. Then David’s men adjured him, “You shall no more go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”

¹⁸After this there was again war with the Philis'tines at Gob; then Sib'becai the Hu'shathite slew Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. ¹⁹And there was again war with the Philis'tines at Gob; and Elha'nan the son of Ja'are-or'egim, the Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ²⁰And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was descended from the giants. ²¹And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shim'e-i, David’s brother, slew him. ²²These four were descended from the giants in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

22And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ²He said,* “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,