the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they tarried 18 'in Beth-merhak. And 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. 19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an 20 exile; return to thine own place. Whereas 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 21 truth be with thee. And 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 for death or for life, even there also 22 will thy servant be. And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones 23 that were with him. And 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 wilder24 ness. And, lo, Zadok also came, 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 done passing out of the 25 city. And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me 26 again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as 27 seemeth good unto him. The king said also unto Zadok the priest, 2 Art thou not a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons 28 with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word 29 from you to certify me. Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there. 30 4 And 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 that were with him covered every man his head, and 31 they went up, weeping as they went up. And 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. 32 And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the ascent, where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came 33 to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head and David said unto him, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden 34 unto me: but 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 in time past, so will I now be thy servant: then shalt thou defeat for me the 35 counsel of Ahithophel. And 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 36 Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two 1 Or, at the Far House 2 Or, Seest thou? 3 Another reading is, in the plains. 4 Or, where he was wont to worship God sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's son; and by 37 them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye shall hear. So Hushai David's friend came into the city; and Absalom came into Jerusalem. 16 And when David was a little past the top of the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a 'bottle of wine. 2 And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as 3 be faint in the wilderness may drink. And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore me 4 the kingdom of my father. Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth, And Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favour in thy sight, my lord, O king. 5 And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came out, and cursed still as he came. 6 And he cast 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 7 on his left. And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, 8 thou man of blood, and man of 'Belial: the LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thine own mischief, 9 because thou art a man of blood. Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the 10 king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David; II who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more may this Benjamite now do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden 12 him. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done unto me, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing of me this day. So David and his men went by the way: and Shimei went along on the hill side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones "at 14 him, and cast dust. And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there. 13 15 6 And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jeru16 salem, and Ahithophel with him. And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said 17 unto Absalom, 'God save the king, God save the king. And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou 18 not with thy friend? And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel have 19 chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide. And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence. 20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall 21 do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all 22 that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines 23 in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man inquired at the 'oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. 17 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this 2 night and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall 3 flee; and I will smite the king only: and I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so 4 all the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. 3 5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us 6 hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this 7 manner: shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time 8 is not good. Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of 9 war, and will not lodge with the people. Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, *when some of them be fallen at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There 10 is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. And even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt : for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which II be with him are valiant men. But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own 12 person. So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave Moreover, if he "be gotten into a city, then shall 13 so much as one. 1 Heb. Let the king live. 2 Heb. word. 3 Heb. bitter of soul. 4 Or, when he falleth upon them 5 Or, that thy presence (Heb. face) go to the battle 6 Or, withdraw himself all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, 14 until there be not one small stone found there. And Absalom and 15 all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had ordained to defeat✓ the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and 16 thus and thus have I counselled. Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night 'at the fords of the wilderness, but in any wise pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the 17 people that are with him. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and a maidservant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David: for they might not be seen to come into the city. 18 But a lad saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a 19 well in his court; and they went down thither. And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised 20 corn thereon; and nothing was known. And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, 21 they returned to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David, Arise ye and pass quickly over the water: 22 for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you. Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone 23 over Jordan. And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. 24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, 25 he and all the men of Israel with him. And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of 26 Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother. And Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. 27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, 28 brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, 29 and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. 1 Another reading is, in the plains. 2 Or, Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stay by En-rogel; so let the maidservant go and tell them, and let them go and tell king David; for they may not be seen to come into the city 3 In 1 Chr. ii. 17, Jether the Ishmaelite. 4 In 1 Chr. ii. 16, 17, Abigail. 18 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains 2 of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto 3 the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: 'but thou art worth ten thousand of us therefore now it is better that thou be ready to 4 succour us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the 5 people went out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard 6 when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in 7 the forest of Ephraim. And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that 8 day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country: and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And Absalom chanced to meet the servants 9 of David. And Absalom rode upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule to that was under him went on. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, II and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee 12 ten pieces of silver, and a girdle. And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life, (and there is no matter hid from the king,) then thou thyself 14 wouldest have stood aloof. Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15 And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and 16 smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew the trumpet, and the 13 5 6 2 3 people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab 'held back the 17 people. And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all 18 Israel fled every one to his tent. Now Absalom in his life time had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and |