| Chapter
18 |
| 1 | And
David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands,
and captains of hundreds over them. |
|
2 | And David sent forth a third part of the people 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 the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. |
| 3 | But the people answered, 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 now thou art worth ten thousand of us:
therefore now it is better that thou succor us out of the city. |
| 4 | And the king said unto them, What
seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the
people came out by hundreds and by thousands. |
| 5 | 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 when the king gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom. |
| 6 | So the people
went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of
Ephraim; |
| 7 | Where the
people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a
great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. |
|
8 | For the battle was there scattered over the face of
all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword
devoured. |
| 9 | And Absalom
met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a 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 that was under
him went away. |
| 10 | And a
certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an
oak. |
| 11 | And Joab said
unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou
not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of
silver, and a girdle. |
| 12 |
And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels 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. |
| 13 | Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine
own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest
have set thyself against me. |
| 14
| 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 armor compassed about and
smote Absalom, and slew him. |
| 16
| And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after
Israel: for Joab held back the people. |
| 17 | And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in
the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled
every one to his tent. |
| 18 |
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar,
which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in
remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto
this day, Absalom's place. |
| 19
| Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king
tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies. |
| 20 | And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not
bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day
thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. |
| 21 | Then said Joab to Cushy, Go tell the
king what thou hast seen. And Cushy bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. |
| 22 | Then said Ahimaaz the son of
Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after
Cushy. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no
tidings ready? |
| 23 | But
howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by
the way of the plain, and overran Cushy. |
| 24 | And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman
went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and
looked, and behold a man running alone. |
| 25 | And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king
said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and
drew near. |
| 26 | And the
watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and
said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth
tidings. |
| 27 | And the
watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of
Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with
good tidings. |
| 28 | And
Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the
earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God,
which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the
king. |
| 29 | And the king
said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the
king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what
it was. |
| 30 | And the king
said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood
still. |
| 31 | And, behold,
Cushy came; and Cushy said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath
avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. |
| 32 | And the king said unto Cushy, Is the
young man Absalom safe? And Cushy answered, The enemies of my lord the king,
and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. |
| 33 | And the king was much
moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus
he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for
thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! |
