2Samuel:14-16
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And when now Joab the son of Zeruyah perceived that the heart of the king was toward Abshalom :
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Then sent Joab to Tekoa ,
and he fetched thence a wise woman ,
and said to her ,
Feign .
I pray thee ,
as though thou mournest ,
and do put on mourning garments ,
and anoint thyself not with oil ;
but be as a woman that hath these many days been mourning for the dead .
*
And thou must come to the king and speak with him after these words :
and Joab put the words into her mouth .
*
And the woman from Tekoa
spoke to the king ,
and fell on her face to the ground ,
and bowed herself ,
and said ,
Help ,
O king !
*
And the king said unto her ,
What aileth thee ?
And she said ,
Truly ,
I am a widow
woman ;
since my husband is dead .
*
And thy hand
maid had two sons ,
and they two quarreled together in the field ,
and there was no one between them to help ;
so the one smote the other ,
and slew him .
*
And ,
behold ,
the whole family is risen up against thy handmaid ,
and they said ,
Give up the slayer of his brother ,
that we may have him put to death ,
for the life of his brother whom he hath killed ;
and we will destroy also the heir :
and thus they will quench my coal which is remaining ,
so as not to allow to my husband either name or remainder upon the face of the earth .
*
And the king said unto the woman ,
Go to thy house ,
and I will issue charge concerning thee .
*
Then said the woman of Tekoa unto the king ,
On me ,
my Lord ,
O king ,
be the iniquity ,
and on my father
s house :
and may the king and his throne be guiltless .
*
And the king said ,
Whosoever speaketh aught unto thee ,
bring him to me ,
and he shall not touch thee any more .
*
Then said she ,
Let the king ,
I pray thee ,
remember the Lord thy God ,
so as not to suffer the avenger of the blood to cause yet more destruction ,
and that they may not destroy my son .
And he said ,
As the Lord liveth ,
there shall not fall one hair of thy son to the earth .
*
Then said the woman ,
Let thy hand
maid ,
I pray thee ,
speak unto my Lord the king one word .
And he said ,
Speak on .
*
And the woman said ,
Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God ?
and since the king doth speak this thing ,
he is as a guilty man ,
if the king do not permit his banished one to return home .
*
For we must needs die ,
and are as water which is spilt on the ground ,
which cannot be gathered up again ;
and yet doth God not take away life ;
and he deviseth thoughts ,
so that the banished one may not remain banished from him .
*
And now that I am come to speak unto my Lord the king of this thing ,
because the people made me afraid ;
and therefore thy hand
maid said ,
I will still speak unto the king ;
perhaps the king may act the word of his hand
maid .
*
For the king may hear ,
to deliver his hand
maid out of the hand of the man to exterminate me and my son together out of the inheritance of God .
*
And thy hand
maid said ,
May the word of my Lord the king now become repose ;
for as an angel of God ,
so is my Lord the king to comprehend the good and the bad :
and may the Lord thy God be with thee .
*
Then answered the king and said unto the woman ,
Conceal not ,
I pray thee ,
from me a word concerning what I am going to ask thee .
And the woman said ,
Let my Lord the king but speak .
*
And the king said ,
Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this ?
And the woman answered and said ,
As thy soul liveth ,
my Lord ,
O king !
none can turn to the right or to the left from all that my Lord the king hath spoken ;
for it was thy servant Joab who hath bidden me ,
and it was he that hath put in the mouth of thy hand
maid all these words .
*
In order to change the appearance of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing :
and my Lord is wise ,
according to the wisdom of an angel of God ,
to know all that is on the earth .
*
And the king said unto Joab ,
Behold ,
now ,
thou hast done this thing :
go then ,
bring back the young man Abshalom .
*
And Joab fell on his face to the ground ,
and bowed himself ,
and blessed the king :
and Joab said ,
Today is thy servant convinced that I have found grace in thy eyes ,
my Lord ,
O king ;
since the king hath acted in accordance with the word of thy servant .
*
And Joab arose and went to Geshur ,
and brought Abshalom to Jerusalem .
*
And the king said ,
Let him repair to his own house ,
but my face he shall not see .
So Abshalom repaired to his own house ,
but the king
s face he did not see .
*
And like Abshalom there was no man as handsome in all Israel ,
so that he was greatly praised :
from the sole of his foot up to the crown of his head there was no blemish on him .
*
And when he shaved off his head he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels by the king
s weight .
*
And there was born unto Abshalom three sons and one daughter ,
whose name was Thamar :
this one was a woman of handsome appearance .
*
And Abshalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem ,
and the king
s face he did not see .
*
Abshalom sent out therefore for Joab ,
to send him to the king ;
but he would not come to him :
and he sent again the second time ;
but he would not come .
*
He thereupon said unto his servants ,
See ,
Joab
s field is alongside of mine ,
and he hath barley there :
go and set it on fire .
And Abshalom
s servants set the field on fire .
*
Then did Joab arise ,
and he went to Abshalom unto his house ,
and said unto him ,
Wherefore have thy servants set the field belonging to me on fire ?
*
And Abshalom said to Joab ,
Behold ,
I had sent unto thee ,
saying ,
Come hither ,
that I may send thee to the king ,
to say ,
Wherefore am I come from Geshur ?
it would be better for me were I yet there :
and now let me see the king
s face ;
and if there be any iniquity in me ,
let him put me to death .
*
So Joab went to the king ,
and told it to him :
and he called for Abshalom ,
who came to the king ,
and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king ;
and the king kissed Abshalom .
*
And it came to pass after this ,
that Abshalom provided for himself a chariot and horses ,
and fifty men who ran before him .
*
And Abshalom rose up early ,
and stood on the side of the way to the gate :
and it happened ,
that whenever a man who had a controversy came to the king for judgment ,
Abshalom called to him ,
and said ,
From what city art thou ?
And he said ,
Thy servant is from one of the tribes of Israel .
*
And Abshalom said unto him ,
See ,
thy words are good and right ;
but no one listeneth to thee on the part of the king .
*
And Abshalom said ,
Oh ,
if there were but one to appoint me judge in the land ,
so that every man who may have any controversy or cause might come unto me ,
and I would do him justice !
*
And it happened ,
that when a man came nigh to bow down to him ,
he used to put forth his hand ,
and laid hold of him ,
and kissed him .
*
And Abshalom did after this manner to all Israel that came to the king for judgment :
and thus did Abshalom steal the heart of the men of Israel .
*
And it came to pass at the end of forty years ,
that Abshalom said unto the king ,
Let me go ,
I pray thee ,
and fulfill my vow ,
which I have vowed unto the Lord ,
at Hebron .
*
For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria ,
saying ,
If the Lord will ever bring me back again to Jerusalem ,
then will I serve the Lord .
*
And the king said unto him ,
Go in peace :
and he arose ,
and went to Hebron .
*
But Abshalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel ,
saying ,
When ye hear the sound of the cornet ,
then shall ye say ,
Abshalom is become king at Hebron .
*
And with Abshalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem ,
who were invited ,
and going in their simplicity ;
and they knew of nothing whatever .
*
And Abshalom sent for Achithophel the Gilomite ,
David
s counsellor ,
from his city ,
from Giloh ,
while he offered the sacrifices .
And the conspiracy became strong ;
and the people increased continually with Abshalom .
*
And there came a news
bearer to David ,
saying ,
the heart of the men of Israel is turned after Abshalom .
*
And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem ,
Arise ,
and let us flee ;
for there will not be any escape for us from Abshalom :
make haste ,
to depart ,
lest he make haste and overtake us suddenly and overwhelm us with evil ,
and smite the city with the edge of the sword .
*
And the king
s servants said unto the king ,
In accordance with all that my Lord the king may choose ,
are thy servants ready .
*
And the king went forth ,
and all his household in his train .
And the king left behind ten women ,
who were concubines ,
to guard the house .
*
And the king went forth ,
and all the people in his train ,
and tarried in a place that was far off .
*
And all his servants passed on alongside of him ,
and all the Kerethites ,
and all the Pelethites ;
and all the Gittites ,
six hundred men ,
who were come in his train from Gath ,
passed on before the king .
*
Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite ,
Wherefore wilt thou also go with us ?
turn back and abide with the king ;
for thou art a stranger ,
and also an exile from thy place .
*
Yesterday thou camest ;
and today should I move thee about with us to wander ?
seeing that I go whither I may :
return thou ,
and take back thy brethren with thee ,
in kindness and truth .
*
And Ittai answered the king ,
and said ,
As the Lord liveth ,
and as my Lord the king liveth ,
surely in whatever place my Lord the king may be ,
whether for death or for life ,
even there will thy servant be .
*
And David said then to Ittai ,
Go and pass on .
And Ittai the Gittite passed on ,
and all his men ,
and all the little ones that were with him .
*
And all the country wept with a loud voice ,
as all the people passed on :
and the king passed over the brook Kidron ,
and all the people passed over ,
along the way to the wilderness .
*
And lo ,
Zadok also ,
and all the Levites with him ,
were bearing the ark of the covenant of God ;
and they set down the ark of God ;
and Ebyathar went up ,
until all the people had finished passing out of the city .
*
And the king said unto Zadok ,
Carry back the ark of God into the city ;
if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord ,
he will bring me back again ,
and show me both it ,
and his dwelling ;
*
But if he should thus say ,
I have no delight in thee :
here am I ,
let him do to me as seemeth good in his eyes .
*
The king said also unto Zadok the priest ,
If thou see the justice of this ,
return to the city in peace :
and your two sons ,
Achima
az thy son ,
and Jonathan the son of Ebyathar ,
are with you .
*
See ,
I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness ,
until there come word from you to bring me news .
*
Zadok therefore and Ebyathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem :
and they remained there .
*
And David went up by the ascent of the mount of Olives ,
weeping as he went up ,
and had his head covered ,
and he was walking barefoot :
and all the people that were with him covered every man his head ,
and they went up ,
weeping as they went up .
*
And some one told David ,
saying ,
Achithophel is among the conspirators with Abshalom .
And David said ,
I pray thee ,
turn into foolishness the counsel of Achithophel ,
O Lord !
*
And it came to pass ,
that ,
when David was come to the top ,
where he used to bow himself down to God ,
behold ,
Chushai the Arkite came to meet him with his coat rent ,
and earth upon his head .
*
And David said unto him ,
If thou passest on with me ,
thou wouldst be a burden unto me ;
*
But if thou shouldst return to the city ,
and say unto Abshalom ,
Thy servant will I be ,
O king ;
thy father
s servant have I been this long time past ,
and now will I also be thy servant :
then mightest thou defeat for me the counsel of Achithophel .
*
And ,
behold ,
thou hast with thee there Zadok and Ebyathar the priests ;
therefore shall it be ,
that what thing soever thou mayest hear out of the king
s house ,
shalt thou tell to Zadok and Ebyathar the priests .
*
Behold ,
they have there with them their two sons .
Achima
az for Zadok ,
and Jonathan for Ebyathar :
and ye shall send by means of them unto me whatever thing ye can hear .
*
So Chushai ,
David
s friend ,
came into the city ,
as Abshalom had just resolved to enter into Jerusalem .
*
And when David was passed a little beyond the top ,
behold ,
Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth came toward him ,
with a couple of asses saddled ,
and upon them two hundred loaves of bread ,
and a hundred bunches of raisins ,
and a hundred of dried figs ,
and a bottle of wine .
*
And the king said unto Ziba ,
What meanest thou with these ?
And Ziba said ,
The asses are for the king
s household to ride on ;
and the bread and the dried figs for the young men to eat ;
and the wine to drink for such as may be faint in the wilderness .
*
And the king said ,
And where is thy master
s son ?
And Ziba said unto the king ,
Behold ,
he remaineth at Jerusalem ;
for he said ,
Today will the house of Israel restore unto me the kingdom of my father .
*
Then said the king to Ziba ,
Behold ,
thine shall be all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth .
And Ziba said ,
I prostrate myself ;
let me but find grace in thy eyes ,
my Lord ,
O king .
*
And when King David came as far as Bachurim ,
behold ,
there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul ,
whose name was Shim
i ,
the son of Gera ,
coming forth ,
and cursing .
*
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 and on his left .
*
And thus said Shim
i as he cursed ,
Away ,
away ,
thou man of blood ,
and thou worthless man !
*
The Lord hath brought back upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul ,
in whose stead thou didst reign ;
and the Lord hath placed the kingdom into the hand of Abshalom thy son ;
and ,
behold ,
thou art now in thy misfortune ,
because a man of blood art thou .
*
Then said Abishai the son of Zeruyah unto the king ,
Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king ?
let me go over ,
I pray thee ,
and remove his head .
*
And the king said ,
What have I to do with you ,
ye sons of Zeruyah ?
so let him curse ;
because the Lord hath said unto him ,
Curse David .
Who shall then say ,
Wherefore hast thou done so ?
*
And David said to Abishai ,
and to all his servants ,
Behold ,
my son ,
who hath come forth out of my own body ,
seeketh my life :
how much more now this Benjamite ?
let him alone ,
and let him curse ;
for the Lord hath said it to him .
*
Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction ,
and the Lord will requite me good instead of his cursing this day .
*
And David and his men went on the way .
And Shim
i went on the side of the mount opposite to him ,
and cursed as he went ,
and threw stones toward him ,
and cast dust .
*
And the king ,
and all the people that were with him ,
arrived weary ,
and refreshed themselves there .
*
And Abshalom ,
and all the people the men of Israel ,
came to Jerusalem ,
and Achithophel with him .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Chushai the Arkite ,
David
s friend ,
was come unto Abshalom ,
that Chushai said unto Abshalom ,
Long live the king !
Long live the king !
*
And Abshalom said to Chushai ,
Is this thy kindness for thy friend ?
why art thou not gone with thy friend ?
*
And Chushai said unto Abshalom ,
No ;
but whom the Lord ,
and this people ,
and all the men of Israel have chosen ,
his will I be ,
and with him will I remain .
*
And secondly ,
who is it whom I shall serve ?
is it not in the presence of his son ?
as I have served in thy father
s presence ,
so will I be in thy presence .
*
Then said Abshalom to Achithophel ,
Hold counsel among yourselves as to what we shall do .
*
And Achithophel said unto Abshalom ,
Go in unto thy father
s concubines ,
whom he hath left to guard the house ;
and all Israel will hear that thou art in bad odor with thy father :
and then will the hands of all that are with thee become strong .
*
So they spread for Abshalom a tent upon the roof ;
and Abshalom went in unto his father
s concubines before the eyes of all Israel .
*
And the counsel of Achithophel ,
which he counseled in those days ,
was as if a man had asked advice of the word of God :
so was all the counsel of Achithophel both with David and with Abshalom .
*
Moreover Achithophel said unto Abshalom ,
Do let me now select twelve thousand men ,
and I will arise and pursue after David this night ;