2Samuel:15-16
Seeker Overlay ON
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And it came to pass after this ,
that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses ,
and fifty men to run before him .
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And Absalom rose up early ,
and stood beside the way of the gate :
and it was so ,
that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment ,
then Absalom called unto him ,
and said ,
Of what city art thou ?
And he said ,
Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel .
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And Absalom said unto him ,
See ,
thy matters are good and right ;
but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee .
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Absalom said moreover ,
Oh that I were made judge in the land ,
that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me ,
and I would do him justice !
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And it was so ,
that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance ,
he put forth his hand ,
and took him ,
and kissed him .
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And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment :
so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel .
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And it came to pass after forty years ,
that Absalom said unto the king ,
I pray thee ,
let me go and pay my vow ,
which I have vowed unto the LORD ,
in Hebron .
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For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria ,
saying ,
If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem ,
then I will serve the LORD .
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And the king said unto him ,
Go in peace .
So he arose ,
and went to Hebron .
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But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel ,
saying ,
As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet ,
then ye shall say ,
Absalom reigneth in Hebron .
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And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem ,
that were called ;
and they went in their simplicity ,
and they knew not any thing .
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And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite ,
David '
s counsellor ,
from his city ,
even from Giloh ,
while he offered sacrifices .
And the conspiracy was strong ;
for the people increased continually with Absalom .
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And there came a messenger to David ,
saying ,
The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom .
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And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem ,
Arise ,
and let us flee ;
for we shall not else escape from Absalom :
make speed to depart ,
lest he overtake us suddenly ,
and bring evil upon us ,
and smite the city with the edge of the sword .
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And the king '
s servants said unto the king ,
Behold ,
thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint .
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And the king went forth ,
and all his household after him .
And the king left ten women ,
which were concubines ,
to keep the house .
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And the king went forth ,
and all the people after him ,
and tarried in a place that was far off .
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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 .
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Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite ,
Wherefore goest thou also with us ?
return to thy place ,
and abide with the king :
for thou art a stranger ,
and also an exile .
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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 truth be with thee .
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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 in death or life ,
even there also will thy servant be .
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And David said to Ittai ,
Go and pass over .
And Ittai the Gittite passed over ,
and all his men ,
and all the little ones that were with him .
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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 wilderness .
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And lo Zadok also ,
and all the Levites were 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 city .
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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 again ,
and shew me both it ,
and his habitation :
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But if he thus say ,
I have no delight in thee ;
behold ,
here am I ,
let him do to me as seemeth good unto him .
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The king said also unto Zadok the priest ,
Art not thou a seer ?
return into the city in peace ,
and your two sons with you ,
Ahimaaz thy son ,
and Jonathan the son of Abiathar .
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See ,
I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness ,
until there come word from you to certify me .
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Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem :
and they tarried there .
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And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet ,
and wept as he went up ,
and had his head covered ,
and he went barefoot :
and all the people that was with him covered every man his head ,
and they went up ,
weeping as they went up .
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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 .
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And it came to pass ,
that when David was come to the top of the mount ,
where he worshipped God ,
behold ,
Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent ,
and earth upon his head :
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Unto whom David said ,
If thou passest on with me ,
then thou shalt be a burden unto me :
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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 hitherto ,
so will I now also be thy servant :
then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel .
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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 Abiathar the priests .
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Behold ,
they have there with them their two sons ,
Ahimaaz Zadok '
s son ,
and Jonathan Abiathar '
s son ;
and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear .
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So Hushai David '
s friend came into the city ,
and Absalom came into Jerusalem .
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And when David was a little past the top of the hill ,
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 bunches of raisins ,
and an hundred of summer fruits ,
and a bottle of wine .
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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 be faint in the wilderness may drink .
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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 the kingdom of my father .
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Then said the king to Ziba ,
Behold ,
thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth .
And Ziba said ,
I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight ,
my lord ,
O king .
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And when king David came to Bahurim ,
behold ,
thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul ,
whose name was Shimei ,
the son of Gera :
he came forth ,
and cursed still as he came .
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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 on his left .
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And thus said Shimei when he cursed ,
Come out ,
come out ,
thou bloody man ,
and thou man of Belial :
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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 thy mischief ,
because thou art a bloody man .
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Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king ,
Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king ?
let me go over ,
I pray thee ,
and take off his head .
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And the king said ,
What have I to do with you ,
ye sons of Zeruiah ?
so let him curse ,
because the LORD hath said unto him ,
Curse David .
Who shall then say ,
Wherefore hast thou done so ?
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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 now may this Benjamite do it ?
let him alone ,
and let him curse ;
for the LORD hath bidden him .
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It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction ,
and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day .
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And as David and his men went by the way ,
Shimei went along on the hill '
s side over against him ,
and cursed as he went ,
and threw stones at him ,
and cast dust .
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And the king ,
and all the people that were with him ,
came weary ,
and refreshed themselves there .
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And Absalom ,
and all the people the men of Israel ,
came to Jerusalem ,
and Ahithophel with him .
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And it came to pass ,
when Hushai the Archite ,
David '
s friend ,
was come unto Absalom ,
that Hushai said unto Absalom ,
God save the king ,
God save the king .
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And Absalom said to Hushai ,
Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?
why wentest thou not with thy friend ?
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And Hushai said unto Absalom ,
Nay ;
but whom the LORD ,
and this people ,
and all the men of Israel ,
choose ,
his will I be ,
and with him will I abide .
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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 .
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Then said Absalom to Ahithophel ,
Give counsel among you what we shall do .
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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 that are with thee be strong .
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So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house ;
and Absalom went in unto his father '
s concubines in the sight of all Israel .
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And the counsel of Ahithophel ,
which he counselled in those days ,
was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God :
so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom .
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Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom ,
Let me now choose out twelve thousand men ,
and I will arise and pursue after David this night :