2Samuel:17-19
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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 :
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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 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 all the people shall be in peace .
*
And the saying pleased Absalom well ,
and all the elders of Israel .
*
Then said Absalom ,
Call now Hushai the Archite also ,
and let us hear likewise what he saith .
*
And when Hushai was come to Absalom ,
Absalom spake unto him ,
saying ,
Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner :
shall we do after his saying ?
if not ;
speak thou .
*
And Hushai said unto Absalom ,
The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time .
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For ,
said Hushai ,
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 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 overthrown at the first ,
that whosoever heareth it will say ,
There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom .
*
And he also 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 be with him are valiant men .
*
Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee ,
from Dan even to Beersheba ,
as the sand that is by the sea for multitude ;
and that thou go to battle in thine own person .
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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 there shall not be left so much as one .
*
Moreover ,
if he be gotten into a city ,
then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city ,
and we will draw it into the river ,
until there be not one small stone found there .
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And Absalom and all the men of Israel said ,
The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel .
For the LORD had appointed 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 thus and thus have I counselled .
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Now therefore send quickly ,
and tell David ,
saying ,
Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness ,
but speedily pass over ;
lest the king be swallowed up ,
and all the people that are with him .
*
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel ;
for they might not be seen to come into the city :
and a wench went and told them ;
and they went and told king David .
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Nevertheless a lad saw them ,
and told Absalom :
but they went both of them away quickly ,
and came to a man '
s house in Bahurim ,
which had a well in his court ;
whither they went down .
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And the woman took and spread a covering over the well '
s mouth ,
and spread ground corn thereon ;
and the thing was not known .
*
And when Absalom '
s servants came to the woman to the house ,
they said ,
Where is 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 ,
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 said unto David ,
Arise ,
and pass quickly over the water :
for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you .
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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 over Jordan .
*
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed ,
he saddled his ass ,
and arose ,
and gat him home to his house ,
to his city ,
and put his household in order ,
and hanged himself ,
and died ,
and was buried in the sepulchre of his father .
*
Then David came to Mahanaim .
And Absalom passed over Jordan ,
he and all the men of Israel with him .
*
And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab :
which Amasa was a man '
s son ,
whose name was Ithra an Israelite ,
that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash ,
sister to Zeruiah Joab '
s mother .
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So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead .
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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 Lodebar ,
and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim ,
*
Brought beds ,
and basons ,
and earthen vessels ,
and wheat ,
and barley ,
and flour ,
and parched corn ,
and beans ,
and lentiles ,
and parched pulse ,
*
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 .
*
And David numbered the people that were with him ,
and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them .
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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 .
*
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 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 people came out by hundreds and by thousands .
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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 .
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So the people went out into the field against Israel :
and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim ;
*
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 .
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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 .
*
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 .
*
And a certain man saw it ,
and told Joab ,
and said ,
Behold ,
I saw Absalom hanged in an oak .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
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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 .
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And ten young men that bare Joab '
s armour compassed about and smote Absalom ,
and slew him .
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And Joab blew the trumpet ,
and the people returned from pursuing after Israel :
for Joab held back the people .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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Then said Joab to Cushi ,
Go tell the king what thou hast seen .
And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab ,
and ran .
*
Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab ,
But howsoever ,
let me ,
I pray thee ,
also run after Cushi .
And Joab said ,
Wherefore wilt thou run ,
my son ,
seeing that thou hast no tidings ready ?
*
But howsoever ,
said he ,
let me run .
And he said unto him ,
Run .
Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain ,
and overran Cushi .
*
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 .
*
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 .
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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 .
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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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And the king said unto him ,
Turn aside ,
and stand here .
And he turned aside ,
and stood still .
*
And ,
behold ,
Cushi came ;
and Cushi said ,
Tidings ,
my lord the king :
for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee .
*
And the king said unto Cushi ,
Is the young man Absalom safe ?
And Cushi answered ,
The enemies of my lord the king ,
and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt ,
be as that young man is .
*
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 !
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And it was told Joab ,
Behold ,
the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom .
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And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people :
for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son .
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And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city ,
as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle .
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But the king covered his face ,
and the king cried with a loud voice ,
O my son Absalom ,
O Absalom ,
my son ,
my son !
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And Joab came into the house to the king ,
and said ,
Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants ,
which this day have saved thy life ,
and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters ,
and the lives of thy wives ,
and the lives of thy concubines ;
*
In that thou lovest thine enemies ,
and hatest thy friends .
For thou hast declared this day ,
that thou regardest neither princes nor servants :
for this day I perceive ,
that if Absalom had lived ,
and all we had died this day ,
then it had pleased thee well .
*
Now therefore arise ,
go forth ,
and speak comfortably unto thy servants :
for I swear by the LORD ,
if thou go not forth ,
there will not tarry one with thee this night :
and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now .
*
Then the king arose ,
and sat in the gate .
And they told unto all the people ,
saying ,
Behold ,
the king doth sit in the gate .
And all the people came before the king :
for Israel had fled every man to his tent .
*
And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel ,
saying ,
The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies ,
and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines ;
and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom .
*
And Absalom ,
whom we anointed over us ,
is dead in battle .
Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back ?
*
And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests ,
saying ,
Speak unto the elders of Judah ,
saying ,
Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house ?
seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king ,
even to his house .
*
Ye are my brethren ,
ye are my bones and my flesh :
wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king ?
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And say ye to Amasa ,
Art thou not of my bone ,
and of my flesh ?
God do so to me ,
and more also ,
if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab .
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And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah ,
even as the heart of one man ;
so that they sent this word unto the king ,
Return thou ,
and all thy servants .
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So the king returned ,
and came to Jordan .
And Judah came to Gilgal ,
to go to meet the king ,
to conduct the king over Jordan .
*
And Shimei the son of Gera ,
a Benjamite ,
which was of Bahurim ,
hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David .
*
And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him ,
and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul ,
and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him ;
and they went over Jordan before the king .
*
And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king '
s household ,
and to do what he thought good .
And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king ,
as he was come over Jordan ;
*
And said unto the king ,
Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me ,
neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem ,
that the king should take it to his heart .
*
For thy servant doth know that I have sinned :
therefore ,
behold ,
I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king .
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But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said ,
Shall not Shimei be put to death for this ,
because he cursed the LORD '
S anointed ?
*
And David said ,
What have I to do with you ,
ye sons of Zeruiah ,
that ye should this day be adversaries unto me ?
shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel ?
for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel ?
*
Therefore the king said unto Shimei ,
Thou shalt not die .
And the king sware unto him .
*
And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king ,
and had neither dressed his feet ,
nor trimmed his beard ,
nor washed his clothes ,
from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace .
*
And it came to pass ,
when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king ,
that the king said unto him ,
Wherefore wentest not thou with me ,
Mephibosheth ?
*
And he answered ,
My lord ,
O king ,
my servant deceived me :
for thy servant said ,
I will saddle me an ass ,
that I may ride thereon ,
and go to the king ;
because thy servant is lame .
*
And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king ;
but my lord the king is as an angel of God :
do therefore what is good in thine eyes .
*
For all of my father '
s house were but dead men before my lord the king :
yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table .
What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king ?
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And the king said unto him ,
Why speakest thou any more of thy matters ?
I have said ,
Thou and Ziba divide the land .
*
And Mephibosheth said unto the king ,
Yea ,
let him take all ,
forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house .
*
And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim ,
and went over Jordan with the king ,
to conduct him over Jordan .
*
Now Barzillai was a very aged man ,
even fourscore years old :
and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim ;
for he was a very great man .
*
And the king said unto Barzillai ,
Come thou over with me ,
and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem .
*
And Barzillai said unto the king ,
How long have I to live ,
that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem ?
*
I am this day fourscore years old :
and can I discern between good and evil ?
can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink ?
can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women ?
wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king ?
*
Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king :
and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward ?
*
Let thy servant ,
I pray thee ,
turn back again ,
that I may die in mine own city ,
and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother .
But behold thy servant Chimham ;
let him go over with my lord the king ;
and do to him what shall seem good unto thee .
*
And the king answered ,
Chimham shall go over with me ,
and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee :
and whatsoever thou shalt require of me ,
that will I do for thee .
*
And all the people went over Jordan .
And when the king was come over ,
the king kissed Barzillai ,
and blessed him ;
and he returned unto his own place .
*
Then the king went on to Gilgal ,
and Chimham went on with him :
and all the people of Judah conducted the king ,
and also half the people of Israel .
*
And ,
behold ,
all the men of Israel came to the king ,
and said unto the king ,
Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee away ,
and have brought the king ,
and his household ,
and all David '
s men with him ,
over Jordan ?
*
And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel ,
Because the king is near of kin to us :
wherefore then be ye angry for this matter ?
have we eaten at all of the king '
s cost ?
or hath he given us any gift ?
*
And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah ,
and said ,
We have ten parts in the king ,
and we have also more right in David than ye :
why then did ye despise us ,
that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king ?
And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel .
*
And there happened to be there a man of Belial ,
whose name was Sheba ,
the son of Bichri ,
a Benjamite :
and he blew a trumpet ,
and said ,
We have no part in David ,
neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse :
every man to his tents ,
O Israel .