rsv 2Samuel:15:13-37 SEEK
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And a messenger came to David ,
saying , "
The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Ab '
salom ."
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Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem , "
Arise ,
and let us flee ;
or else there will be no escape for us from Ab '
salom ;
go in haste ,
lest he overtake us quickly ,
and bring down evil upon us ,
and smite the city with the edge of the sword ."
*
And the king '
s servants said to the king , "
Behold ,
your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides ."
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So the king went forth ,
and all his household after him .
And the king left ten concubines to keep the house .
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And the king went forth ,
and all the people after him ;
and they halted at the last house .
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And all his servants passed by him ;
and all the Cher '
ethites ,
and all the Pel '
ethites ,
and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath ,
passed on before the king .
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Then the king said to It '
tai the Gittite , "
Why do you also go with us ?
Go back ,
and stay with the king ;
for you are a foreigner ,
and also an exile from your home .
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You came only yesterday ,
and shall I today make you wander about with us ,
seeing I go I know not where ?
Go back ,
and take your brethren with you ;
and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you ."
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But It '
tai answered the king , "
As the LORD lives ,
and as my lord the king lives ,
wherever my lord the king shall be ,
whether for death or for life ,
there also will your servant be ."
*
And David said to It '
tai , "
Go then ,
pass on ."
So It '
tai the Gittite passed on ,
with all his men and all the little ones who were with him .
*
And all the country wept aloud as all the people passed by ,
and the king crossed the brook Kidron ,
and all the people passed on toward the wilderness .
*
And Abi '
athar came up ,
and lo ,
Zadok came also ,
with all the Levites ,
bearing the ark of the covenant of God ;
and they set down the ark of God ,
until the people had all passed out of the city .
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Then the king said to Zadok , "
Carry the ark of God back into the city .
If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD ,
he will bring me back and let me see both it and his habitation ;
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but if he says , `
I have no pleasure in you ,'
behold ,
here I am ,
let him do to me what seems good to him ."
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The king also said to Zadok the priest , "
Look ,
go back to the city in peace ,
you and Abi '
athar ,
with your two sons ,
Ahim '
a-az your son ,
and Jonathan the son of Abi '
athar .
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See ,
I will wait at the fords of the wilderness ,
until word comes from you to inform me ."
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So Zadok and Abi '
athar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem ;
and they remained there .
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But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives ,
weeping as he went ,
barefoot and with his head covered ;
and all the people who were with him covered their heads ,
and they went up ,
weeping as they went .
*
And it was told David , "
Ahith '
ophel is among the conspirators with Ab '
salom ."
And David said , "
O LORD ,
I pray thee ,
turn the counsel of Ahith '
ophel into foolishness ."
*
When David came to the summit ,
where God was worshiped ,
behold ,
Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent and earth upon his head .
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David said to him , "
If you go on with me ,
you will be a burden to me .
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But if you return to the city ,
and say to Ab '
salom , `
I will be your servant ,
O king ;
as I have been your father '
s servant in time past ,
so now I will be your servant ,'
then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahith '
ophel .
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Are not Zadok and Abi '
athar the priests with you there ?
So whatever you hear from the king '
s house ,
tell it to Zadok and Abi '
athar the priests .
*
Behold ,
their two sons are with them there ,
Ahim '
a-az ,
Zadok '
s son ,
and Jonathan ,
Abi '
athar '
s son ;
and by them you shall send to me everything you hear ."
*
So Hushai ,
David '
s friend ,
came into the city ,
just as Ab '
salom was entering Jerusalem .