nkjv 2Samuel:15-18 SEEK
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After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses ,
and fifty men to run before him .
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Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate .
So it was ,
whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision ,
that Absalom would call to him and say , "
What city are you from ?"
And he would say , "
Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel ."
*
Then Absalom would say to him , "
Look ,
your case is good and right ;
but there is no deputy of the king to hear you ."
*
Moreover Absalom would say , "
Oh ,
that I were made judge in the land ,
and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me ;
then I would give him justice ."
*
And so it was ,
whenever anyone came near to bow down to him ,
that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him .
*
In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment .
So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel .
*
Now it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king , "
Please ,
let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the LORD .
*
For your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria ,
saying , "
If the LORD indeed brings me back to Jerusalem ,
then I will serve the LORD ."'
*
And the king said to him , "
Go in peace ."
So he arose and went to Hebron .
*
Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel ,
saying , "
As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet ,
then you shall say , "
Absalom reigns in Hebron !"'
*
And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem ,
and they went along innocently and did not know anything .
*
Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite ,
David '
s counselor ,
from his city--from Giloh--while he offered sacrifices .
And the conspiracy grew strong ,
for the people with Absalom continually increased in number .
*
Now a messenger came to David ,
saying , "
The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom ."
*
So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem , "
Arise ,
and let us flee ,
or we shall not escape from Absalom .
Make haste to depart ,
lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us ,
and strike the city with the edge of the sword ."
*
And the king '
s servants said to the king , "
We are your servants ,
ready to do whatever my lord the king commands ."
*
Then the king went out with all his household after him .
But the king left ten women ,
concubines ,
to keep the house .
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And the king went out with all the people after him ,
and stopped at the outskirts .
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Then all his servants passed before him ;
and all the Cherethites ,
all the Pelethites ,
and all the Gittites ,
six hundred men who had followed him from Gath ,
passed before the king .
*
Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite , "
Why are you also going with us ?
Return and remain with the king .
For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place .
*
In fact ,
you came only yesterday .
Should I make you wander up and down with us today ,
since I go I know not where ?
Return ,
and take your brethren back .
Mercy and truth be with you ."
*
But Ittai answered the king and said , "
As the LORD lives ,
and as my lord the king lives ,
surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be ,
whether in death or life ,
even there also your servant will be ."
*
So David said to Ittai , "
Go ,
and cross over ."
Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over .
*
And all the country wept with a loud voice ,
and all the people crossed over .
The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron ,
and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness .
*
There was Zadok also ,
and all the Levites 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 finished crossing over from the city .
*
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 show me both it and His dwelling place .
*
But if He says thus : "
I have no delight in you ,'
here I am ,
let Him do to me as seems good to Him ."
*
The king also said to Zadok the priest , "
Are you not a seer ?
Return to the city in peace ,
and your two sons with you ,
Ahimaaz your son ,
and Jonathan the son of Abiathar .
*
See ,
I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me ."
*
Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem .
And they remained there .
*
So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives ,
and wept as he went up ;
and he had his head covered and went barefoot .
And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up ,
weeping as they went up .
*
Then someone told David ,
saying , "
Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom ."
And David said , "
O LORD ,
I pray ,
turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness !"
*
Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain ,
where he worshiped God--there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head .
*
David said to him , "
If you go on with me ,
then you will become a burden to me .
*
But if you return to the city ,
and say to Absalom , "
I will be your servant ,
O king ;
as I was your father '
s servant previously ,
so I will now also be your servant ,'
then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me .
*
And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there ?
Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king '
s house ,
you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests .
*
Indeed they have there with them their two sons ,
Ahimaaz ,
Zadok '
s son ,
and Jonathan ,
Abiathar '
s son ;
and by them you shall send me everything you hear ."
*
So Hushai ,
David '
s friend ,
went into the city .
And Absalom came into Jerusalem .
*
When David was a little past the top of the mountain ,
there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth ,
who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys ,
and on them two hundred loaves of bread ,
one hundred clusters of raisins ,
one hundred summer fruits ,
and a skin of wine .
*
And the king said to Ziba , "
What do you mean to do with these ?"
So Ziba said , "
The donkeys are for the king '
s household to ride on ,
the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat ,
and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink ."
*
Then the king said , "
And where is your master '
s son ?"
And Ziba said to the king , "
Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem ,
for he said , "
Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me ."'
*
So the king said to Ziba , "
Here ,
all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours ."
And Ziba said , "
I humbly bow before you ,
that I may find favor in your sight ,
my lord ,
O king !"
*
Now when King David came to Bahurim ,
there was a man from the family of the house of Saul ,
whose name was Shimei the son of Gera ,
coming from there .
He came out ,
cursing continuously as he came .
*
And he threw 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 .
*
Also Shimei said thus when he cursed : "
Come out !
Come out !
You bloodthirsty man ,
you rogue !
*
The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul ,
in whose place you have reigned ;
and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son .
So now you are caught in your own evil ,
because you are a bloodthirsty man !"
*
Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king , "
Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king ?
Please ,
let me go over and take off his head !"
*
But the king said , "
What have I to do with you ,
you sons of Zeruiah ?
So let him curse ,
because the LORD has said to him , "
Curse David .'
Who then shall say , "
Why have you done so ?"'
*
And David said to Abishai and all his servants , "
See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life .
How much more now may this Benjamite ?
Let him alone ,
and let him curse ;
for so the LORD has ordered him .
*
It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction ,
and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day ."
*
And as David and his men went along the road ,
Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went ,
threw stones at him and kicked up dust .
*
Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary ;
so they refreshed themselves there .
*
Meanwhile Absalom and all the people ,
the men of Israel ,
came to Jerusalem ;
and Ahithophel was with him .
*
And so it was ,
when Hushai the Archite ,
David '
s friend ,
came to Absalom ,
that Hushai said to Absalom , "
Long live the king !
Long live the king !"
*
So Absalom said to Hushai , "
Is this your loyalty to your friend ?
Why did you not go with your friend ?"
*
And Hushai said to Absalom , "
No ,
but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose ,
his I will be ,
and with him I will remain .
* "
Furthermore ,
whom should I serve ?
Should I not serve in the presence of his son ?
As I have served in your father '
s presence ,
so will I be in your presence ."
*
Then Absalom said to Ahithophel , "
Give advice as to what we should do ."
*
And Ahithophel said to Absalom , "
Go in to your father '
s concubines ,
whom he has left to keep the house ;
and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father .
Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong ."
*
So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house ,
and Absalom went in to his father '
s concubines in the sight of all Israel .
*
Now the advice of Ahithophel ,
which he gave in those days ,
was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God .
So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom .
*
Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom , "
Now let me choose twelve thousand men ,
and I will arise and pursue David tonight .
*
I will come upon him while he is weary and weak ,
and make him afraid .
And all the people who are with him will flee ,
and I will strike only the king .
*
Then I will bring back all the people to you .
When all return except the man whom you seek ,
all the people will be at peace ."
*
And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel .
*
Then Absalom said , "
Now call Hushai the Archite also ,
and let us hear what he says too ."
*
And when Hushai came to Absalom ,
Absalom spoke to him ,
saying , "
Ahithophel has spoken in this manner .
Shall we do as he says ?
If not ,
speak up ."
*
So Hushai said to Absalom : "
The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time .
*
For ,"
said Hushai , "
you know your father and his men ,
that they are mighty men ,
and they are enraged in their minds ,
like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field ;
and your father is a man of war ,
and will not camp with the people .
*
Surely by now he is hidden in some pit ,
or in some other place .
And it will be ,
when some of them are overthrown at the first ,
that whoever hears it will say , "
There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom .'
*
And even he who is valiant ,
whose heart is like the heart of a lion ,
will melt completely .
For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man ,
and those who are with him are valiant men .
*
Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you ,
from Dan to Beersheba ,
like the sand that is by the sea for multitude ,
and that you go to battle in person .
*
So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found ,
and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground .
And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one .
*
Moreover ,
if he has withdrawn into a city ,
then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city ;
and we will pull it into the river ,
until there is not one small stone found there ."
*
So Absalom and all the men of Israel said , "
The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel ."
For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel ,
to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom .
*
Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests , "
Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel ,
and thus and so I have advised .
*
Now therefore ,
send quickly and tell David ,
saying , "
Do not spend this night in the plains of the wilderness ,
but speedily cross over ,
lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up ."'
*
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En Rogel ,
for they dared not be seen coming into the city ;
so a female servant would come and tell them ,
and they would go and tell King David .
*
Nevertheless a lad saw them ,
and told Absalom .
But both of them went away quickly and came to a man '
s house in Bahurim ,
who had a well in his court ;
and they went down into it .
*
Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well '
s mouth ,
and spread ground grain on it ;
and the thing was not known .
*
And when Absalom '
s servants came to the woman at the house ,
they said , "
Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan ?"
So the woman said to them , "
They have gone over the water brook ."
And when they had searched and could not find them ,
they returned to Jerusalem .
*
Now it came to pass ,
after they had departed ,
that they came up out of the well and went and told King David ,
and said to David , "
Arise and cross over the water quickly .
For thus has Ahithophel advised against you ."
*
So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan .
By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan .
*
Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed ,
he saddled a donkey ,
and arose and went home to his house ,
to his city .
Then he put his household in order ,
and hanged himself ,
and died ;
and he was buried in his father '
s tomb .
*
Then David went to Mahanaim .
And Absalom crossed over the Jordan ,
he and all the men of Israel with him .
*
And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab .
This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra ,
an Israelite ,
who had gone in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash ,
sister of Zeruiah ,
Joab '
s mother .
*
So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead .
*
Now it happened ,
when David had come to Mahanaim ,
that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon ,
Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar ,
and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ,
*
brought beds and basins ,
earthen vessels and wheat ,
barley and flour ,
parched grain and beans ,
lentils and parched seeds ,
*
honey and curds ,
sheep and cheese of the herd ,
for David and the people who were with him to eat .
For they said , "
The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness ."
*
And David numbered the people who were with him ,
and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them .
*
Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab ,
one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah ,
Joab '
s brother ,
and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite .
And the king said to the people , "
I also will surely go out with you myself ."
*
But the people answered , "
You shall not go out !
For if we flee away ,
they will not care about us ;
nor if half of us die ,
will they care about us .
But you are worth ten thousand of us now .
For you are now more help to us in the city ."
*
Then the king said to them , "
Whatever seems best to you I will do ."
So the king stood beside the gate ,
and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands .
*
Now the king had commanded Joab ,
Abishai ,
and Ittai ,
saying , "
Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom ."
And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom .
*
So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel .
And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim .
*
The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David ,
and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day .
*
For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside ,
and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured .
*
Then Absalom met the servants of David .
Absalom rode on a mule .
The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree ,
and his head caught in the terebinth ;
so he was left hanging between heaven and earth .
And the mule which was under him went on .
*
Now a certain man saw it and told Joab ,
and said , "
I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree !"
*
So Joab said to the man who told him , "
You just saw him !
And why did you not strike him there to the ground ?
I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt ."
*
But the man said to Joab , "
Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand ,
I would not raise my hand against the king '
s son .
For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai ,
saying , "
Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom !'
*
Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life .
For there is nothing hidden from the king ,
and you yourself would have set yourself against me ."
*
Then Joab said , "
I cannot linger with you ."
And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom '
s heart ,
while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree .
*
And ten young men who bore Joab '
s armor surrounded Absalom ,
and struck and killed him .
*
So Joab blew the trumpet ,
and the people returned from pursuing Israel .
For Joab held back the people .
*
And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods ,
and laid a very large heap of stones over him .
Then all Israel fled ,
everyone to his tent .
*
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself ,
which is in the King '
s Valley .
For he said , "
I have no son to keep my name in remembrance ."
He called the pillar after his own name .
And to this day it is called Absalom '
s Monument .
*
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said , "
Let me run now and take the news to the king ,
how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies ."
*
And Joab said to him , "
You shall not take the news this day ,
for you shall take the news another day .
But today you shall take no news ,
because the king '
s son is dead ."
*
Then Joab said to the Cushite , "
Go ,
tell the king what you have seen ."
So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran .
*
And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab , "
But whatever happens ,
please let me also run after the Cushite ."
So Joab said , "
Why will you run ,
my son ,
since you have no news ready ?"
* "
But whatever happens ,"
he said , "
let me run ."
So he said to him , "
Run ."
Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain ,
and outran the Cushite .
*
Now David was sitting between the two gates .
And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate ,
to the wall ,
lifted his eyes and looked ,
and there was a man ,
running alone .
*
Then the watchman cried out and told the king .
And the king said , "
If he is alone ,
there is news in his mouth ."
And he came rapidly and drew near .
*
Then the watchman saw another man running ,
and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said , "
There is another man ,
running alone !"
And the king said , "
He also brings news ."
*
So the watchman said , "
I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok ."
And the king said , "
He is a good man ,
and comes with good news ."
*
So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king , "
All is well !"
Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king ,
and said , "
Blessed be the LORD your God ,
who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king !"
*
The king said , "
Is the young man Absalom safe ?"
Ahimaaz answered , "
When Joab sent the king '
s servant and me your servant ,
I saw a great tumult ,
but I did not know what it was about ."
*
And the king said , "
Turn aside and stand here ."
So he turned aside and stood still .
*
Just then the Cushite came ,
and the Cushite said , "
There is good news ,
my lord the king !
For the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you ."
*
And the king said to the Cushite , "
Is the young man Absalom safe ?"
So the Cushite answered , "
May the enemies of my lord the king ,
and all who rise against you to do harm ,
be like that young man !"
*
Then the king was deeply moved ,
and went up to the chamber over the gate ,
and wept .
And as he went ,
he said thus : "
O my son Absalom--my son ,
my son Absalom--if only I had died in your place !
O Absalom my son ,
my son !"
*
And Joab was told , "
Behold ,
the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom ."