kjv 2Samuel:8-16 SEEK
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*
And after this it came to pass ,
that David smote the Philistines ,
and subdued them :
and David took Methegammah out of the hand of the Philistines .
*
And he smote Moab ,
and measured them with a line ,
casting them down to the ground ;
even with two lines measured he to put to death ,
and with one full line to keep alive .
And so the Moabites became David '
s servants ,
and brought gifts .
*
David smote also Hadadezer ,
the son of Rehob ,
king of Zobah ,
as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates .
*
And David took from him a thousand chariots ,
and seven hundred horsemen ,
and twenty thousand footmen :
and David houghed all the chariot horses ,
but reserved of them for an hundred chariots .
*
And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah ,
David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men .
*
Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus :
and the Syrians became servants to David ,
and brought gifts .
And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went .
*
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer ,
and brought them to Jerusalem .
*
And from Betah ,
and from Berothai ,
cities of Hadadezer ,
king David took exceeding much brass .
*
When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer ,
*
Then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David ,
to salute him ,
and to bless him ,
because he had fought against Hadadezer ,
and smitten him :
for Hadadezer had wars with Toi .
And Joram brought with him vessels of silver ,
and vessels of gold ,
and vessels of brass :
*
Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD ,
with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued ;
*
Of Syria ,
and of Moab ,
and of the children of Ammon ,
and of the Philistines ,
and of Amalek ,
and of the spoil of Hadadezer ,
son of Rehob ,
king of Zobah .
*
And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt ,
being eighteen thousand men .
*
And he put garrisons in Edom ;
throughout all Edom put he garrisons ,
and all they of Edom became David '
s servants .
And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went .
*
And David reigned over all Israel ;
and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people .
*
And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host ;
and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder ;
*
And Zadok the son of Ahitub ,
and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar ,
were the priests ;
and Seraiah was the scribe ;
*
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites ;
and David '
s sons were chief rulers .
*
And David said ,
Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul ,
that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan '
s sake ?
*
And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba .
And when they had called him unto David ,
the king said unto him ,
Art thou Ziba ?
And he said ,
Thy servant is he .
*
And the king said ,
Is there not yet any of the house of Saul ,
that I may shew the kindness of God unto him ?
And Ziba said unto the king ,
Jonathan hath yet a son ,
which is lame on his feet .
*
And the king said unto him ,
Where is he ?
And Ziba said unto the king ,
Behold ,
he is in the house of Machir ,
the son of Ammiel ,
in Lodebar .
*
Then king David sent ,
and fetched him out of the house of Machir ,
the son of Ammiel ,
from Lodebar .
*
Now when Mephibosheth ,
the son of Jonathan ,
the son of Saul ,
was come unto David ,
he fell on his face ,
and did reverence .
And David said ,
Mephibosheth .
And he answered ,
Behold thy servant !
*
And David said unto him ,
Fear not :
for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father '
s sake ,
and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father ;
and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually .
*
And he bowed himself ,
and said ,
What is thy servant ,
that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am ?
*
Then the king called to Ziba ,
Saul '
s servant ,
and said unto him ,
I have given unto thy master '
s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house .
*
Thou therefore ,
and thy sons ,
and thy servants ,
shall till the land for him ,
and thou shalt bring in the fruits ,
that thy master '
s son may have food to eat :
but Mephibosheth thy master '
s son shall eat bread alway at my table .
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants .
*
Then said Ziba unto the king ,
According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant ,
so shall thy servant do .
As for Mephibosheth ,
said the king ,
he shall eat at my table ,
as one of the king '
s sons .
*
And Mephibosheth had a young son ,
whose name was Micha .
And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth .
*
So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem :
for he did eat continually at the king '
s table ;
and was lame on both his feet .
*
And it came to pass after this ,
that the king of the children of Ammon died ,
and Hanun his son reigned in his stead .
*
Then said David ,
I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash ,
as his father shewed kindness unto me .
And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father .
And David '
s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon .
*
And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord ,
Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father ,
that he hath sent comforters unto thee ?
hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee ,
to search the city ,
and to spy it out ,
and to overthrow it ?
*
Wherefore Hanun took David '
s servants ,
and shaved off the one half of their beards ,
and cut off their garments in the middle ,
even to their buttocks ,
and sent them away .
*
When they told it unto David ,
he sent to meet them ,
because the men were greatly ashamed :
and the king said ,
Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown ,
and then return .
*
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David ,
the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob ,
and the Syrians of Zoba ,
twenty thousand footmen ,
and of king Maacah a thousand men ,
and of Ishtob twelve thousand men .
*
And when David heard of it ,
he sent Joab ,
and all the host of the mighty men .
*
And the children of Ammon came out ,
and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate :
and the Syrians of Zoba ,
and of Rehob ,
and Ishtob ,
and Maacah ,
were by themselves in the field .
*
When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind ,
he chose of all the choice men of Israel ,
and put them in array against the Syrians :
*
And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother ,
that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon .
*
And he said ,
If the Syrians be too strong for me ,
then thou shalt help me :
but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee ,
then I will come and help thee .
*
Be of good courage ,
and let us play the men for our people ,
and for the cities of our God :
and the LORD do that which seemeth him good .
*
And Joab drew nigh ,
and the people that were with him ,
unto the battle against the Syrians :
and they fled before him .
*
And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled ,
then fled they also before Abishai ,
and entered into the city .
So Joab returned from the children of Ammon ,
and came to Jerusalem .
*
And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel ,
they gathered themselves together .
*
And Hadarezer sent ,
and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river :
and they came to Helam ;
and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them .
*
And when it was told David ,
he gathered all Israel together ,
and passed over Jordan ,
and came to Helam .
And the Syrians set themselves in array against David ,
and fought with him .
*
And the Syrians fled before Israel ;
and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians ,
and forty thousand horsemen ,
and smote Shobach the captain of their host ,
who died there .
*
And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel ,
they made peace with Israel ,
and served them .
So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more .
*
And it came to pass ,
after the year was expired ,
at the time when kings go forth to battle ,
that David sent Joab ,
and his servants with him ,
and all Israel ;
and they destroyed the children of Ammon ,
and besieged Rabbah .
But David tarried still at Jerusalem .
*
And it came to pass in an eveningtide ,
that David arose from off his bed ,
and walked upon the roof of the king '
s house :
and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself ;
and the woman was very beautiful to look upon .
*
And David sent and enquired after the woman .
And one said ,
Is not this Bathsheba ,
the daughter of Eliam ,
the wife of Uriah the Hittite ?
*
And David sent messengers ,
and took her ;
and she came in unto him ,
and he lay with her ;
for she was purified from her uncleanness :
and she returned unto her house .
*
And the woman conceived ,
and sent and told David ,
and said ,
I am with child .
*
And David sent to Joab ,
saying ,
Send me Uriah the Hittite .
And Joab sent Uriah to David .
*
And when Uriah was come unto him ,
David demanded of him how Joab did ,
and how the people did ,
and how the war prospered .
*
And David said to Uriah ,
Go down to thy house ,
and wash thy feet .
And Uriah departed out of the king '
s house ,
and there followed him a mess of meat from the king .
*
But Uriah slept at the door of the king '
s house with all the servants of his lord ,
and went not down to his house .
*
And when they had told David ,
saying ,
Uriah went not down unto his house ,
David said unto Uriah ,
Camest thou not from thy journey ?
why then didst thou not go down unto thine house ?
*
And Uriah said unto David ,
The ark ,
and Israel ,
and Judah ,
abide in tents ;
and my lord Joab ,
and the servants of my lord ,
are encamped in the open fields ;
shall I then go into mine house ,
to eat and to drink ,
and to lie with my wife ?
as thou livest ,
and as thy soul liveth ,
I will not do this thing .
*
And David said to Uriah ,
Tarry here to day also ,
and to morrow I will let thee depart .
So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day ,
and the morrow .
*
And when David had called him ,
he did eat and drink before him ;
and he made him drunk :
and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord ,
but went not down to his house .
*
And it came to pass in the morning ,
that David wrote a letter to Joab ,
and sent it by the hand of Uriah .
*
And he wrote in the letter ,
saying ,
Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle ,
and retire ye from him ,
that he may be smitten ,
and die .
*
And it came to pass ,
when Joab observed the city ,
that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were .
*
And the men of the city went out ,
and fought with Joab :
and there fell some of the people of the servants of David ;
and Uriah the Hittite died also .
*
Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war ;
*
And charged the messenger ,
saying ,
When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king ,
*
And if so be that the king '
s wrath arise ,
and he say unto thee ,
Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight ?
knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall ?
*
Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth ?
did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall ,
that he died in Thebez ?
why went ye nigh the wall ?
then say thou ,
Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also .
*
So the messenger went ,
and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for .
*
And the messenger said unto David ,
Surely the men prevailed against us ,
and came out unto us into the field ,
and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate .
*
And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants ;
and some of the king '
s servants be dead ,
and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also .
*
Then David said unto the messenger ,
Thus shalt thou say unto Joab ,
Let not this thing displease thee ,
for the sword devoureth one as well as another :
make thy battle more strong against the city ,
and overthrow it :
and encourage thou him .
*
And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead ,
she mourned for her husband .
*
And when the mourning was past ,
David sent and fetched her to his house ,
and she became his wife ,
and bare him a son .
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD .
*
And the LORD sent Nathan unto David .
And he came unto him ,
and said unto him ,
There were two men in one city ;
the one rich ,
and the other poor .
*
The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds :
*
But the poor man had nothing ,
save one little ewe lamb ,
which he had bought and nourished up :
and it grew up together with him ,
and with his children ;
it did eat of his own meat ,
and drank of his own cup ,
and lay in his bosom ,
and was unto him as a daughter .
*
And there came a traveller unto the rich man ,
and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd ,
to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him ;
but took the poor man '
s lamb ,
and dressed it for the man that was come to him .
*
And David '
s anger was greatly kindled against the man ;
and he said to Nathan ,
As the LORD liveth ,
the man that hath done this thing shall surely die :
*
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold ,
because he did this thing ,
and because he had no pity .
*
And Nathan said to David ,
Thou art the man .
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel ,
I anointed thee king over Israel ,
and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul ;
*
And I gave thee thy master '
s house ,
and thy master '
s wives into thy bosom ,
and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ;
and if that had been too little ,
I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things .
*
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD ,
to do evil in his sight ?
thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword ,
and hast taken his wife to be thy wife ,
and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon .
*
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house ;
because thou hast despised me ,
and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife .
*
Thus saith the LORD ,
Behold ,
I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house ,
and I will take thy wives before thine eyes ,
and give them unto thy neighbour ,
and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun .
*
For thou didst it secretly :
but I will do this thing before all Israel ,
and before the sun .
*
And David said unto Nathan ,
I have sinned against the LORD .
And Nathan said unto David ,
The LORD also hath put away thy sin ;
thou shalt not die .
*
Howbeit ,
because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme ,
the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die .
*
And Nathan departed unto his house .
And the LORD struck the child that Uriah '
s wife bare unto David ,
and it was very sick .
*
David therefore besought God for the child ;
and David fasted ,
and went in ,
and lay all night upon the earth .
*
And the elders of his house arose ,
and went to him ,
to raise him up from the earth :
but he would not ,
neither did he eat bread with them .
*
And it came to pass on the seventh day ,
that the child died .
And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead :
for they said ,
Behold ,
while the child was yet alive ,
we spake unto him ,
and he would not hearken unto our voice :
how will he then vex himself ,
if we tell him that the child is dead ?
*
But when David saw that his servants whispered ,
David perceived that the child was dead :
therefore David said unto his servants ,
Is the child dead ?
And they said ,
He is dead .
*
Then David arose from the earth ,
and washed ,
and anointed himself ,
and changed his apparel ,
and came into the house of the LORD ,
and worshipped :
then he came to his own house ;
and when he required ,
they set bread before him ,
and he did eat .
*
Then said his servants unto him ,
What thing is this that thou hast done ?
thou didst fast and weep for the child ,
while it was alive ;
but when the child was dead ,
thou didst rise and eat bread .
*
And he said ,
While the child was yet alive ,
I fasted and wept :
for I said ,
Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me ,
that the child may live ?
*
But now he is dead ,
wherefore should I fast ?
can I bring him back again ?
I shall go to him ,
but he shall not return to me .
*
And David comforted Bathsheba his wife ,
and went in unto her ,
and lay with her :
and she bare a son ,
and he called his name Solomon :
and the LORD loved him .
*
And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet ;
and he called his name Jedidiah ,
because of the LORD .
*
And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon ,
and took the royal city .
*
And Joab sent messengers to David ,
and said ,
I have fought against Rabbah ,
and have taken the city of waters .
*
Now therefore gather the rest of the people together ,
and encamp against the city ,
and take it :
lest I take the city ,
and it be called after my name .
*
And David gathered all the people together ,
and went to Rabbah ,
and fought against it ,
and took it .
*
And he took their king '
s crown from off his head ,
the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones :
and it was set on David '
s head .
And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance .
*
And he brought forth the people that were therein ,
and put them under saws ,
and under harrows of iron ,
and under axes of iron ,
and made them pass through the brickkiln :
and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon .
So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem .
*
And it came to pass after this ,
that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister ,
whose name was Tamar ;
and Amnon the son of David loved her .
*
And Amnon was so vexed ,
that he fell sick for his sister Tamar ;
for she was a virgin ;
and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her .
*
But Amnon had a friend ,
whose name was Jonadab ,
the son of Shimeah David '
s brother :
and Jonadab was a very subtil man .
*
And he said unto him ,
Why art thou ,
being the king '
s son ,
lean from day to day ?
wilt thou not tell me ?
And Amnon said unto him ,
I love Tamar ,
my brother Absalom '
s sister .
*
And Jonadab said unto him ,
Lay thee down on thy bed ,
and make thyself sick :
and when thy father cometh to see thee ,
say unto him ,
I pray thee ,
let my sister Tamar come ,
and give me meat ,
and dress the meat in my sight ,
that I may see it ,
and eat it at her hand .
*
So Amnon lay down ,
and made himself sick :
and when the king was come to see him ,
Amnon said unto the king ,
I pray thee ,
let Tamar my sister come ,
and make me a couple of cakes in my sight ,
that I may eat at her hand .
*
Then David sent home to Tamar ,
saying ,
Go now to thy brother Amnon '
s house ,
and dress him meat .
*
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon '
s house ;
and he was laid down .
And she took flour ,
and kneaded it ,
and made cakes in his sight ,
and did bake the cakes .
*
And she took a pan ,
and poured them out before him ;
but he refused to eat .
And Amnon said ,
Have out all men from me .
And they went out every man from him .
*
And Amnon said unto Tamar ,
Bring the meat into the chamber ,
that I may eat of thine hand .
And Tamar took the cakes which she had made ,
and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother .
*
And when she had brought them unto him to eat ,
he took hold of her ,
and said unto her ,
Come lie with me ,
my sister .
*
And she answered him ,
Nay ,
my brother ,
do not force me ;
for no such thing ought to be done in Israel :
do not thou this folly .
*
And I ,
whither shall I cause my shame to go ?
and as for thee ,
thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel .
Now therefore ,
I pray thee ,
speak unto the king ;
for he will not withhold me from thee .
*
Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice :
but ,
being stronger than she ,
forced her ,
and lay with her .
*
Then Amnon hated her exceedingly ;
so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her .
And Amnon said unto her ,
Arise ,
be gone .
*
And she said unto him ,
There is no cause :
this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me .
But he would not hearken unto her .
*
Then he called his servant that ministered unto him ,
and said ,
Put now this woman out from me ,
and bolt the door after her .
*
And she had a garment of divers colours upon her :
for with such robes were the king '
s daughters that were virgins apparelled .
Then his servant brought her out ,
and bolted the door after her .
*
And Tamar put ashes on her head ,
and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her ,
and laid her hand on her head ,
and went on crying .
*
And Absalom her brother said unto her ,
Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee ?
but hold now thy peace ,
my sister :
he is thy brother ;
regard not this thing .
So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom '
s house .
*
But when king David heard of all these things ,
he was very wroth .
*
And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad :
for Absalom hated Amnon ,
because he had forced his sister Tamar .
*
And it came to pass after two full years ,
that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor ,
which is beside Ephraim :
and Absalom invited all the king '
s sons .
*
And Absalom came to the king ,
and said ,
Behold now ,
thy servant hath sheepshearers ;
let the king ,
I beseech thee ,
and his servants go with thy servant .
*
And the king said to Absalom ,
Nay ,
my son ,
let us not all now go ,
lest we be chargeable unto thee .
And he pressed him :
howbeit he would not go ,
but blessed him .
*
Then said Absalom ,
If not ,
I pray thee ,
let my brother Amnon go with us .
And the king said unto him ,
Why should he go with thee ?
*
But Absalom pressed him ,
that he let Amnon and all the king '
s sons go with him .
*
Now Absalom had commanded his servants ,
saying ,
Mark ye now when Amnon '
s heart is merry with wine ,
and when I say unto you ,
Smite Amnon ;
then kill him ,
fear not :
have not I commanded you ?
be courageous ,
and be valiant .
*
And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded .
Then all the king '
s sons arose ,
and every man gat him up upon his mule ,
and fled .
*
And it came to pass ,
while they were in the way ,
that tidings came to David ,
saying ,
Absalom hath slain all the king '
s sons ,
and there is not one of them left .
*
Then the king arose ,
and tare his garments ,
and lay on the earth ;
and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent .
*
And Jonadab ,
the son of Shimeah David '
s brother ,
answered and said ,
Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king '
s sons ;
for Amnon only is dead :
for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar .
*
Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart ,
to think that all the king '
s sons are dead :
for Amnon only is dead .
*
But Absalom fled .
And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes ,
and looked ,
and ,
behold ,
there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him .
*
And Jonadab said unto the king ,
Behold ,
the king '
s sons come :
as thy servant said ,
so it is .
*
And it came to pass ,
as soon as he had made an end of speaking ,
that ,
behold ,
the king '
s sons came ,
and lifted up their voice and wept :
and the king also and all his servants wept very sore .
*
But Absalom fled ,
and went to Talmai ,
the son of Ammihud ,
king of Geshur .
And David mourned for his son every day .
*
So Absalom fled ,
and went to Geshur ,
and was there three years .
*
And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom :
for he was comforted concerning Amnon ,
seeing he was dead .
*
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king '
s heart was toward Absalom .
*
And Joab sent to Tekoah ,
and fetched thence a wise woman ,
and said unto her ,
I pray thee ,
feign thyself to be a mourner ,
and put on now mourning apparel ,
and anoint not thyself with oil ,
but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead :
*
And come to the king ,
and speak on this manner unto him .
So Joab put the words in her mouth .
*
And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king ,
she fell on her face to the ground ,
and did obeisance ,
and said ,
Help ,
O king .
*
And the king said unto her ,
What aileth thee ?
And she answered ,
I am indeed a widow woman ,
and mine husband is dead .
*
And thy handmaid had two sons ,
and they two strove together in the field ,
and there was none to part them ,
but the one smote the other ,
and slew him .
*
And ,
behold ,
the whole family is risen against thine handmaid ,
and they said ,
Deliver him that smote his brother ,
that we may kill him ,
for the life of his brother whom he slew ;
and we will destroy the heir also :
and so they shall quench my coal which is left ,
and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth .
*
And the king said unto the woman ,
Go to thine house ,
and I will give charge concerning thee .
*
And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king ,
My lord ,
O king ,
the iniquity be on me ,
and on my father '
s house :
and the king and his throne be guiltless .
*
And the king said ,
Whosoever saith ought unto thee ,
bring him to me ,
and he shall not touch thee any more .
*
Then said she ,
I pray thee ,
let the king remember the LORD thy God ,
that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more ,
lest they destroy my son .
And he said ,
As the LORD liveth ,
there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth .
*
Then the woman said ,
Let thine handmaid ,
I pray thee ,
speak one word unto my lord the king .
And he said ,
Say on .
*
And the woman said ,
Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God ?
for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty ,
in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished .
*
For we must needs die ,
and are as water spilt on the ground ,
which cannot be gathered up again ;
neither doth God respect any person :
yet doth he devise means ,
that his banished be not expelled from him .
*
Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king ,
it is because the people have made me afraid :
and thy handmaid said ,
I will now speak unto the king ;
it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid .
*
For the king will hear ,
to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God .
*
Then thine handmaid said ,
The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable :
for as an angel of God ,
so is my lord the king to discern good and bad :
therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee .
*
Then the king answered and said unto the woman ,
Hide not from me ,
I pray thee ,
the thing that I shall ask thee .
And the woman said ,
Let my lord the king now 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 the king ,
none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken :
for thy servant Joab ,
he bade me ,
and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid :
*
To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing :
and my lord is wise ,
according to the wisdom of an angel of God ,
to know all things that are in the earth .
*
And the king said unto Joab ,
Behold now ,
I have done this thing :
go therefore ,
bring the young man Absalom again .
*
And Joab fell to the ground on his face ,
and bowed himself ,
and thanked the king :
and Joab said ,
To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight ,
my lord ,
O king ,
in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant .
*
So Joab arose and went to Geshur ,
and brought Absalom to Jerusalem .
*
And the king said ,
Let him turn to his own house ,
and let him not see my face .
So Absalom returned to his own house ,
and saw not the king '
s face .
*
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty :
from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him .
*
And when he polled his head , (
for it was at every year '
s end that he polled it :
because the hair was heavy on him ,
therefore he polled it :)
he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king '
s weight .
*
And unto Absalom there were born three sons ,
and one daughter ,
whose name was Tamar :
she was a woman of a fair countenance .
*
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem ,
and saw not the king '
s face .
*
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab ,
to have sent him to the king ;
but he would not come to him :
and when he sent again the second time ,
he would not come .
*
Therefore he said unto his servants ,
See ,
Joab '
s field is near mine ,
and he hath barley there ;
go and set it on fire .
And Absalom '
s servants set the field on fire .
*
Then Joab arose ,
and came to Absalom unto his house ,
and said unto him ,
Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire ?
*
And Absalom answered Joab ,
Behold ,
I sent unto thee ,
saying ,
Come hither ,
that I may send thee to the king ,
to say ,
Wherefore am I come from Geshur ?
it had been good for me to have been there still :
now therefore let me see the king '
s face ;
and if there be any iniquity in me ,
let him kill me .
*
So Joab came to the king ,
and told him :
and when he had called for Absalom ,
he came to the king ,
and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king :
and the king kissed Absalom .
*
And it came to pass after this ,
that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses ,
and fifty men to run before him .
*
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 .
*
And Absalom said unto him ,
See ,
thy matters are good and right ;
but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee .
*
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 !
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And the king said unto him ,
Go in peace .
So he arose ,
and went to Hebron .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And there came a messenger to David ,
saying ,
The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom .
*
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 .
*
And the king '
s servants said unto the king ,
Behold ,
thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint .
*
And the king went forth ,
and all his household after him .
And the king left ten women ,
which were concubines ,
to keep the house .
*
And the king went forth ,
and all the people after him ,
and tarried in a place that was far off .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 :
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
See ,
I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness ,
until there come word from you to certify me .
*
Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem :
and they tarried there .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 :
*
Unto whom David said ,
If thou passest on with me ,
then thou shalt be a burden unto me :
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
So Hushai David '
s friend came into the city ,
and Absalom came into Jerusalem .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And thus said Shimei when he cursed ,
Come out ,
come out ,
thou bloody man ,
and thou man of Belial :
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 ?
*
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 .
*
It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction ,
and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day .
*
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 .
*
And the king ,
and all the people that were with him ,
came weary ,
and refreshed themselves there .
*
And Absalom ,
and all the people the men of Israel ,
came to Jerusalem ,
and Ahithophel with him .
*
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 .
*
And Absalom said to Hushai ,
Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?
why wentest thou not with thy friend ?
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
Then said Absalom to Ahithophel ,
Give counsel among you what we shall do .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom ,
Let me now choose out twelve thousand men ,
and I will arise and pursue after David this night :