17 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.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which isin 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto
Joab, and ran.
22 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?
23 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.
24 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.
25 And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he bealone, there istidings
in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
26 And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and
said, Behold anotherman running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.
27 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 isa good man, and cometh with good tidings.
28 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 bethe LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men
that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.
29 And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent
the king's servant, and methy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.
30 And the king said unto him, Turn aside, andstand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.
31 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.
32 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 theehurt, be as thatyoung man
is.
33 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!
1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.
2 And the victory that day was turnedinto mourning unto all the people: for the people heard
say that day how the king was grieved for his son.
3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away
when they flee in battle.
4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O
Absalom, my son, my son!
5 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;
6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that
and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a
word of bringing the king back?
11 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, evento his house.
12 Ye aremy brethren, ye aremy bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring
back the king?
13 And say ye to Amasa, Artthou 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.
14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart ofone man; so that they
sent this wordunto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.
15 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.
16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which wasof Bahurim, hasted and came down with
the men of Judah to meet king David.
17 And there werea 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.
18 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;
19 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.
20 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.
21 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?
22 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 amthis day king over Israel?
23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
24 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 againin peace.
25 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?
26 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 islame.
27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king isas an angel
of God: do therefore what isgood in thine eyes.
28 For all ofmy 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?
29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou
and Ziba divide the land.
30 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.
31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king, to
conduct him over Jordan.
32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, evenfourscore years old: and he had provided the king of
sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he wasa very great man.
33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in
Jerusalem.
34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king
unto Jerusalem?
35 I amthis day fourscore years old: andcan 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?
36 Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why should the king
recompense it me with such a reward?
37 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.
38 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, thatwill I do for thee.
39 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.
40 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.
41 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?
42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king isnear 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?
43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king,
and we have also more rightin 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.
1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name wasSheba, 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.
2 So every man of Israel went up from after David, andfollowed Sheba the son of Bichri: but
the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.
3 And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women hisconcubines,
whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto
them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.
