Bible in 90 Days

¹¹ “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will bring misfortune upon you from within your own house. Before your very eyes I shall take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. ¹² You have done such deeds in secret, but I will do them in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’ ”

¹³ David’s Repentance. David said to Nathan: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied to David: “The Lord has decided to forgive your sin. You shall not die. ¹⁴ However, since you have shown your utter contempt for the Lord by this deed, the child born to you will die.”

¹⁵ After Nathan returned home, the Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and it fell gravely ill. ¹⁶ David, therefore, pleaded with God for the child. He maintained a strict fast, and throughout the night he would lie on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood around him, urging him to rise from the ground. However, he refused to do so, nor would he take food with them.

¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said: “While the child was alive, we spoke to him, but he refused to listen to us. How then can we inform him that the child is dead? He may do something desperate.” ¹⁹ However, David saw that his servants were whispering among themselves, and he realized that the child had died. He asked the servants: “Is the child dead?” They replied: “Yes, the child is dead.”

²⁰ David, thereupon, rose from the ground, bathed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He then went into the house of the Lord and worshiped before he returned to his own house. When he requested food, they set it before him, and he ate. ²¹ His servants said to him: “Why are you acting in this way? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive, but when the child died, you got up and ate food.”

²² David said: “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought: ‘Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to me and allow the child to live.’ ²³ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

^24 [a]David then proceeded to console his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and slept with her. As a result, she bore a son, whom they named Solomon. The Lord loved him, ²⁵ and he sent a message to the prophet Nathan instructing him to name the child Jedidiah according to the Lord’s wish.

²⁶ The Ammonite War Ends. Shortly thereafter, Joab attacked Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. ²⁷ Then Joab sent messengers to inform David: “I have assaulted Rabbah and gained control of the water supply. ²⁸ Therefore, assemble the rest of the soldiers, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I myself will capture the city, and then it will be named after me.”

²⁹ Without delay, David assembled the rest of his soldiers and went to Rabbah, where he assaulted the city and captured it. ³⁰ He took the crown of Milcom from his head. Weighing a talent of gold and encrusted with precious stones, it was placed on David’s head. He also carried out a tremendous amount of spoil from the city.

³¹ Furthermore, David led away the city’s inhabitants and set them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes or assigned them to toil at brickmaking. This was his regular procedure in regard to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and all of his soldiers returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 13

The Crime of Amnon. ¹ Sometime later the following events occurred. David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. ² Amnon was obsessed with her to the point that he became ill because of his love for his sister Tamar, since she was a virgin and Amnon felt it was impossible for him even to approach her.

³ However, Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimeah, and he was an extremely devious man. ⁴ He asked Amnon: “O son of the king, why do you appear to be so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon replied: “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”

⁵ Then Jonadab said to him: “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. When your father comes to visit you, say to him: ‘Please let my sister come and give me something to eat. Ask her to prepare the food in my presence for me to see and then eat it from her hand.’ ” ⁶ And so Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to visit him, Amnon said: “Please let my sister Tamar come and make some cakes before my eyes so that I can receive some nourishment from her hand.”

⁷ Then David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, saying: “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare some food for him.” ⁸ Therefore, Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon and found him lying in bed. She took dough and kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes.

⁹ Then Tamar took the pan and set out the cakes before him, but he refused to eat and ordered everyone else to leave the room. ¹⁰ Thereupon, Amnon said to Tamar: “Bring the food into the bedroom so that I may eat from your hand.” Therefore, Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to Amnon her brother.

¹¹ However, when she offered them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said: “Come to bed with me, my sister.” ¹² She answered him: “No, my brother! Do not force me! Such repulsive acts are not done in Israel. Do not commit such a vile act! ¹³ And as for me, where could I go to hide my shame? Moreover, you would be disgraced in Israel. Therefore, I beg you to speak to the king. He will not refuse you permission to marry me.”

¹⁴ Despite her entreaty, he would not listen to her. Rather, he overpowered her and raped her. ¹⁵ Then Amnon was seized with intense hatred for her, a hatred that was far greater than the love he had had for her. “Get up and leave,” he said. ¹⁶ But she answered: “No, my brother. If you send me away, that would be an even greater wrong^[b] than the other wrong you perpetrated against me.” However, he refused to listen to her.

¹⁷ Then Amnon summoned his personal attendant and said: “Take this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her!” ¹⁸ She was wearing a long gown with sleeves, for this is how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in those days. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long gown that she was wearing. Then, putting her hand on her head, she went away, weeping loudly.

²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her: “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this to heart.” Then Tamar, forlorn and inconsolable, went to live in the house of her brother Absalom.

^21 [c]When King David learned about all this, he became extremely angry. However, he did not punish his son Amnon because he was his firstborn and he loved him. ²² But Absalom refused to say a single word to Amnon, either good or bad, since he hated Amnon because he had raped his sister Tamar.

²³ Absalom’s Plot. Two years later, when Absalom had sheep-shearers at Baal-hazor, near Ephraim, he invited all of the king’s sons. ²⁴ Absalom went to the king and said: “Your servant has summoned the sheep-shearers to work. Will your majesty and his retinue please come?” ²⁵ The king replied: “No, my son. If we all were to go, we would prove to be a burden to you.” Absalom continued to urge him, but the king still refused to go, although he gave him his blessing.

²⁶ Absalom then said: “If you will not come, then please allow my brother Amnon to go with us.” The king replied: “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ However, Absalom continued to urge him, until finally the king allowed Amnon and all the other princes to go.

²⁸ Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king, and he instructed his servants: “Watch carefully! When Amnon is merry with wine and I say to you: ‘Strike down Amnon,’ then slay him. Do not be afraid. You will simply be obeying my command. Be courageous and act valiantly!”

²⁹ The Death of Amnon. When the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded, then all of the king’s sons leapt to their feet, mounted their mules, and fled. ³⁰ While they were still on the road, a report came to David that Absalom had slain all of the king’s sons and that not a single one of them had survived. ³¹ The king stood up, tore his garments, and threw himself on the ground. All of his servants who were standing around him also tore their garments.

³² However, Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said: “Let not my lord think that all the young princes, the sons of the king, have been killed. Amnon alone is dead, for Absalom has been determined to exact vengeance ever since the day that Amnon raped his sister Tamar. ³³ Therefore, my lord the king should not believe the report that all of the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴ Meanwhile Absalom had fled. When the man on sentry duty looked up, he saw a large group of people coming down the hill from the direction of Horonaim. Immediately he hastened to the king and reported: “I have seen men coming down the hill from Horonaim.”

³⁵ Jonadab said to the king: “Behold, the king’s sons have returned, just as I said they would.” ³⁶ No sooner had he finished speaking than the king’s sons arrived, weeping aloud. The king and all his servants also wept bitterly.

³⁷ Absalom, who had taken flight, went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur, ³⁸ and he remained in Geshur for three years.

³⁹ Efforts for Absalom’s Return. During all that time, David mourned over his son, but once he became reconciled to the death of Amnon, he yearned to be reconciled with Absalom.

Chapter 14

¹ Joab, the son of Zeruiah, ascertained that the king, in his heart, longed for Absalom, ² so he sent to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her: “Pretend to be a mourner. Dress yourself in mourning garments and do not anoint yourself with oil. Simply pretend to be a woman who has been grieving for the dead for many days. ³ Then go to the king and speak to him as I instruct you.” After that, Joab told her what she was to say.

⁴ When the woman of Tekoa approached the king, she fell prostrate to the ground in homage and said: “Please help me, O king.” ⁵ The king asked: “What can I do for you?” She replied: “As you can see I am a widow. My husband is dead. ⁶ Your servant had two sons, and they fought with one another in the field. There was no one around to separate them, and one of them struck the other and killed him.

⁷ “Now the entire family has risen against your servant and demanded: ‘Give up the man who killed his brother, so that we can put him to death to atone for the life of the brother whom he killed. Thus we shall get rid of the heir as well.’ Should they do this, they will extinguish my one remaining ember and leave my husband neither name nor posterity on the face of the earth.” ⁸ The king said to the woman: “Return home. I myself shall issue orders on your behalf.”

⁹ Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “My lord, let the guilt be on me and on my father’s house. The king and his throne will be without guilt.” ¹⁰ The king replied: “If anyone says something further that is threatening to you, have him brought to me, and he will never trouble you again.” ^11 [d]Then she said: “May the king keep the Lord, your God, in mind so that the avenger of blood will be prevented from killing any further and my son will not be destroyed.” The king swore: “As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”

¹² The woman continued further; “Please permit your servant to speak a further word to my lord the king.” He replied: “Speak.” ¹³ She said: “In pronouncing this verdict, has not the king condemned himself by devising something like this against the people of God, since you have refused to bring back your banished son? ¹⁴ We all must die. We are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. However, God does not take away a life. Rather, he devises ways that will enable us to avoid being estranged forever from him.

¹⁵ “I have dared to speak in this way to your majesty because the people have intimidated me. I thought: ‘Perhaps if I can speak to the king, he will grant the request of his servant. ¹⁶ He will surely listen to me and deliver his servant from the hands of those who seek to cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’ ¹⁷ And I further thought: ‘Perhaps the word of my lord the king will restore my peace of mind, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning between good and evil.’ May the Lord, your God, be with you.”

¹⁸ Then in reply the king said to the woman: “Do not be evasive in replying to the question I will now ask you.” The woman answered: “Let my lord the king present his question.” ¹⁹ Then the king asked: “Is not the hand of Joab behind you in all this?” The woman asserted: “As you live, my lord the king, no one can avoid being completely truthful in responding to what you ask. Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me and taught your servant all the things she was to say. ²⁰ Your servant Joab did this to present the situation in a different light. But my lord has the wisdom of an angel of God and is fully aware of everything that happens in the land.”

²¹ Absalom’s Return. Then the king said to Joab: “Very well. I grant this request. Go forth and bring back the young man Absalom.” ²² Then Joab fell prostrate to the ground in homage and blessed the king, saying: “My lord the king, today your servant knows that I have found favor with you, since the king has granted his servant’s request.”

²³ Then Joab set out immediately for Geshur and brought back Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴ But the king said: “Let him go to his own house. He shall not come into my presence.” Therefore, Absalom went to his own house and was not received by the king.

²⁵ In all Israel there was no one who was so highly praised for his beauty as Absalom, who did not have a single blemish from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. ²⁶ When he would cut the hair of his head—something he used to do at the close of every year because his hair became too heavy for him—the hair weighed two hundred shekels according to the royal standard. ²⁷ To Absalom three sons were born, and also one daughter whose name was Tamar and who was truly beautiful.^[e]

²⁸ Absalom Is Pardoned. Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without coming into the king’s presence. ²⁹ Then Absalom summoned Joab, wishing to send him with a message to the king, but Joab refused to come. He then sent for him a second time, but Joab still refused to come. ³⁰ Then Absalom instructed his servants: “Joab’s field adjoins mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire.” Therefore, Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.

³¹ Then Joab went to Absalom’s house and asked him: “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” ³² Absalom replied: “I sent word to you to come here so that I could send you to the king to give him this message from me: ‘Why did you summon me to come back from Geshur. I believe that I would be better off if I were still there. Let me now appear before the king. If I am guilty of anything, let him kill me.’ ”

³³ Joab then went before the king and reported this to him. Thereupon the king summoned Absalom, who came and prostrated himself before him, with his face to the ground. Then the king welcomed Absalom with a kiss.

Chapter 15

Absalom’s Plot. ¹ After this, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run on ahead of him. ² Absalom was accustomed to arise early and stand by the side of the road that led to the city gate. If someone had a lawsuit to bring before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and ask him: “Which town do you come from?” and that person would answer: “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”

³ Then Absalom would reply: “Your petition may be clearly valid and just, but there is no one who is authorized by the king to hear you.” ⁴ He would further add: “If only I were appointed as judge in the land, then everyone who has a lawsuit or a claim to be arbitrated could come to me, and I would ensure that he would have his case judged fairly.”

⁵ Moreover, whenever a man came before him and prostrated himself, Absalom would stretch out his hand, embrace him, and kiss him. ⁶ By behaving in such a manner to every Israelite who approached the king to seek justice, Absalom captured the affectionate loyalty of the people.

Conspiracy in Hebron. ⁷ After a period of four years had elapsed, Absalom said to the king: “Please allow me to go to Hebron so that I may fulfill the vow that I have made to the Lord. ⁸ For while I lived at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If the Lord ever brings me back to Jerusalem, then I shall worship the Lord in Hebron.’ ” ⁹ The king replied: “Depart in peace.” Therefore, Absalom arose and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel with this message: “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then shout: ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron.’ ”

¹¹ Two hundred men had accompanied Absalom from Jerusalem. They had been invited as guests and had gone with him in complete innocence, totally unaware of what was going on. ¹² Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, who was David’s counselor, and asked him to come from his town of Giloh to join him in offering the sacrifices. Thus the conspiracy grew in strength, and Absalom’s supporters continued to increase in numbers.

¹³ David Flees from Jerusalem. A messenger came to David with this report: “The men of Israel have transferred their allegiance to Absalom.” ¹⁴ Upon hearing this, David said to all of his officials who were with him in Jerusalem: “Get ready to depart! If we do not flee, then none of us will be able to escape from Absalom. Depart as quickly as you can, or he will soon overtake us and inflict disaster upon us and put the city to the sword.”^[f]

¹⁵ The king’s officials then replied: “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are prepared to follow your commands.” ¹⁶ Then the king set forth, followed by his entire household, aside from ten concubines whom he left behind to take care of the palace.

¹⁷ As the king moved on, followed by all the people, he halted at the last house, with the officials at his side. ¹⁸ As he watched, all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all of the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before him.

¹⁹ David and Ittai. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite: “Why should you also come with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. For you are a foreigner, and in addition you are also an exile from your own country. ²⁰ You arrived only yesterday. How can I ask you to wander about with us today when truly I do not know where I am going? Go back home, therefore, and take your countrymen with you, and may the Lord grant you his kindness and his faithful love.”

²¹ However, Ittai replied to the king: “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there your servant will also be.”

²² David then said to Ittai: “Go ahead, then, and march on!” Therefore, Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him. ²³ Everyone in the countryside wept aloud as the king and all the people crossed the Wadi Kidron and moved on toward the desert wilderness.^[g]

²⁴ David and the Priests. Zadok was also there, as well as all the Levites with him, as they carried the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God beside Abiathar until all those who were with them had marched out of the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok: “Take the Ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and permit me to see both the Ark and the place where it dwells. ²⁶ But if he says: ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then here I am. Let him do with me as he sees fit.”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest: “Aren’t you a seer? You and Abiathar can return safely into the city with your sons, your own son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. ²⁸ I shall wait at the fords of the wilderness until I receive word from you.” ²⁹ Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

³⁰ David then ascended to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot. All the people with him also covered their heads and wept as they went. ³¹ When it was revealed to David that Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom, he said: “O Lord, I beg you to turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.”

³² David and Hushai. When David arrived at the summit where God was worshiped, Hushai the Archite came forth to meet him with his tunic torn and with dirt upon his head. ³³ David said to him: “If you come with me, you will only be a burden to me. ³⁴ However, if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I was formerly your father’s servant, now I will be your servant,’ you will make it possible for me to frustrate the advice of Ahithophel.

³⁵ “The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you there. Report to them everything that you hear in the royal palace. ³⁶ Their two sons are there with them: Zadok’s son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. Through them you shall send word to me of everything you hear.”

³⁷ So David’s friend Hushai came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

Chapter 16

David and Ziba. ¹ When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, he was met by Ziba, the servant of Meribbaal. Ziba had with him a pair of saddled donkeys laden with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruits, and one skin of wine. ² The king said to Ziba: “What are you planning to do with these?” Ziba replied: “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the bread and the fruit are for the soldiers to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who fall exhausted in the desert.”

³ The king then asked: “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba replied: “He is staying in Jerusalem, for he said: ‘Today the house of Israel will restore to me my father’s kingdom.’ ” ⁴ Therefore, the king said to Ziba: “Everything that belonged to Meribbaal is yours.” Then Ziba replied: “I humbly pay you homage, my lord the king. May I always be considered to be worthy of being granted your favor.”

David and Shimei. ⁵ As King David was nearing Horonaim, he was approached by a man of the family of Saul. His name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and he was cursing as he drew near. ⁶ He threw stones at David and his servants, as well as at all the people and the soldiers on his right and on his left.

⁷ As he cursed, Shimei shouted: “Get out, get out, you murderous scoundrel! ⁸ The Lord has repaid all of you for the blood of the house of Saul whose sovereignty you have stolen, and the Lord has given the kingdom to your son Absalom. Now your wickedness has caught up with you, for you are a man of blood.”

⁹ Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king: “Why should this dead dog be allowed to curse my lord the king? Let me go over and behead him.” ¹⁰ However, the king said: “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord told him: ‘Curse David,’ who will then dare to say: ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and all his servants: “If my own son who was conceived from my loins is now seeking my life, how much more understandable is it that this Benjaminite is prepared to do so! Let him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has instructed him to do so. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look upon my wretched condition and grant me a blessing to repay me for the curses that I have been forced to endure this day.”

¹³ Therefore, David and his men resumed their journey, while Shimei kept abreast of him on the opposite hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones and flinging dust at him. ¹⁴ When the king and all the people with him reached the Jordan, they stopped there to rest, for they were exhausted.

¹⁵ Absalom’s Counselors.^[h] Meanwhile Absalom and all of the Israelites entered Jerusalem, and accompanying him was Ahithophel. ¹⁶ Then Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, approached Absalom and said to him: “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ Then Absalom asked Hushai: “Is this the way you show loyalty to your friend?” ¹⁸ Hushai replied to Absalom: “I intend to follow the man whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, and I will remain with him. ¹⁹ Besides, whom should I serve if not his son? Just as I served your father, so will I serve you.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel: “Give us your counsel on what you think we should do.” ²¹ Ahithophel replied to Absalom: “Go to your father’s concubines whom he left behind to take care of the palace and have relations with them. As a result, all Israel will hear that you have greatly antagonized your father, and the courage of all your supporters will be strengthened.” ²² Therefore, a tent was pitched for Absalom upon the roof, and in the sight of all Israel Absalom lay with his father’s concubines.

²³ Counsel of Ahithophel. Now in those days the counsel offered by Ahithophel was regarded as counsel presented by God himself. And that was how the counsel of Ahithophel was regarded by both David and Absalom.

Chapter 17

¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom: “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set forth in pursuit of David this very night. ² I plan to overtake him when he is weary and discouraged and to throw him into a panic. Then, when all the people who are with him flee, I will strike down only the king. ³ After that, I will bring all the people back to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You are seeking the death of only one man. The rest of the people will be unharmed.” ⁴ Absalom and all the elders of Israel found this plan to be satisfactory.

Counsel of Hushai. ⁵ Then Absalom said: “Now also summon Hushai the Archite, and let us hear what he has to say.” ⁶ When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him: “This is what Ahithophel suggested. Shall we do as he advises? If not, give us your ideas in this regard.”

⁷ Hushai replied to Absalom: “On this particular occasion Ahithophel has not offered good advice.” ⁸ Then he went on to say: “You well know that your father and his men are warriors and that they are as fierce as a bear in the wilderness who has been robbed of her cubs. In addition, your father is unsurpassed in devising strategy, and he will not spend the night with the troops.

⁹ “You can be certain that even now he has concealed himself in a cave or some other place. And if some of our troops should be slain during the first attack, the word will quickly spread that the followers of Absalom have been slaughtered. ¹⁰ Then even the most valiant of our warriors, with courage like that of a lion, will shrink away in fear. For all Israel well knows that your father is a warrior and that those who serve with him are brave.

¹¹ “This is the advice that I offer to you. Summon all Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, to be gathered in support of you, and be at their side as they march into battle. ¹² When we catch up with him, wherever he may be found, we shall then attack him and descend upon him as the dew falls upon the ground. He will not survive, nor will any of those with him. ¹³ And if he should withdraw into a town, all Israel shall bring ropes into that town, and we shall drag it down into a gorge so that not even a single remnant of it can be found there.”

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the Israelites declared: “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is superior to that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the shrewd advice of Ahithophel and thereby bring disaster on Absalom.

¹⁵ David Told of the Plan. Then Hushai said to the priests Zadok and Abiathar: “This is the counsel that Ahithophel gave to Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I advised. ¹⁶ Therefore, send a warning to David without delay and tell him: ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert, but cross over as quickly as you can. Otherwise the king and all the people with him may be annihilated.’ ”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A servant girl used to go there and report to them what was happening, and then they would go and inform King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. ¹⁸ However, a young lad saw them and informed Absalom. Therefore, the two of them ran off quickly and went to the house of a man in Horonaim. He had a cistern in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.

¹⁹ The man’s wife then took a covering, stretched it out over the cistern, and strewed crushed grain on it so that nothing would be noticed. ²⁰ When the servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house, they asked: “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied: “They went by here a short while ago and went toward the water.” They continued their pursuit, but when they found no sight of them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ After they had departed, the two men climbed out of the cistern and went to warn King David. “Leave immediately and cross the water quickly,” they said, as they related to him how Ahithophel had decided to proceed against him. ²² Therefore, David and all of the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By dawn there was not a single one left who had not crossed to the opposite bank of the Jordan.

²³ When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and departed straight home to his own town. Then, having left detailed instructions to ensure the well-being of his family, he hanged himself. He died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴ By the time that Absalom had crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel, David had already reached Mahanaim. ²⁵ Absalom had appointed Amasa to be commander of the army in Joab’s place. Amasa was the son of a man called Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah. ²⁶ The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the territory of Gilead.

²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, he was greeted by Shobi, the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir, the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim. ²⁸ They brought bedding, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, ²⁹ honey and curds, and cheese from the flocks and herds for David and the people with him to eat, as they said: “Your troops must have been hungry and thirsty and exhausted in the desert.”

Chapter 18

Preparation for Battle. ¹ David mustered the men who were with him, and he appointed commanders to be in charge of units of a thousand and units of a hundred.^{[i] 2} Then David divided his army into three groups: one under the command of Joab, another under the command of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Joab, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. After that, the king said to the soldiers: “I myself will also march forth with you.”

³ However, the soldiers replied: “You must not come with us. If we are forced to flee, they will not be concerned about us, not even if half of us should die. However, you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better if you remain in the city to supply whatever help we may need.”

⁴ The king said to them: “I shall do whatever seems best to you.” Then he stood beside the gate while all the soldiers marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵ He also gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with the young man Absalom.” And all of the soldiers heard the king give this directive to the commanders in regard to Absalom.

Defeat of Absalom. ⁶ Then the army marched into the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim. ⁷ The Israelite forces were defeated there by the forces of David, and the casualties numbered twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread over the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Death of Absalom. ⁹ Meanwhile, Absalom, by chance, happened to encounter some of David’s men. He was riding on his mule, and as it passed under the thick branches of a large oak, his head became caught in its branches, and he was left hanging in midair while the mule he had been riding continued on. ¹⁰ Someone who had seen this reported to Joab: “I saw Absalom hanging from an oak.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had informed him: “If you actually saw him, why then did you not strike him to the ground then and there? I would have willingly given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”

¹² However, the man replied to Joab: “Even if you were to weigh out a thousand shekels of silver and place them in the palm of my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai: ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ¹³ On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously with Absalom and thereby placed my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—then you would have dissociated yourself from me.”

¹⁴ Joab then answered him bluntly: “I cannot waste my time arguing with you.” Thereupon he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive, hanging in midair from the oak tree. ¹⁵ Then ten young men who served as Joab’s armor-bearers closed in on Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶ After that, Joab ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and the soldiers ceased their pursuit of Israel because he had ordered them to halt. ¹⁷ They picked up Absalom, flung his body into a large pit in the forest, and piled up a great mound of stones over him. Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their tents.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it for himself in the King’s Valley, for he said: “I have no son to perpetuate the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and to the present day it is still called Absalom’s Monument.

¹⁹ David Told of Absalom’s Death. Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab: “Grant me permission to take the good news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.” ²⁰ But Joab replied: “Today you would not be the bearer of good news. On some other day, you may do so, but you shall not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Then Joab said to an Ethiopian: “Go forth and report to the king what you have witnessed.” The Ethiopian bowed down before Joab and ran off. ²² Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, again said to Joab: “Come what may, allow me to run after the Ethiopian.”

Joab replied: “My son, why do you wish to go? You will not receive any reward for the news you bring.” ²³ “Come what may,” he answered, “I want to run.” Joab finally relented, and he said: “I grant you leave to depart.” Then Ahimaaz sped off by way of the plain of the Jordan and outran the Ethiopian.

²⁴ While David was sitting between the inner and the outer wall, a sentry went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he looked up, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵ The sentry called down to the king and reported this to him. “If he is alone,” said the king, “he has some news to tell us.”

²⁶ As the man continued to draw nearer, the sentry beheld another man running, and he shouted to the gatekeeper, saying: “Look! Here comes another man running alone.” The king asserted: “He must also be bringing good news.” ²⁷ The sentry added: “The first one runs just like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” The king replied: “He is a good man, and I feel certain that he comes with good news to report.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king: “All is well!” After that he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said: “Blessed be the Lord, your God, for he has delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”

²⁹ Thereupon the king asked: “Is all well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered: “When the king’s servant Joab sent your servant forth, I was aware of a great commotion, but I do not know what it was all about.” ³⁰ The king said: “Stand off to the side and wait over there.” Therefore, he stepped aside and remained there.

³¹ When the Ethiopian arrived, he said: “I bring good news for my lord the king. For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all those who rebelled against you.” ³² Then the king asked the Ethiopian: “Has all gone well with the young man Absalom?” The Ethiopian answered: “May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up to harm you share the fate of that young man.”

³³ Greatly shaken, the king went up to the chamber over the gate, weeping incessantly. And as he went, he cried out: “O my son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”^[j]

Chapter 19

Joab Reproves David. ¹ Word was brought to Joab: “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ² Therefore, that day’s victory was turned into one of mourning for the entire army when the troops heard the report: “The king is grieving for his son.”

³ The troops stole furtively into the city that day, much as soldiers steal in who are ashamed when they flee from a battle. ⁴ Meanwhile the king covered his face and cried out in a loud voice: “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵ Then Joab came to the king’s house and said to him: “Today you have caused all of your officers and servants to feel ashamed, humiliating those who saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives and concubines, ⁶ by showing love for those who hate you and hatred for those who love you.

“You have made it perfectly clear that your commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I feel certain that if Absalom were still alive and all the rest of us were dead, then you would be pleased. ⁷ Therefore, get up, come out, and reassure your servants. I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, not one man will be left with you by nightfall, and that will be worse for you than all the calamities you have endured from your youth until now.”

⁸ On hearing these words, the king arose and took his seat at the gate. When it was announced to the troops: “The king is sitting at the gate,” they all assembled there before him.

The Reconciliation. Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their homes. ⁹ However, throughout all the tribes of Israel, there was great dissension, and the people were arguing among themselves, saying: “The king delivered us from the clutches of our enemies and rescued us from the hands of the Philistines. But now he has fled from the country to escape from Absalom. ¹⁰ However, Absalom, whom we anointed to reign over us, has fallen in battle. Why, then, does no one offer the suggestion that we should restore the king to his palace?”

¹¹ When King David learned of the debate that was ensuing throughout Israel, he sent this message to the priests Zadok and Abiathar: “Say to the elders of Judah: ‘Why should you be the last to bring back the king to his palace? ¹² You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. Why then should you be the last to bring the king home?’

¹³ “And say to Amasa: ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh?^[k] May God deal with me in the most severe way possible if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab.’ ” ¹⁴ With those words, David won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man, and they sent this message to the king: “Return, both you and all who serve you.”

¹⁵ David and Shimei. When the king on his return reached the Jordan, the men of Judah came to Gilgal to greet him and escort him across the river. ¹⁶ Shimei, the son of Gera the Benjaminite, from Horonaim, hurried down with the men of Judah to welcome King David.

¹⁷ Accompanying Shimei were one thousand men from Benjamin. Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, together with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, hastened to the Jordan ahead of the king. ¹⁸ They crossed at the ford to transport the king’s household and to do whatever the king requested.

When Shimei, the son of Gera, crossed the Jordan, he threw himself down before the king, ¹⁹ and he said: “I entreat my lord not to hold me guilty or to remember how shamefully I behaved on the day my lord the king departed from Jerusalem. I beg you not to hold my guilt against me. ²⁰ I humbly admit that I have sinned. Today I am the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”

²¹ However, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, objected, saying: “Should not Shimei be put to death because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” ²² David replied: “Of what concern are my decisions to you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you have become my adversary? Should anyone be put to death this day in Israel? Am I not fully aware that today I am king of Israel?” ²³ Then the king said to Shimei: “You shall not die,” and he confirmed that with an oath.

²⁴ David and Meribbaal. Meribbaal, the grandson of Saul, also came down to greet the king. He had not bathed his feet or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he returned safely.

²⁵ When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him: “Why did you not go with me, Meribbaal?” ²⁶ He said: “My lord the king, my servant betrayed me. Since your servant is lame, I said to him: ‘Saddle a donkey for me so that I may ride on it and accompany the king.’

²⁷ “However, he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But I well know that your majesty is like an angel of God. Do what you judge to be best. ²⁸ Although my father’s entire family deserved to die at your majesty’s hands, you placed me, your servant, among those who eat at your table. What right do I have to make any further appeals to the king?”

²⁹ However, the king said to him: “There is no necessity for you to say anything further. I have decided that you and Ziba shall divide the property equally.” ³⁰ Meribbaal replied to the king: “Let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has arrived home safely.”

³¹ David and Barzillai. Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he accompanied the king to the Jordan, where he then planned to take leave of him. ³² Barzillai was quite elderly, eighty years old. He was the one who had provided for the king during David’s stay at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.

³³ The king said to Barzillai: “Cross over with me and stay with me as my guest, and I will provide for you in Jerusalem.” ³⁴ But Barzillai replied to the king: “How many more years do I have to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ I am now eighty years old. Can I distinguish between what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singing? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?

³⁶ “Your servant will go a short distance across the Jordan with the king. That hardly makes me worthy to receive such a generous reward. ³⁷ Please allow your servant to return to his own town and end his days there, near the graves of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king, and then do for him whatever you think is right.”

³⁸ The king replied: “Chimham shall cross over with me. I shall do for him whatever you wish, and whatever you request from me, I will do for you.” ³⁹ Thereupon all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king also crossed over. After the king had kissed Barzillai and blessed him, Barzillai returned to his home. ⁴⁰ Then the king continued on his journey to Gilgal, accompanied by Chimham.

Israel and Judah Quarrel. All the people of Judah and half the people of Israel had escorted the king across the river. ⁴¹ Before long, all the men of Israel came to the king and complained: “Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you away and joined with all David’s men in escorting the king and his household across the Jordan?” ⁴² Then all the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel: “We did so because the king is our close relative. What right do you have to complain about this? Have we eaten anything at the king’s expense? Have we received any gifts from him?”

⁴³ The men of Israel retorted to the men of Judah: “We have ten shares in the king. In addition, we have a greater claim than you do. Why do you continue to slight us? Were we not the first ones to suggest the possibility of bringing back the king?” However, the words of the men of Judah were even more vitriolic than the words of the men of Israel.

Chapter 20

Sheba’s Rebellion. ¹ A trouble-making scoundrel named Sheba, the son of Bichri and a Benjaminite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and cried out:

² When they heard this, all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba, the son of Bichri. However, the people of Judah maintained their loyalty to the king and followed him steadfastly all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³ When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines whom he had left behind to look after the palace, and he put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but he did not engage in relations with them. They were shut up in confinement until the day of their death, living as if they were widows.

Amasa’s Death. ⁴ Then the king said to Amasa: “Summon the men of Judah and order them to appear before me within three days.” ⁵ Amasa set out to summon the men of Judah, but his mission took longer than the time specified by the king.

⁶ Then David said to Abishai: “Sheba, son of Bichri, may very well prove to do greater damage to us than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him before he can reach any fortified towns and escape from us.” ⁷ Therefore, Joab’s forces, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all of the most skilled warriors marched out under the command of Abishai and left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba, son of Bichri.

⁸ When they arrived at the large stone in Gibeon, Amasa came forth from the opposite direction to meet them. Joab was wearing his tunic, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened at his waist. As he moved forward, the sword fell loose from his sheath. ⁹ Then Joab said to Amasa: “I trust that you are well, my brother.” Having said that, Joab grasped Amasa’s beard with his right hand as if to kiss him.

¹⁰ Amasa was not on his guard and failed to notice the sword in Joab’s left hand. Joab struck him with it in the belly so that his entrails poured forth to the ground. He did not find it necessary to strike a second blow, since Amasa had died instantaneously. Then Joab set forth with his brother Abishai in pursuit of Sheba, son of Bichri.

¹¹ One of Joab’s men stood on guard next to the body of Amasa, and he shouted: “Follow Joab, all those of you who favor Joab and support David!” ¹² Meanwhile Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man who had exhorted all of his fellow soldiers to follow Joab saw that everyone was stopping to stare at the body. Therefore, he carried Amasa’s body from the road and placed it in a field, with a garment covering the corpse. ¹³ Once the body had been removed from the road, all the men moved on and followed Joab in pursuit of Sheba, son of Bichri.

¹⁴ Joab Pursues Sheba. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel until he arrived at Abel-beth-maacah.^[l] Shortly afterward, all of the Bichrites assembled and followed him into the town. ¹⁵ Joab’s forces then arrived and besieged him in Abel-beth-maacah. After they threw up a siege ramp against the town, all of Joab’s forces began to batter the wall to throw it down.

^16 [m]Suddenly a wise woman stood on the rampart and shouted from the town: “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him.” ¹⁷ When Joab approached her, the woman asked: “Are you Joab?” He answered: “I am.” She continued: “Listen to what your maidservant has to say.” He replied: “I am listening.”

¹⁸ She then spoke as follows: “In the old days they used to say: ‘Go to Abel if you wish to find the answer,’ and in that way a matter would be settled. ¹⁹ This town prides itself on being one of the most peaceful and loyal in Israel. She is like a faithful mother, and yet you are seeking to destroy her. Why do you seek to devour the inheritance of the Lord?”

²⁰ Joab replied: “Not at all! Far be it from me to devour or to destroy anything. ²¹ That is not the case at all. However, a man from the hill country of Ephraim, named Sheba, son of Bichri, has rebelled against King David. If you surrender to us just this one man, I will withdraw from the town.” The woman said to Joab: “His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”

²² Then the woman went to confer with all the people, and they followed her advice, cutting off the head of Sheba, son of Bichri, and throwing it to Joab. Thereupon he sounded the trumpet, and all of his forces withdrew from the town, each to his own home while Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

²³ David’s Officials. Joab was the commander of the entire army in Israel. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites. ²⁴ Adoram was in charge of the forced labor. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the recorder. ²⁵ Sheva was the secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were priests. ²⁶ Ira the Jairite was also David’s priest.

Appendices^[n]

Chapter 21

Gibeonite Vengeance.^{[o] 1} During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years. Therefore, David consulted the Lord, who said: “Saul and his family have incurred bloodguilt because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ² Thereupon the king summoned the Gibeonites and conferred with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; rather they were a remnant of the Amorites. Although the Israelites had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to exterminate them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

³ David said to the Gibeonites: “What can I do for you? How shall I atone for our treatment of you so that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” ⁴ The Gibeonites replied: “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul and his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone to death.” “Then what do you want me to do for you?” asked David.

⁵ They said to the king: “We cannot forget that man who destroyed us and planned to annihilate us so that we would never be able to have a place in the territory of Israel. ⁶ Please hand over to us seven of his male descendants, so that we may dismember them before the Lord at Gibeon on the mountain of the Lord.” The king replied: “I will hand them over to you.”

⁷ However, the king spared Meribbaal, the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that bound together David and Saul’s son Jonathan. ⁸ But the king took Armoni and Meribbaal, the two sons that Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab whom she had borne to Adriel, the son of Barzillai of Meholah. ⁹ He surrendered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, who dismembered them on the mountain before the Lord. All seven of them perished together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.

¹⁰ Then Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it out on a rock for herself, from the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell from the heavens upon the bodies. She kept the birds of the sky away from the bodies by day and the wild beasts by night.

¹¹ When David was informed about what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, the concubine of Saul, had done, ¹² he went forth and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh-gilead, who had absconded with them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up after they had killed Saul on Gilboa.

¹³ After David had removed from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan, he also gathered up the bones of those who had been slain and dismembered. ¹⁴ The bones of Saul and his son Jonathan were buried at Zela, in the territory of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After all of the king’s commands had been carried out, God answered prayers that were offered up on behalf of the country.

¹⁵ Exploits in Philistine Wars.^[p] Once again the Philistines went to war against Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, but he began to grow weary. ¹⁶ Ishbi-benob one of the descendants of the Rephaim, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was wielding new weapons, boasted that he would have no difficulty in slaying David.

¹⁷ However, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, came to David’s rescue, attacking the Philistine and slaying him. Then David’s men swore to him this oath: “Never again must you go forth with us to engage in battle, lest the lamp of Israel be extinguished.”

¹⁸ After this, war again broke out with the Philistines in Gob. On that occasion, Sibbecai of Husha killed Saph, one of the Rephaim. ¹⁹ Shortly afterward there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan, the son of Jair from Bethlehem killed Goliath of Gath, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

²⁰ There was yet another battle which took place at Gath, where a giant appeared with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from the Rephaim. ²¹ When he started to taunt Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him.

²² These four giants were descendants of the Rephaim in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his servants.

Chapter 22^[q]

Song of Thanksgiving. ¹ David sang to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hands of Saul. ² He sang: