Bible in 90 Days

¹¹ Thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

¹² For thou hast done it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

¹³ Then David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also has taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

¹⁴ However, because by this deed, thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme; the son that is born unto thee shall surely die.

¹⁵ ¶ And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife had given birth unto David, and it was very sick.

¹⁶ David, therefore, besought God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night upon the earth.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. And the slaves of David feared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice; how much more will it trouble him if we tell him that the child is dead?

¹⁹ But when David saw that his slaves whispered, David understood that the child was dead; therefore, David said unto his slaves, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

²⁰ Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes and came into the house of the LORD and worshipped. Then he came to his own house; and when he asked, they set bread before him, and he ate.

²¹ Then his slaves said unto him, What 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.

²² And he replied, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will have mercy on me, that the child may 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 shall not return to me.

²⁴ And David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and went in unto her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Solomon; {Heb. peace offering} and the LORD loved him.

²⁵ And he sent by the hand of Nathan, the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, {Heb. beloved of the LORD} by the LORD.

²⁶ ¶ And Joab fought against Rabbah, of the sons of Ammon, and took the royal city.

²⁷ Then Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah and have taken the city of waters.

²⁸ 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.

²⁹ And David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.

³⁰ And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight of which 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.

³¹ 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 sons of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.

13 ¶ And it came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of David, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar, and Amnon, the son of David, loved her.

² And Amnon was so distressed that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it difficult for him to do any thing to her.

³ But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, and Jonadab was a very astute man.

⁴ And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, becoming thinner from day to day? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.

⁵ And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed and pretend to be sick; and when thy father comes to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come and give me food and make the food in my sight that I may see it and eat it at her hand.

⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick, and when the king came 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.

⁷ Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house and make him something to eat.

⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying down. And she took flour and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.

⁹ Then she took a pan and poured them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Send everyone out from me. And they all went out from him.

¹⁰ Then Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon, her brother.

¹¹ 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.

¹² And she answered him, No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not commit this folly.

¹³ And I, where shall I go with my reproach? 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.

¹⁴ Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice, but, being stronger than she, forced her and lay with her.

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her exceedingly so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

¹⁶ 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.

¹⁷ Then he called his servant that ministered unto him and said, Put now this woman out from me and bolt the door after her.

¹⁸ And she had a garment of different 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.

¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes on her head and rent her garment of different colours that was on her and laid her hand on her head and went on crying.

²⁰ And Absalom, her brother, said unto her, Has Amnon thy brother been with thee? But now remain silent, my sister; he is thy brother; do not regard this thing in thy heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.

²¹ ¶ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

²² And Absalom spoke neither good nor bad unto his brother Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.

²³ 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.

²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy slave has sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his slaves go with thy slave.

²⁵ And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him; however, he would not go but blessed him.

²⁶ 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?

²⁷ But because Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ 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 I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

²⁹ And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and they all got upon their mules and fled.

³⁰ ¶ And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the rumour came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.

³¹ Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth; and all his slaves stood by with their clothes rent.

³² And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead, for by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

³³ Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead.

³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there came many people by the way of the side of the mountain behind him.

³⁵ And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come; as thy slave said, so it is.

³⁶ 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 slaves wept very sore.

³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

³⁸ So after Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he was there three years.

³⁹ And King David longed to see Absalom, for he was now comforted concerning Amnon, who was dead.

14 ¶ Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom.

² And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought an astute woman from there and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner and put on mourning apparel and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman that has mourned for a long time for someone who is dead

³ and come to the king and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴ And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said, Save me, O king.

⁵ And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

⁶ And thy handmaid had two sons, and the two strove together in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.

⁷ And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy 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. So they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

⁸ And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give a command concerning thee.

⁹ And the woman of Tekoa 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.

¹⁰ And the king said, Whoever speaks against thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

¹¹ Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou will not allow the avengers {Heb. redeemers} of blood to increase the damage by destroying my son. And he said, As the LORD lives, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

¹² Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

¹³ And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this word as one who is guilty in that the king does not bring home again his banished.

¹⁴ For it is certain that we die and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither does God respect any person; yet he does devise means that his outcasts not be expelled from him.

¹⁵ Now, therefore, that I have come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. But thy handmaid said to herself, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the word of his handmaid.

¹⁶ 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.

¹⁷ Then thy handmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil; and let the LORD thy God be with thee.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, By the life of thy soul, my lord the king, I can not turn to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for thy slave Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

²⁰ to bring about this form of speech thy slave Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know that which is done in the earth.

²¹ ¶ Then the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing; go, therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

²² And Joab fell to the ground on his face and worshipped and blessed the king, and Joab said, Today thy slave knows that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the word of his slave.

²³ So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

²⁴ But the king said, Let him go to his own house and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king’s face.

²⁵ And in all Israel there was no one to be so greatly 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.

²⁶ And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year’s end that he shaved it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore, he shaved it), the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.

²⁷ And unto Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar, who was a beautiful woman to behold.

²⁸ ¶ So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and did not see the king’s face.

²⁹ 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.

³⁰ Therefore, he said unto his slaves, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s slaves set the field on fire.

³¹ Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said unto him, Why have thy slaves set my field on fire?

³² And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I have sent for thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to have been there still. Now, therefore, let me see the king’s face; and if there is any iniquity in me, let him kill me.

³³ So Joab came to the king and told him. Then he called Absalom, who came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

15 ¶ And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared himself chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him.

² And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate; and when anyone that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto them and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy slave is of one of the tribes of Israel.

³ And Absalom would say unto them, See, thy matters are good and just; but there is no one delegated by the king to hear thee.

⁴ And Absalom would say, Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that everyone who has any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

⁵ And it was so, that when anyone came near unto him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.

⁶ And Absalom did according to this manner with all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of those of Israel.

⁷ ¶ And at the end of a predetermined period of forty years, it came to pass that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go to Hebron and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD.

⁸ For thy slave 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.

⁹ And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the shofar, then ye shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron.

¹¹ And two hundred men of Jerusalem went with Absalom, that were invited by him, and they went in their integrity, without knowing anything.

¹² Absalom also sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, of David’s counsel, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

¹³ ¶ And the word came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

¹⁴ Then David said unto all his slaves that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not otherwise 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.

¹⁵ And the king’s slaves said unto the king, Behold, thy slaves are ready to do whatever my lord the king shall choose.

¹⁶ And the king went forth and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, who were concubines, to keep the house.

¹⁷ And the king went forth and all the people after him and stopped in a place that was far off.

¹⁸ And all his slaves passed to his side, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come on foot with him from Gath, went before the king.

¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai, the Gittite, Why dost thou also go with us? Return to thy place and abide with the king; for thou art a stranger and also an exile.

²⁰ Whereas thou didst come but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? Seeing I go where I go, return thou and take back thy brethren; mercy and truth are in thee.

²¹ And Ittai answered the king and said, As the LORD lives and as my lord the king lives, for life or for death, wherever my lord the king shall be, there also will thy slave be.

²² Then David said to Ittai, Go, therefore, and pass. And Ittai, the Gittite, passed and all his men and all the little ones that were with him.

²³ And all those of the land wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed the brook Kidron; and then the king also passed, and all the people passed unto the way of the wilderness.

²⁴ ¶ And behold Zadok also and with him all the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of God, and they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up after all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ But the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city; if I shall find grace in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again and show me both it and his tabernacle.

²⁶ But if he should say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here I am, let him do to me as seems good unto him.

²⁷ 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.

²⁸ See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness until you send word to me.

²⁹ Then Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

³⁰ 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 were with him covered each one his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

³¹ ¶ And it was told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. Then David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.

³² And it came to pass that when David came to the top of the mount to worship God there, behold, Hushai, the Archite came to meet him, with his coat rent and earth upon his head,

³³ Unto whom David said, If thou pass on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me;

³⁴ but if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy slave, O king as I have been thy father’s slave until now, so will I now also be thy slave; then thou may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, there with thee? Therefore, it shall be that whatever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests.

³⁶ Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send unto me everything that you hear.

³⁷ So Hushai, David’s special companion came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

16 ¶ And when David was a little past the top of the mountain, behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a couple of asses saddled and upon them two hundred loaves of bread and one hundred bunches of raisins and one hundred of summer fruits and a bottle of wine.

² And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit for the servants to eat, and the wine that those that become weary in the wilderness may drink.

³ And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem, for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba bowed down and said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

⁵ ¶ And when King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Saul came forth, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth cursing

⁶ and casting stones at David and at all the slaves of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

⁷ And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial;

⁸ the LORD has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thy evil because thou art a bloody man.

⁹ Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said 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.

¹⁰ And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Why hast thou done so?

¹¹ And David said to Abishai, and to all his slaves, Behold, my son, who came forth of my bowels, seeks my life; how much more now a son of Jemini? Let him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has bidden him.

¹² It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

¹³ And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the side of the mountain over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust.

¹⁴ And the king and all the people that were with him arrived weary and refreshed themselves there.

¹⁵ ¶ And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

¹⁶ And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David’s special companion, came unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, Long live the king, Long live the king.

¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy mercy to thy friend? Why didst thou not go with thy friend?

¹⁸ And Hushai said unto Absalom, No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

²¹ And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; then the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong.

²² 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.

²³ And the counseled of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the word of God: so was all the counseled of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

17 ¶ Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night,

² and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only.

³ Thus will I turn all the people back unto thee, and when they have returned (for that man is whom thou dost seek), all the people shall be in peace.

⁴ And this word seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and of all the elders of Israel.

⁵ Then Absalom said, Now call Hushai, the Archite, also, and let us likewise hear what he says.

⁶ And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke unto him, saying, Thus spoke Ahithophel; shall we follow his word or not? Speak thou.

⁷ Then Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.

⁸ For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and now their souls are bitter, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And thy father is a man of war and will not lodge with the people.

⁹ Behold, he is hid now in some pit or in some other place, and if some of thy men are overthrown at the beginning, whoever hears of it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

¹⁰ Thus even the valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt, for all Israel knows that thy father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men.

¹¹ Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

¹² Then we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one.

¹³ Moreover, if he goes into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river until not even one small stone is found there.

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai, the Archite, is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had given orders to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁵ ¶ Then Hushai said unto Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counselled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus have I counselled.

¹⁶ Now, therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, Do not lodge this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass the Jordan; lest the king be swallowed up and all the people that are with him.

¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel, for they could not be seen coming into the city; and a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told King David.

¹⁸ Nevertheless, a young man saw them and told Absalom, but both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

¹⁹ And the woman of the house took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and spread ground wheat upon it, and the thing was not known.

²⁰ And when Absalom’s slaves came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They have gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ And it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David and said unto David, Arise and pass quickly over the water, for thus has Ahithophel counselled against you.

²² ¶ Then David arose and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan before the morning light; there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.

²³ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

²⁵ And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab; this Amasa was the son of a man of Israel named Ithra, who had gone in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

²⁶ So Israel pitched camp with Absalom in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ And it came to pass, when David arrived at Mahanaim, that Shobi, the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; and Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lodebar; and Barzillai, the Gileadite of Rogelim,

²⁸ brought beds and basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and flour and parched wheat and beans and lentils and parched grain

²⁹ and honey and butter and sheep and cheese of cows for David and for the people that were with him, to eat, for they said, These people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.

18 ¶ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

² And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab and another third under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and the other third under the hand of Ittai, the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

³ But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth, for if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us; but now thou art worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, now it is better that thou help us out of the city.

⁴ Then the king said unto them, I will do what seems best unto you. And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

⁵ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

⁶ So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim,

⁷ where the people of Israel were slain before the slaves of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.

⁸ For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

⁹ ¶ And Absalom met the slaves of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

¹⁰ And a certain man saw it and told Joab, saying, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

¹¹ And Joab replied unto the man that told him, Behold, when thou didst see him, why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? I would have given thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle.

¹² And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that no one touch the young man Absalom.

¹³ Otherwise, I should have wrought falsehood against my own soul (for there is no matter hid from the king), and thou thyself would have set thyself against me.

¹⁴ Then Joab answered, I may not tarry thus with thee. And taking three darts in his hand, he thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

¹⁵ And ten young men that bore Joab’s armour surrounded and smote Absalom and slew him.

¹⁶ Then Joab blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab held back the people.

¹⁷ And they took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest and laid a very great heap of stones upon him; and all Israel fled each one to his tent.

¹⁸ Now Absalom, while he was alive, had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king’s valley; 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. {Heb. hand}

¹⁹ ¶ Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, Let me now run and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD has vindicated him of his enemies.

²⁰ And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings today, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings because the king’s son is dead.

²¹ And Joab said to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab and ran.

²² Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said yet again unto Joab, Be what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Why wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt receive no reward for the tidings?

²³ But, said he, let me run, be what may. 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 is alone, he brings good news. And while he kept on drawing near,

²⁶ the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called unto the porter and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.

²⁷ And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man and comes with good tidings.

²⁸ And Ahimaaz called and said unto the king peace. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, who has delivered up those men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

²⁹ And the king said, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king’s slave, and me thy slave, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was.

³⁰ And the king said unto him, Turn aside and stand here. And he turned aside and stood still.

³¹ And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king, for the LORD has vindicated thee today of all those that rose up against thee.

³² And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Cushi answered, Let the enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee for evil, be as that young man.

³³ Then the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he went, he said this: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I would rather have died instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

19 ¶ And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

² And that day the salvation was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son.

³ And the people entered 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 entering into the house of the king, said unto him, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy slaves, who 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 by loving those who hate thee and hating thy friends. For thou hast declared this day that thou dost not regard thy princes nor thy slaves. For this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, then this would be right in thine eyes.

⁷ Now, therefore, arise, go forth and speak unto the heart of thy slaves, for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, not one of them will abide with thee tonight and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now.

⁸ Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And it was declared unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled every man to his tent.

⁹ ¶ And all the people were in contention 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 has fled out of the land for Absalom.

¹⁰ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why are ye silent regarding 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 shall ye be the last to bring the king back to his house? Seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house.

¹² Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh; why then are ye the last to bring back the king?

¹³ Likewise say ye to Amasa, Art thou 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 place of Joab.

¹⁴ And he inclined the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou and all thy slaves.

¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶ ¶ And Shimei, the son of Gera, son of Jemini, who was of Bahurim, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

¹⁷ And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him; likewise Ziba, the slave of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and his twenty slaves with him, who went over the Jordan before the king.

¹⁸ Then the ferry boat went over to carry over the king’s household and to do what he desired. Then Shimei, the son of Gera, fell down before the king, as he was passing the Jordan,

¹⁹ And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither retain the memory of the wickedness that thy slave did the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should guard it in his heart.

²⁰ For I, thy slave, 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 Then David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? Shall anyone be put to death today in Israel? Do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?

²³ And the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore unto him.

²⁴ ¶ Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, also came down to meet the king and had neither washed his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

²⁵ And after he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said unto him, Why didst thou not go with me, Mephibosheth?

²⁶ And he answered, My lord, O king, my slave deceived me, for thy slave said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride upon it and go to the king because thy slave is lame.

²⁷ And he has slandered thy slave unto my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God; do therefore what is good in thine eyes.

²⁸ For all of my father’s house were worthy of death before my lord the king; yet thou didst set thy slave among those that eat at thy own table. What righteousness, therefore, have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

²⁹ And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more words? I have determined, Thou and Ziba divide the land.

³⁰ And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Let him even take it all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.

³¹ ¶ Barzillai, the Gileadite, also came down from Rogelim and went over the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.

³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, of eighty years, who had provided the king with sustenance while he was at Mahanaim, for he was a 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 am this day eighty years old, and shall I tell the difference between the good and the bad? Shall thy slave enjoy what I eat or what I drink? Shall I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should thy slave be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

³⁶ Thy slave will go a little way over the Jordan with the king, and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?

³⁷ Let thy slave, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in my own city and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy slave 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 with him that which shall seem good unto thee, and whatever thou shalt ask of me, that will I do for thee.

³⁹ And all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had also 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 the Jordan?

⁴² And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are ye angry for this matter? Have we eaten anything at the king’s cost? Or has he given us any gift?

⁴³ Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye; why then did ye not take us into account? Did we not speak first about bringing back our king? But in the end words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

20 ¶ And a man of Belial happened to be there, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Jemini, and he blew the shofar, saying, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel.

² So all the men of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah cleaved unto their king from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

³ And when David came to his house at Jerusalem, the king took the ten women, his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward and fed them, but did not go in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

⁴ ¶ Then the king said to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah for the third day, and be thou here present.

⁵ So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah, but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

⁶ And David said to Abishai, Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, shall do us more harm than Absalom; take thou thy lord’s slaves and pursue after him lest he find fenced cities and escape us.

⁷ Then Joab’s men went out after him, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri.

⁸ When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came out and met them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in its sheath, and as he went forth, it fell out.

⁹ And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in peace, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

¹⁰ But Amasa took no heed of the sword that was in Joab’s hand; and he smote him with it in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, pursued after Sheba, the son of Bichri.

¹¹ And one of Joab’s servants stood by him, and said, He that favours Joab and he that is for David, let him go after Joab.

¹² And Amasa had wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field and cast a garment upon him because he saw that every one that came by him stopped.

¹³ When he was removed out of the highway, all the people that followed Joab passed on, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

¹⁴ ¶ And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel and to Bethmaachah and all the Berites; and they were gathered together and also went after him.

¹⁵ And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and the people went against the wall; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

¹⁶ Then a wise woman cried out in the city, Hear, hear, I pray you, tell Joab to come here, that I may speak with him.

¹⁷ And when he had come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I hear.

¹⁸ Then she spoke, saying, They used to speak in old times, saying, If you have a question ask it at Abel; and so they concluded the matter.

¹⁹ I am one of those that are peaceable and faithful in Israel, and thou seekest to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?

²⁰ And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy.

²¹ The matter is not so, but a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, by name, has lifted up his hand against King David; give only him over, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

²² Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew the shofar, and they retired from the city, each one to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

²³ ¶ So Joab remained over all the host of Israel, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;

²⁴ and Adoram was over the tribute, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was writer of the chronicles,

²⁵ and Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;

²⁶ and Ira, the Jairite, was David’s priest.

21 ¶ Then there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is because of Saul and because of his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

² And the king called the Gibeonites and said unto them: (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn unto them, and Saul had sought to slay them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

³ Therefore, David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make reconciliation that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

⁴ And the Gibeonites replied unto him, We have no quarrel regarding silver nor gold with Saul, nor with his house; neither do we desire that anyone in Israel should die. And he said unto them, What ye shall say that will I do for you.

⁵ And they answered the king, The man that consumed us and that devised against us, let us destroy him that nothing of him remains in any of the borders of Israel.

⁶ Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will disjoint them, hanging them from a tree, unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

⁸ But the king took the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she gave birth unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and five sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul, whom she had given birth unto Adriel, the son of Barzillai, the Meholathite;

⁹ and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they disjointed them hanging them from a tree in the hill before the LORD; and they fell all seven together and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰ ¶ And Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it upon the rock from the beginning of harvest until water rained upon them out of heaven and allowed neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

¹¹ And it was told David what Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

¹² Then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from the men of Jabeshgilead, who had stolen them from the plaza of Bethshan where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa;

¹³ and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son; and they gathered the bones of those that had been disjointed by being hanged from a tree,

¹⁴ and they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his son, in the land of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

¹⁵ ¶ And the Philistines made war again with Israel; and David went down, and his slaves with him, and fought against the Philistines; and David became weary.

¹⁶ And Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, and the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, was girded with a new sword and had determined to kill David.

¹⁷ But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, helped David, and smote the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore unto him, saying, From now on thou shalt not go out with us to battle that thou not quench the light of Israel.

¹⁸ And after this, there was a second war with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbechai, the Hushathite, slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.

¹⁹ And there was another war in Gob with the Philistines where Elhanan, the son of Jaareoregim of Bethlehem, slew Goliath, the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

²⁰ And after that there was another war in Gath where there was a man of great stature, that had six fingers on every hand, and six toes on every foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was of the sons of the giant.

²¹ And when he dishonoured Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimea, the brother of David, slew him.

²² These four were born to the giant in Gath and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his slaves.

22 ¶ And David spoke the words of this song unto the LORD in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul.

² ¶ And he said, The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

³ God is my Strong One; in him will I trust: he is my shield and the horn of my saving health; my defence and my refuge; my saviour, who shall save me from violence.

⁴ I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁵ When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of Belial made me afraid;

⁶ when the cords of Sheol compassed me about; the snares of death came before me;

⁷ in my distress I called upon the LORD and cried to my God, who heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry entered into his ears.

⁸ Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the heavens were moved and shook because he was wroth.

⁹ Smoke went up from his nostrils, and fire devoured out of his mouth; coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰ And he lowered the heavens and came down, and darkness was under his feet.

¹¹ And he rode upon a cherub and flew; and he appeared upon the wings of the wind.

¹² He placed darkness like tabernacles round about him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹³ From the brightness of his presence, coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴ The LORD thundered from the heavens, and the most High uttered his voice;

¹⁵ he sent out arrows and scattered them; he sent forth lightning, and consumed them.

¹⁶ Then the springs of the sea appeared and the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷ He extended his hand from above, he took me; he drew me out of the impetuous waters;

¹⁸ he delivered me from strong enemies, from those that hated me, who were stronger than I.