Bible in 90 Days

¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan said to David, “The Lord himself has put away your sin. You will not die. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have treated the Lord with utter contempt,^[a] the child that is born to you shall surely die.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne for David, and the child became sick. ¹⁶ David sought the Lord’s mercy for the child. David fasted and spent the night lying on the ground. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him to pick him up off the ground, but he was not willing, and he would not eat food with them.

¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. The servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, because they said, “Look! When the child was living, we spoke to David, but he did not listen to what we said. How will we speak to him now when the child is dead? He might do something harmful.”

¹⁹ When David saw that his servants were whispering together, he understood that the child was dead. So David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “Yes, he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground, washed, put on lotion, and changed his clothes. He went to the House of the Lord and worshipped. He then went back to his house and asked for food. So they prepared a meal for him, and he ate.

²¹ His servants said to him, “What are you doing? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept. But when the child died, you got up and ate food.”

²² He said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept because I said, ‘Who knows? Will the Lord be gracious to me and let my child live?’ ²³ Now he has died. Why should I fast? Am I able to return him to life again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴ David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. He went to her and lay down with her. She gave birth to a son. David called him Solomon. The Lord loved him, ²⁵ and the Lord sent a message by the hand of Nathan the prophet that he should be called Jedidiah^[b] because of the Lord.

The Defeat of the Ammonites

²⁶ Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city.

²⁷ He sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah. I have also captured the city’s water supply. ²⁸ Now gather the rest of the troops, set up camp against the city, and take it. If you do not, I might take the city, and it will be named after me.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the troops and went to Rabbah. He fought against it and took it.

³⁰ He removed the gold crown of their king^[c] from his head. It weighed seventy-five pounds,^[d] and it had a precious stone. It was placed on^[e] the head of David.

He brought out large quantities of plunder from the city. ³¹ He also brought the people out from it and made them work with saws, with iron picks and axes, and at brickmaking. He did the same to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.

Amnon and Tamar

13 David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Some time after this, David’s son Amnon fell in love with her. ² Amnon was so worked up that he made himself sick because of his sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for Amnon to do anything with her.

³ Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was a son of David’s brother Shimeah.^[f] Jonadab was a very clever man. ⁴ Jonadab said to Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so tired every morning? Won’t you tell me?”

Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”

⁵ Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. Your father will come to see you. Then you are to say to him, ‘Please! Have my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat. Have her prepare the food in my presence so that I can watch and eat it from her hand.’”

⁶ So Amnon went to bed and pretended to be sick, and the king came to see him. Amnon said to the king, “Please! Have my sister Tamar come and make special flatbread while I am watching. She should make two of them and let me eat them from her hand.”

⁷ So David sent a message to Tamar’s house: “Please, go to the house of your brother Amnon and make food for him.” ⁸ Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, where he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made the flatbread as he was watching, and baked the loaves. ⁹ She took the pan and placed it before him, but he refused to eat.

Amnon said, “Send everyone away from me.” So everyone left.

¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom and let me eat from your hand.”

Tamar took the flatbread that she had made and brought it into the room to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ She brought it to him so he could eat.

He grabbed her and said to her, “Come, lie down with me, my sister.”

¹² She said to him, “No, my brother. Do not force me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do such a foolish thing. ¹³ And I—how will I get rid of my shame? And you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”

¹⁴ But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, and he forced her to lie down with him.

¹⁵ Then Amnon’s hatred for her was even more intense than the love he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get up. Get out.”

¹⁶ She said to him, “There is no excuse for that. To send me away is a greater wrong than what you already did to me.”

But he was not willing to listen to her. ¹⁷ He called the young man who was his servant and said, “Send this woman outside, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.”

¹⁸ She was wearing a special long robe that covered her arms and legs.^[g] The virgin daughters of the king wore such robes. His servant put her outside and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and ripped the robe that she was wearing. She placed her hand on her head, and she went away, weeping loudly as she walked.

²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now my sister, do not say anything. He is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.”

So Tamar, a devastated woman, stayed in the house of her brother Absalom. ²¹ King David heard about all these things, and he was very angry.^[h]

²² Absalom did not speak with Amnon at all, neither anything bad nor anything good. Absalom hated Amnon because he had raped Tamar, his sister.

David and Absalom

²³ Two years passed. Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴ Absalom also came to the king and said, “Look! The sheepshearers are now at work for your servant. Will the king and his servants join your servant, please?”

²⁵ The king said to Absalom, “No, my son. Not all of us will go. We do not want to be a burden to you.”

Absalom pressured him, but David was not willing to go, though he did give Absalom a blessing. ²⁶ So Absalom said, “If not, can Amnon my brother join us, please?” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom kept pressuring him, so David sent Amnon and all the sons of the king with him.^[i]

²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, “Pay attention to me, and when Amnon is feeling good because of the wine, I will say to you, ‘Strike Amnon.’ Then you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. I am the one who has given you the order. Be strong. Be brave.”

²⁹ Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had commanded. Then all the sons of the king got up. Each of them got on his mule and fled.

³⁰ While they were on the way, news reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons. There is not one of them left.” ³¹ The king got up, ripped his clothing, and lay down on the ground. All his servants who were standing nearby also ripped their clothing.

³² Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, responded, “My lord should not say they have killed all the young men who are sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has been planning from the day Amnon raped Tamar, his sister. ³³ Now my lord the king should pay no attention to the report that says, ‘All the king’s sons are dead,’ because only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴ Absalom fled.

The young man who was serving as the watchman looked up and saw many people coming down the road west of him,^[j] along the side of the mountain. ⎣The watchman came and reported to the king, “I see men on the Horonaim road, along the side of the mountain.”⎦^[k]

³⁵ Jonadab said to the king, “Look. The king’s sons have come. It is just as your servant said.”

³⁶ When he was finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived. They raised their voices and wept loudly. The king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.

³⁷ Absalom fled. He went to Talmai son of Ammihud,^[l] the king of Geshur. King David mourned every day because of his son.

³⁸ Absalom fled and went to Geshur. He stayed there for three years. ³⁹ King David longed to reach out to Absalom, because he was no longer mourning for his deceased son Amnon.

14 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king was attached to Absalom. ² So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there. He said to her, “Please act like a mourner and wear mourning clothes. Do not anoint yourself with lotion. Make it look as if you are a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. ³ Go to the king and tell him whatever I tell you to say.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

⁴ The woman from Tekoa spoke to the king. She fell down with her face to the ground. She bowed down and said, “Help me, O King.”

⁵ The king said to her, “What is wrong?”

She said, “It’s terrible. I am a widow. My husband is dead. ⁶ Your servant had two sons. The two of them had a fight out in the field, and there was no one there to separate them. The one struck the other and killed him. ⁷ Now the entire family has risen up against your servant. They are saying, ‘Turn over the one who struck down his brother, so we can put him to death because of the life of his brother whom he killed. In this way we will destroy the heir also.’ They will put out the fire of the one burning coal that is left for me. My husband will not have a name or anything left on the face of the earth.”

⁸ The king said to the woman, “Go to your house. I will issue orders on your behalf.”

⁹ The woman from Tekoa said to the king, “On me, my lord the king—let the guilt be on me and on the house of my father. The king and his throne will be guiltless.”

¹⁰ The king said, “Bring to me anyone who speaks against you about this, and he will not contact you again.”

¹¹ She said, “Please, the king should remember the Lord your God and stop the avenger of blood from multiplying the killing, so that they do not destroy my son.”

David said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

¹² The woman said, “Please allow your servant to speak a word to my lord the king.”

He said, “Speak up.”

¹³ The woman said, “Why have you planned something like this against the people of God? By his own words the king convicts himself for not returning his own banished one. ¹⁴ We will certainly die. We are like water spilled onto the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take life. He devises means to restore to himself the one who has been banished. ¹⁵ Now I have come to say this to my lord the king, because the people have made me afraid. Your servant said, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps the king will fulfill the request of his servant, ¹⁶ for the king will listen and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to destroy both me and my son, to remove us from our inheritance from God.’ ¹⁷ Your servant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king give me rest, because he is like the angel of God—that is what my lord the king is like. He is able to distinguish good and evil.’ The Lord your God will be with you.”

¹⁸ The king answered the woman, “Please, do not withhold the answer to what I am about to ask you.”

The woman said, “My lord the king, please speak.”

¹⁹ The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”

The woman answered, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, nothing veers off to the right or to the left from everything my lord the king has said, for your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders. He also put all these words into the mouth of your servant. ²⁰ Your servant Joab did this in order to change the way things were going. My lord has wisdom, like the wisdom of the Angel of God. He knows everything that goes on in the land.”

²¹ The king said to Joab, “All right! I will do this. Go and bring back the young man Absalom.”

²² Joab fell down with his face to the ground. He bowed down and blessed the king and said, “Today your servant has become aware that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has carried out the request of his servant.”

²³ So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

²⁴ But the king said, “He must go to his own house. He is not to see me face-to-face.” So Absalom went to his own house, and he did not see the face of the king.

²⁵ There was not a man in all Israel as handsome as Absalom and so greatly praised. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was not a blemish on him. ²⁶ When he shaved the hair on his head (periodically he cut it off because it became too heavy for him), the hair weighed five pounds.^[m]

²⁷ Three sons and one daughter were born to Absalom. The daughter’s name was Tamar. She was an attractive woman.

²⁸ Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he did not see the king face-to-face. ²⁹ Absalom sent to Joab in order to ask him to go to the king on his behalf, but Joab was not willing to come to him. Absalom sent again, a second time, but Joab was still not willing to come. ³⁰ So Absalom said to his servants, “See that field of Joab next to mine, where he has barley. Go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. ⎣Joab’s servants came to him with their clothing torn and said to him, “The servants of Absalom have set your field on fire.”⎦^[n]

³¹ Joab got up and went to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”

³² Absalom said to Joab, “I sent this message to you: Come here. I want to send you to speak to the king and to say for me, ‘Why did I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to still be there.’ Now I want to see the king face-to-face. If I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.” ³³ So Joab went to the king and gave him the message.

Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. He bowed down to the king with his face to the ground, and the king kissed Absalom.

Absalom’s Rebellion

15 After this, Absalom acquired for himself a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run in front of him. ² Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road by the gatehouse. Absalom would call out to every man who had a legal issue to bring before the king for judgment, and he would say, “What city are you from?” The person would say, “Your servant is from such-and-such of the tribes of Israel.” ³ Absalom would say to him, “Your claims are good and valid, but there is no one from the king to listen to you.” ⁴ Then Absalom would say, “I wish someone would make me a judge in the land. Then everyone who has a legal issue or needs a judgment could come to me, and I would give him justice.”

⁵ Whenever someone approached to bow down to him, he would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him. ⁶ Absalom acted this way to everyone of Israel who came to the king for judgment. In this way Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷ After four^[o] years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and fulfill my vow, which I have made to the Lord, ⁸ because when I was at Geshur in Aram, your servant vowed, ‘If the Lord will really return me to Jerusalem, I will serve the Lord.’”

⁹ The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he set out and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ But Absalom sent agents throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “When you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” ¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem who had been invited went along with Absalom. They went innocently, since they did not know what was going on.

¹² While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom summoned David’s advisor, Ahithophel of Giloh, to come from Giloh, his hometown. The conspiracy gained strength as more and more people were going over to Absalom.

¹³ A messenger came to David and said, “The hearts of the men of Israel are following Absalom.”

¹⁴ So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Get ready. We must flee, or we will not escape from Absalom. Hurry up and go, so that he does not come quickly, overtake us, bring down disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

¹⁵ The officials of the king said to him, “Here we are. We, your servants, will do everything our lord the king decides.” ¹⁶ So the king set out with his entire household, but he left ten concubines^[p] to watch over the house. ¹⁷ The king and all his people set out. They stopped at a house some distance away.

David’s Flight

¹⁸ All his troops were passing by in front of David. All the Kerethites, Pelethites, and Gittites—six hundred men from Gath who had come under his command—were passing by in front of the king. ¹⁹ The king said to Ittai from Gath, “Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom, because you are a foreigner and an exile from your home. ²⁰ You arrived just yesterday. Today should I cause you to wander with us, when I myself do not have a plan as to where I am going? Go back and take your fellow soldiers with you. May the Lord’s mercy and faithfulness be with you.”^[q]

²¹ Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king will be, whether it leads to death or life, there your servant will be.”

²² David said to Ittai, “Go ahead then. March on.” So Ittai from Gath and all his men and all the dependents who were with them marched by.

²³ All the people of the land wept loudly as all the troops were marching by. The king crossed over the stream bed of the Kidron. All the people kept marching by in the direction of the wilderness.

²⁴ Next came Zadok and all the Levites with him, who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered up sacrifices until all the people finished passing by, as they left the city. ²⁵ The king said to Zadok, “Return the Ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see it in its proper dwelling place. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ look, here I am. Let him do to me whatever is good in his eyes.”

²⁷ The king said to Zadok the priest, “Aren’t you a seer?^[r] Go back to the city in peace. You two priests, take your sons with you—your son Ahima’az and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. ²⁸ Listen, I will be waiting at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

³⁰ David went up along the ascent to the top of the Mount of Olives. As he walked along with his head covered, he was weeping, and he was walking barefoot. All the people who were with him also covered their heads. As they went up, they were weeping as they walked along.

³¹ David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David said, “Please, Lord, make the advice of Ahithophel foolish.”

³² David arrived at the summit, where he worshipped God.^[s]

Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him. His robe was torn, and he had dirt on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you cross over with me, you will become a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and you say to Absalom, ‘Let me be your servant, O King. In the past I was a servant of your father. Now I will be your servant,’ then you can defeat the advice of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, with you there? Tell every word that you hear in the house of the king to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. ³⁶ Their two sons, Zadok’s son Ahima’az and Abiathar’s son Jonathan, are there with them. Through those two, the three of you will be able to send me every word that you hear.” ³⁷ Hushai, the friend and advisor of David, went to the city, just as Absalom also was entering into Jerusalem.

16 David moved a little beyond the summit. There Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a string of saddled donkeys. On them there were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred cakes of raisins, one hundred cakes of summer fruit, and a container^[t] of wine.

² The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?”

Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the household of the king to ride on. The bread and fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is to provide something to drink for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

³ The king said, “So where is the grandson of your master?”

Ziba said to the king, “Well, he is staying in Jerusalem because he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will return the kingdom of my grandfather to me.’”

⁴ The king said to Ziba, “All right then. Everything that was Mephibosheth’s belongs to you.”

Ziba said, “I bow down before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

⁵ King David came to Bahurim. There he was confronted by a man from the family of the house of Saul. His name was Shimei son of Gera. He was rushing out and calling down curses. ⁶ He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, as well as at all the people and all the warriors on David’s right and on his left. ⁷ This is what Shimei said as he cursed: “Get out! Get out, you bloody, worthless man! ⁸ The Lord has avenged upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, whom you replaced as king. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Just look at you now, sunk in disaster, because you are a bloody man.”

⁹ Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.”

¹⁰ The king said, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who can say, ‘Why have you done this?’” ¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and to all his followers, “Listen to me! My son, who came from my own body, is seeking my life. How much more now, this Benjaminite! Leave him alone. Let him curse. Perhaps the Lord has told him to do so. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look on my misery and will return something good to me in exchange for his cursing this day.”

¹³ So David and his men kept traveling down the road, and Shimei kept following along, on the side of the hill opposite him, walking along, cursing, throwing stones, and flinging dirt at him.

¹⁴ The king and all the people who were with him traveled until they became exhausted, and then they stopped in order to recover.

Absalom’s Plans

¹⁵ Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, arrived at Jerusalem. Ahithophel was with him.

¹⁶ When Hushai the Arkite, David’s confidant, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty for your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

¹⁸ Hushai said to Absalom, “No. The person who has been chosen by the Lord, by this people, and by all the men of Israel—this is the one with whom I will be and with whom I will remain. ¹⁹ Besides, whom should I serve if not the king’s son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

²⁰ Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”

²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to watch over the palace. Let all Israel hear that you have become disgusting to your father, so that the hands of all who are with you may be strengthened.”

²² So they pitched a tent on the roof for Absalom, and Absalom went to^[u] his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

²³ In those days the advice that Ahithophel gave was viewed as if it had come from God. All the advice of Ahithophel was viewed that way, both by David and also by Absalom.

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men. I will set out to pursue David tonight. ² I will come upon him when he is tired and weak and cause him to panic. All the people with him will flee. Then I will strike down only the king. ³ I will bring back the rest of the people to you. The life of the man whom you are seeking will gain the return of all of them.^[v] All the rest of the people will be safe.” ⁴ Ahithophel’s plan seemed good to all the elders of Israel.

⁵ But Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Arkite. We should also hear what he has to say.” ⁶ So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel has said. Shall we do it? If you disagree, speak up.”

⁷ Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the advice Ahithophel has given is not good.” ⁸ Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are fierce warriors, like an enraged bear in the open country who has lost her cubs. Your father is a fighter. He will not spend the night with the people. ⁹ Certainly, by now he has hidden himself in one of the caves or in some other place. What if he attacks and some of our men fall first? Whoever hears about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the followers of Absalom.’ ¹⁰ Even the very brave, whose hearts are like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a fierce warrior, and that those who are with him are brave men. ¹¹ So, I advise you to gather all Israel to you from Dan to Beersheba, as many as the sand beside the sea, and that you personally lead them into battle. ¹² We should attack the king in whatever place he is found. We will come down on him like the dew that falls upon the ground. There will not even be one survivor from him and from all the men with him. ¹³ If he withdraws into a city, all Israel should bring ropes to that city. We will drag it into the valley until there will not be even one pebble found there.”

¹⁴ Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.”

The Lord had arranged to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster upon Absalom.

¹⁵ Then Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel. But this is what I have advised. ¹⁶ Now send a message quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords in the wilderness. Also, be sure to cross over the river, or the king and all the people who are with him will be swallowed up.’”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahima’az were to wait at En Rogel because they could not risk being seen going into the city. A female servant was to go out and inform them. Then they could go and tell King David. ¹⁸ However, a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them quickly went to the house of a man at Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. ¹⁹ His wife took a cover, spread it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it. Nobody knew that she did it.

²⁰ Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahima’az and Jonathan?”

The woman said to them, “They have passed by toward the river.”^[w] Absalom’s servants pursued them but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ When they left, Ahima’az and Jonathan climbed out of the well. They went and reported to King David, and they said to him, “Get up and cross over the river quickly because this is what Ahithophel advised against you.” ²² So David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan, beginning at the first light of day and continuing until everyone had crossed over the Jordan.

²³ When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey, set out, went to his house in his hometown, and set his household in order. Then he hanged himself. He died, and he was buried in the tomb of his father.

²⁴ David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed over the Jordan with all the men of Israel. ²⁵ Absalom had put Amasa in command of the army instead of Joab. (Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, an Ishmaelite^[x] who had gone to Abigal,^[y] the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab.)

²⁶ Israel and Absalom set up camp in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ²⁸ brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,^{[z] 29} honey, cheese curds, sheep, and cheese from cow’s milk for David and for the people with him to eat, because they said, “The people are hungry, tired, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

The Battle

18 David organized the troops who were with him. He appointed leaders over units of a thousand and units of a hundred. ² Then David sent the troops out: one third under the command of Joab; one third under the command of Abishai, who was the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Joab; and one third under the command of Ittai from Gath.

The king said to the troops, “I myself will definitely also go with you.”

³ But the troops said, “You will not go, because if we flee, they will not target us. Even if half of us die, they will not target us, for there are ten thousand others like us. No. It is better now that you support us from the city.”

⁴ So the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you, I will do.”

The king stood beside the city gate. All the troops marched out by units of a hundred and a thousand. ⁵ The king gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, act gently with the young man Absalom.” All the troops heard the king giving orders to the leaders concerning Absalom.

⁶ The troops went out into the countryside to confront Israel. The battle took place in the Forest of Ephraim. ⁷ The men of Israel were defeated there by the followers of David. There was a great slaughter there on that day—twenty thousand. ⁸ The battle was spread over the entire area. The forest devoured more people than the sword did on that day.

⁹ Absalom encountered the forces of David. As Absalom was riding on his mule, the mule went under the thick branches of a large terebinth tree, and Absalom’s head caught in the terebinth. He was caught between heaven and earth, and the mule he was riding kept going.

¹⁰ A man noticed Absalom and told Joab, “Listen! I saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!” ¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him, “What! You saw him! Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”

¹² But the man said to Joab, “Even if I had one thousand shekels of silver weighed out into my hands, I would not reach my hand out against the king’s son. We heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Watch out for the young man Absalom for me.’ ¹³ If I had acted irresponsibly with my life^[aa]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would not have stood by me.”

¹⁴ Joab said, “I will not waste time with you like this.” He took three small spears in his hand, and he hurled them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the middle of the terebinth tree. ¹⁵ Ten young men, the ones carrying Joab’s armor and weapons, surrounded Absalom and struck and killed him.

¹⁶ Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the people turned back from pursuing Israel, because Joab restrained them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom and threw him into a large pit in the forest. They raised a huge pile of stones over him.

All Israel fled, everyone to his own tent.^[ab]

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had set up a monument for himself in the Valley of the King, because he said, “I do not have a son to keep my name alive in people’s memory.” He named the monument after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

¹⁹ Ahima’az son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry the good news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.”

²⁰ But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry the news today. You may carry the news some other day, but today you should not carry the news, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Joab then told a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you saw.”

The Cushite bowed down to Joab and then set out running.

²² But Ahima’az son of Zadok said to Joab again, “No matter what, I really want to run behind the Cushite.”

Joab said, “Why do you want to do this? My son, there is no good news that will bring you any gain for running.” ²³ But Ahima’az said, “No matter what, let me run.” So Joab said to him “All right, run then.” Ahima’az ran on the road that followed the plain, and he passed the Cushite.

²⁴ David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman went up onto the roof of the gatehouse next to the wall. While he was standing watch, he saw a man running all by himself. ²⁵ The watchman called out and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The man kept coming and got closer.

²⁶ Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There is another man running all by himself!”

The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” ²⁷ The watchman said, “The way the first man is running looks like the way Ahima’az son of Zadok runs.” The king said, “He is a good man. He is coming with good news.”

²⁸ Ahima’az called out to the king, “Peace.” Then he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed is the Lord your God, who delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”

²⁹ The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

Ahima’az said, “I saw a great uproar at the time when Joab sent the other servant of the king and me, your servant. I do not know what it was about.”

³⁰ The king said, “Step aside. Stay here.” So he stepped aside and just stood there.

³¹ The Cushite arrived and said, “There is good news for my lord the king, because the Lord has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you.”

³² The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite said, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you with evil intentions be like that young man.”

³³ The king was shocked. He went up to the room over the gatehouse. As he was going, he wept and said, “My son Absalom, my son, my son! O Absalom, I wish I had died instead of you. O Absalom, my son, my son.”

The Aftermath of the Battle

19 Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”^{[ac] 2} The victory that day became an occasion for mourning for all the people, because that day the people heard that the king was mourning for his son. ³ That day the people were sneaking into the city quietly, the way people who are ashamed of fleeing from the battle would sneak in quietly. ⁴ The king covered his face and cried with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son.”

⁵ Joab came to the king at the house and said, “Today you have put to shame all your followers, who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, and the lives of your wives and concubines. ⁶ You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have demonstrated clearly today that your officers and followers are nothing to you. Today I have no doubt that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, you would be pleased. ⁷ Now get up. Go out. Speak to the hearts of your followers. For by the Lord, I swear that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight, and this disaster will be greater for you than all the disasters that have come upon you from your youth until now.”

⁸ So the king got up and took his seat by the gate. All the people were told, “Look! The king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came into the presence of the king.

Israel had fled, every man to his own home. ⁹ All the people in all the tribes of Israel were quarreling and saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He saved us from the hand of the Philistines. Now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. ¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now why are you silent about bringing back the king?”

¹¹ King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. He said, “Speak to the elders of Judah. Ask them, ‘Why will you be the last to bring the king back to his palace?’ The plan that all Israel has been discussing has been reported to the king at his house. ¹² You are my brothers. You are my flesh and blood.^[ad] Why will you be the last to bring back the king?”

¹³ He also said, “Say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my flesh and blood? May God punish me severely and double it,^[ae] if you are not the permanent commander of my army in place of Joab.’”

¹⁴ David turned the hearts of all the men of Judah as if they were one man. They sent to the king and said, “Return, you and all your servants.”

¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan. The men of Judah came out to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king across the Jordan.

¹⁶ Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ One thousand men from Benjamin were with him. Also, Ziba, the manager of the house of Saul, came, along with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan ahead of the king. ¹⁸ They crossed over the ford to escort the household of the king across and to make a good impression on the king.

Shimei son of Gera bowed down before the king when he was crossing over the Jordan. ¹⁹ He spoke to the king: “My lord, do not consider me guilty. Do not remember the wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king went out from Jerusalem, and do not take it to heart, ²⁰ for I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Look! I have come today, the first one from the whole house of Joseph to come down to welcome my lord the king.”

²¹ Abishai son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death because he cursed the anointed of the Lord?”

²² But David said, “What do we have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? For today you are my adversaries. Should any man in Israel be put to death today? Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³ The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king took an oath concerning him.

²⁴ Mephibosheth, grandson of Saul, also came down to welcome the king. He had not taken care of his feet or his beard and had not washed his clothing from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. ²⁵ When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”

²⁶ Mephibosheth answered, “Your servant said, ‘Because I am crippled, I need to have the donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king.’ But, my lord the king, my servant deceived me. ²⁷ He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. However, my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do what is right in your eyes. ²⁸ All the house of my father deserved death from my lord the king, but you included your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right do I have to cry out again to the king?”

²⁹ The king said to him, “Why say more about your situation? I say that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”

³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has come safely to his house.”

³¹ Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim. He crossed over the Jordan, escorting the king back over the Jordan. ³² Barzillai was very old, eighty years old. He had provided food for the king during his stay at Mahanaim because he was a very wealthy man. ³³ The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me. I will provide for you as my guest in Jerusalem.”

³⁴ But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years am I going to be alive? Why should I go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ Today I am eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Can I still hear the voice of the male and female singers? Why should your servant become a further burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Let your servant cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance. Why will the king pay me back with such a reward? ³⁷ Please, let your servant return and die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But look! Here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever seems good to you.”

³⁸ So the king said, “Kimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. All that you want from me, I will do for you.”

³⁹ So all the people crossed over the Jordan, and the king also crossed over. Then he kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Barzillai then returned to his own home. ⁴⁰ The king went over to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed over with him.

All the people of Judah, as well as half the people of Israel, escorted the king over. ⁴¹ But suddenly all the men of Israel came and said to the king, “Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, along with all the men of David?”

⁴² All the men of Judah responded to the men of Israel, “It is because the king is closely related to us! Why has this angered you? Have we eaten at the king’s expense? Or have we received anything for ourselves?”

⁴³ The men of Israel responded to the men of Judah, “Ten shares of the king belong to us! That is more of David than you have the right to. Why do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak about bringing our king back?”

But the response of the men of Judah was even harsher than the words of the men of Israel.

Sheba’s Rebellion

20 A worthless troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjaminite, was present. He blew the ram’s horn and said, “We have no share with David, and no inheritance with the son of Jesse. Every man to his own tent,^[af] Israel!” ² So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stuck with their king and accompanied him from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³ David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines whom he had left to take care of the house and put them in a residence that was under guard. He provided for them but did not go to them anymore. They were confined until the day of their death—a life of widowhood.

⁴ The king said to Amasa, “You have three days to bring all the men of Judah to me and to be here yourself.” ⁵ So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time that David had set for him.

⁶ So David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do more damage to us than Absalom. You take the soldiers of your lord. Pursue Sheba, so that he does not find fortified cities for himself, and we lose him.”

⁷ So Joab’s men, the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the elite troops followed Abishai. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

⁸ When they were by the large stone that is at Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his battle dress and had a belt with a sheathed dagger fastened around his waist. As he went forward, the dagger fell out. ⁹ Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa’s beard to kiss him. ¹⁰ Amasa was not on guard against the dagger that was in Joab’s other hand. With it Joab struck Amasa in the abdomen, and Amasa’s intestines spilled out on the ground. It did not take another blow to kill him.

Joab and his brother Abishai resumed their pursuit of Sheba son of Bikri. ¹¹ One of Joab’s young officers stood beside Amasa. He said, “Who favors Joab? Who is for David? Follow Joab.”

¹² Amasa was still wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. Someone saw that all the people were stopping when they came upon Amasa and saw him, so he dragged Amasa off the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. ¹³ When Amasa was removed from the highway, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

¹⁴ Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Ma’akah, and all the Berites^[ag] were gathered together and they followed him.

¹⁵ All the men who were with Joab besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Ma’akah. They constructed a siege ramp against the rampart of the city, and they started battering the wall to make it fall down.

¹⁶ A wise woman called out from the city, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab, ‘Come here and let me speak to you.’” ¹⁷ He approached her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?”

He said, “I am.”

She said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.”

He said, “I am listening.”

¹⁸ She said, “In former times they always said, ‘Let them ask in Abel.’ That is how they settled things. ¹⁹ I am one of the peaceful, faithful people of Israel. You are seeking to put to death a whole city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?”

²⁰ Joab answered, “May I be cursed, yes, cursed, if I am here to swallow up or destroy. ²¹ That is not the case. The fact is, a man from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name is Sheba son of Bikri, lifted up his hand against King David. Just give him up, and I will withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “Certainly! His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”

²² So the woman went to all the people with her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. Then he blew the ram’s horn, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. Joab then returned to the king in Jerusalem.

David’s Officers

²³ Joab was over the whole army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites. ²⁴ Adoram was in charge of forced labor. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper.^{[ah] 25} Sheva^[ai] was the secretary, and Zadok and Abiathar were the high priests. ²⁶ Also Ira the Jairite was a government minister^[aj] for David.

The Famine

21 There was a famine in the days of David for three years in a row.

David sought the favor^[ak] of the Lord, and the Lord said, “There is blood guilt on Saul and on his house because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ² So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them.

(The Gibeonites were not related to the people of Israel, but they were a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had given them a sworn promise, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

³ David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How will I make atonement^[al] to you so you will bless the heritage of the Lord?”

⁴ The Gibeonites said to him, “The issue between us and Saul and his house cannot be settled with silver and gold. Nor is it up to us to put anyone in Israel to death.”

So David said, “Well then, what are you saying I should do for you?”

⁵ They said to the king, “From the man who consumed us and who planned to destroy us so that we would have no place in all the territory of Israel, ⁶ we ask you to give us seven of his male descendants. Allow us to hang them up before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, who was the chosen of the Lord.”

The king said, “I will grant it.”

⁷ The king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord between David and Jonathan, the son of Saul. ⁸ The king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Saul to whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had given birth, and the five sons of Merab,^[am] the daughter of Saul, to whom she gave birth for Adriel son of Barzillai, the Meholathite. ⁹ David handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord. The seven of them died together. They were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

¹⁰ Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself near the rock. From the beginning of the grain harvest until rain started falling on them from the sky,^[an] she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day nor the wild animals by night. ¹¹ David was informed about what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. ¹² So David went and got the bones of Saul and the bones of Saul’s son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines killed Saul at Gilboa. ¹³ He brought the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from there. They also gathered the bones of the men who had been hanged. ¹⁴ Then they buried the bones of Saul and Saul’s son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father. They did everything the king commanded. After that, God responded to the prayers for the land.

Battles With the Philistine Giants

¹⁵ War occurred again between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down with his troops and fought against the Philistines. David became very tired. ¹⁶ Ishbi Benob was one of the descendants of Rapha the giant.^[ao] His bronze spear weighed more than seven pounds,^[ap] and he was equipped with a new weapon. He said that he was going to kill David. ¹⁷ Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s aid. He attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You are not to go out to battle with us anymore, so that you do not put out the lamp of Israel.”

¹⁸ After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, in which Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was also descended from Rapha the giant.

¹⁹ There was yet another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Elhanan son of Jair, the Bethlehemite, killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite,^[aq] whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.

²⁰ There was war again in Gath. There was a very tall man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha the giant. ²¹ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,^[ar] the brother of David, killed him. ²² These four were descended from Rapha the giant in Gath. They fell at the hand of David and his servants.

A Psalm by David
(Psalm 18)^[as]

22 David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord had delivered him from the grasp of all his enemies, even from the grasp of Saul. ² He said: