Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
Some
time
later
, Absalom provided
for
himself
a chariot with
horses and fifty men to run ahead
of
him.
And
it
came
to
pass
after
this
, that
Absalom prepared
him
a chariot and
horses ,
and fifty men to run before
him.
He
would
get
up early and stand
beside the road
leading
to
the city
gate .
Whenever
anyone
had a grievance
to bring
before
the king for a
decision
, Absalom would
call
out
and ask
, “
What city are
you
from
? ”
And if
he replied
, “Your
servant is from
one of the tribes of Israel ,”
And
Absalom
rose
up early ,
and stood
beside the way
of
the gate :
and
it
was
so,
that,
when
any
man
had a suit
which
should
come
to the king for judgment
, then
Absalom called
unto
him,
and said
, Of
what city art
thou
? And he said
, Thy
servant is of
one of the tribes of Israel .
Absalom would
say
, “Look
, your
claims
are good and right ,
but the king has
no
deputy
to hear you
. ”
And
Absalom said
unto
him
, See
, thy
matters
are good and right ;
but there
is
no
man
deputed
of
the king to hear thee
.
And
he
would
add
, “If
only
someone
would
appoint
me
judge in the land, then
everyone
with
a
grievance
or dispute
could
come to
me, and I would give
him justice .”
Absalom
said
moreover
, Oh
that
I
were
made
judge in the land, that
every
man
who
hath
any
suit
or cause
might
come unto
me, and I would do
him justice !
Also
, when anyone
approached
to
bow
down
to him, Absalom
would
reach
out
his hand, take
hold of him, and kiss
him.
And
it
was
so
, that,
when any
man
came
nigh
to do
him obeisance
, he
put
forth
his hand, and
took
hold of him, and kissed
him.
Absalom
did
this to all the
Israelites
who
came to the king for justice.
In
this
way
he
stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
And
on
this manner
did
Absalom
to all Israel
that
came to the king for judgment:
so
Absalom
stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
After
four
years had
passed
, Absalom said to
the king, “Please
let me go to
Hebron
to
fulfill
a
vow I have made
to
the
LORD
.
And
it
came
to
pass
at
the
end
of
forty
years, that
Absalom said unto
the king, I
pray
thee,
let me go and
pay
my
vow ,
which
I have vowed
unto
Jehovah,
in
Hebron
.
For your
servant made
a vow while dwelling
in
Geshur of
Aram
, saying :
‘
If indeed the
LORD
brings
me back
to Jerusalem, I will worship
the
LORD
in
Hebron
. ’”
For thy
servant vowed
a vow while I
abode
at
Geshur in
Syria
, saying ,
If Jehovah
shall
indeed bring
me again
to Jerusalem, then
I will serve
Jehovah
.
“
Go in peace ,”
said
the
king
. So Absalom
got
up
and went to Hebron.
And
the
king
said
unto
him,
Go in peace. So he
arose,
and went to Hebron.
Then
Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with
this
message:
“When
you
hear the sound of the horn
, you
are
to
say, ‘
Absalom reigns
in Hebron !’”
But
Absalom sent spies throughout all
the tribes of Israel ,
saying,
As
soon
as
ye
hear the sound of the trumpet
, then
ye
shall
say, Absalom is
king
in Hebron .
Two hundred men from
Jerusalem accompanied
Absalom.
They
had
been
invited as
guests
and they
went along
innocently,
for
they knew nothing
about
the
matter
.
And
with
Absalom
went
two hundred men out
of
Jerusalem ,
that
were
invited ,
and went in
their
simplicity;
and
they knew not
anything
.
While
Absalom was
offering
the
sacrifices,
he
sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s
counselor
, to
come
from his hometown
of
Giloh. So
the conspiracy gained
strength,
and
Absalom’s
following
kept
increasing
.
And
Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's
counsellor
, from his city,
even
from
Giloh ,
while
he
was
offering
the
sacrifices
. And
the conspiracy was
strong;
for
the
people
increased
continually
with
Absalom
.
Then
a messenger came
to David and
reported
, “
The hearts of the men of Israel are with
Absalom. ”
And
there
came
a messenger to David, saying,
The hearts of the men of Israel are after
Absalom.
And David said to
all the
servants with him in
Jerusalem, “
Arise and let us flee ,
or
we
will
not
escape from Absalom !
We
must
leave
quickly
, or
he will
soon
overtake us, heap
disaster
on
us, and put
the city to
the sword. ”
And David said unto
all his
servants that
were
with him at
Jerusalem, Arise ,
and let us flee ;
for
else
none
of
us
shall
escape from Absalom :
make
speed
to
depart
, lest
he overtake us quickly
, and
bring
down
evil
upon
us, and smite
the city with
the edge
of
the
sword.
The king’s
servants replied,
“Whatever
our
lord
the king decides
, we
are
your
servants. ”
And
the king's
servants said
unto
the king, Behold,
thy
servants are
ready
to
do
whatsoever
my
lord
the
king
shall
choose
.
Then
the king set
out
, and his entire
household followed
him. But
he
left behind
ten concubines to take
care
of
the palace
.
And
the king went
forth
, and all
his household after
him. And
the
king
left ten women,
that
were
concubines ,
to keep
the house
.
So
the king set
out
with
all the people following
him. He
stopped
at
the
last
house,
And
the king went
forth,
and
all the people after
him ;
and
they
tarried
in
Beth-merhak
.
and all his servants marched
past
him —
all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites
who
had
followed
him from Gath.
And all his servants passed
on
beside
him ;
and
all the Cherethites ,
and all
the
Pelethites, and all
the
Gittites,
six hundred men
that
came
after
him from Gath ,
passed
on
before
the
king
.
Then the king said
to Ittai the Gittite, “Why
should
you
also go
with us? Go
back
and stay
with the new
king ,
since
you
are
both
a foreigner and an exile from
your
homeland
.
Then said
the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore
goest
thou
also with us? return,
and abide
with the king :
for
thou
art
a foreigner ,
and also
an exile ;
`return'
to
thine
own
place
.
In
fact,
you
arrived
only
yesterday ;
should I make you
wander
around
with us today
while
I do
not
know
where
I am
going
? Go
back
and take your
brothers
with
you.
May
the
LORD
show
you
loving
devotion
and faithfulness
. ”
Whereas
thou
camest
but
yesterday ,
should I this
day
make thee
go
up
and
down
with us ,
seeing
I go
whither
I may
? return
thou,
and take back
thy
brethren;
mercy
and truth
be
with
thee
.
But
Ittai answered the king, “As
surely
as the
LORD
lives
, and as my lord the king lives
, wherever
my lord the king may
be, whether it
means
life
or
death, there will your
servant be !”
And
Ittai answered the king, and
said,
As Jehovah
liveth
, and as my lord the king liveth
, surely
in
what
place
my lord the king shall
be, whether for
death or
for
life
, even
there also
will thy
servant be .
“March
on
then,”
said
David to Ittai. So
Ittai the Gittite marched
past
with
all his men and all the little ones who
were with him.
And
David said
to Ittai ,
Go
and
pass
over
. And
Ittai the Gittite passed
over,
and
all his men ,
and all the little ones that
were with him.
Everyone
in
the countryside
was
weeping
loudly
as
all the people passed by.
And
as
the king crossed
the Kidron Valley
, all the people also
passed toward the way of the wilderness.
And
all
the country
wept
with
a
loud
voice,
and
all the people passed over:
the king also
himself
passed
over
the brook
Kidron, and
all the people passed over,
toward the way of the wilderness.
Zadok was
also there
, and all the Levites with him were
carrying
the ark of the covenant of God .
And they set down the ark of God ,
and Abiathar offered
sacrifices
until the people had passed
out of the city.
And,
lo,
Zadok also `came'
, and all the Levites with him ,
bearing
the ark of the covenant of God ;
and they set down the ark of God ;
and Abiathar went
up,
until all
the people had done
passing
out of the city.
Then
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
both it and His dwelling
place
again.
And
the king said unto
Zadok, Carry
back
the ark of God into
the city :
if I shall
find favor in the eyes of Jehovah
, he will bring me again,
and show
me both it ,
and his habitation:
But if He should
say, ‘
I do
not
delight in you
, ’
then
here I
am ;
let Him do to me whatever
seems
good to
Him. ”
but if he say thus
, I have
no
delight in thee;
behold
, here am I,
let him do to me as
seemeth
good unto
him.
The king also
said to
Zadok the priest, “Are
you
not a seer? Return to
the city in peace —you
with
your
son
Ahimaaz
, and Abiathar
with his
son Jonathan.
The king said also
unto
Zadok the priest, Art
thou
`
not '
a seer? return into
the city in peace, and your
two
sons
with you,
Ahimaaz
thy
son ,
and
Jonathan the
son
of
Abiathar
.
See, I will wait
at the fords of the wilderness until word comes
from you to inform
me. ”
See, I will tarry
at the fords of the wilderness ,
until there
come
word from you to certify
me.
So
Zadok and Abiathar returned
the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed
there.
Zadok therefore
and Abiathar carried
the ark of God again
to Jerusalem :
and they
abode
there.
But
David continued
up the Mount of Olives, weeping
as he went up .
His head was
covered, and he
was
walking
barefoot .
And all the people with him covered their
heads
and went up, weeping as they went.
And
David went
up by
the ascent
of
the
`
mount of '
Olives, and
wept
as he went up ;
and
he
had
his head covered, and went
barefoot :
and all the people that
were
with him covered every
man
his
head,
and they
went up, weeping as they went up
.
Now
someone
told David :
“
Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. ”
So
David pleaded
, “
O LORD
, please
turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness !”
And
one
told David ,
saying,
Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And
David said
, O Jehovah
, I
pray
thee,
turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness .
When David came
to the summit
, where he
used
to
worship
God, Hushai the Archite was
there
to meet him with his robe
torn
and dust
on
his head.
And
it
came
to
pass,
that,
when David was
come
to the top
`of
the
ascent'
, where God was
worshipped
, behold,
Hushai the Archite came
to meet him with his coat
rent,
and earth
upon
his head.
David said to
him, “
If you
go
on with me, you
will
be a burden to
me .
And
David said unto
him, If thou
passest
on with me, then
thou
wilt
be a burden unto
me :
But you
can
thwart
the
counsel
of
Ahithophel
for
me
if you
return to the city and say to
Absalom :
‘
I will be your
servant, my
king; in
the
past
I was
your
father’s
servant, but
now
I
will be your
servant. ’
but if thou
return to the city ,
and say unto
Absalom ,
I will be thy
servant, O
king; as
I have
been
thy
father's
servant in
time
past
, so
will I
now
be thy
servant ;
then
wilt
thou
defeat
for
me
the
counsel
of
Ahithophel
.
Will
not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be
there
with
you
? Report
to
them
everything
you
hear from
the king’s
palace
.
And
hast
thou
not there
with
thee
Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore
it
shall
be,
that
what
thing
soever
thou
shalt
hear out
of
the king's
house,
thou
shalt
tell
it
to
Zadok
and
Abiathar
the
priests
.
Indeed
, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of
Zadok
and Jonathan son
of
Abiathar
, are
there
with
them .
Send them
to
me with
everything you
hear. ”
Behold
, they
have
there
with
them
their two sons, Ahimaaz ,
Zadok's
son ,
and Jonathan, Abiathar's
son;
and
by
them ye
shall
send unto
me everything that
ye
shall
hear.
So David’s
friend
Hushai arrived
in
Jerusalem
just
as
Absalom
was
entering
the city.
So Hushai ,
David's
friend,
came
into
the city ;
and
Absalom
came
into
Jerusalem
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..