Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
YLT
Young's Literal Translation
Then
David reviewed
his
troops
and appointed
over them commanders
of hundreds
and of thousands.
And
David inspecteth
the
people
who
`are'
with
him,
and setteth
over them heads
of thousands
and heads
of hundreds,
He
sent
out
the troops,
a
third under
Joab, a
third under
Joab’s
brother
Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a
third under
Ittai the Gittite .
And the king said
to
the troops
, “
I will
surely
march
out with you as
well
. ”
and
David
sendeth
the third of
the
people
by
the
hand
of
Joab, and
the
third by
the
hand
of
Abishai ,
son of Zeruiah, brother
of
Joab,
and the
third by
the
hand
of
Ittai the Gittite ,
and the king saith
unto
the people
, `
I certainly
go
out --
I
also
--
with you. '
But
the people pleaded
, “You
must
not go out !
For if we have
to
flee, they will
pay
no
attention
to
us .
Even
if half of us die, they will
not care;
but
you
are worth
ten thousand of
us.
It
is
better
for
now if
you
support
us from the city. ”
And
the people say
, `Thou
dost
not go out ,
for if we utterly
flee, they do
not
set
`their'
heart
upon
us ;
and
if half of us die, they do
not set
`their'
heart
unto
us
--
for
now
like
us
`
are '
ten thousand ;
and
now ,
better
that
thou
be
to
us from the city for
an
helper
. '
“
I will
do whatever
seems
best
to
you,”
the king replied.
So
he
stood
beside
the gate, while
all the troops
marched
out by hundreds and by thousands .
And
the
king
saith
unto
them,
`That
which
is
good
in
your
eyes
I do ;'
and
the king standeth
at
the side
of
the
gate, and
all the people
have
gone
out by hundreds and by thousands ,
Now
the king had
commanded
Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat
the
young
man
Absalom
gently for my
sake.”
And all the people heard the king’s
orders
to
each
of
the commanders
regarding
Absalom.
and
the king chargeth
Joab, and
Abishai, and Ittai, saying,
`
Gently --
for me,
for
the
youth,
for
Absalom;'
and all the people heard in
the king's
charging
all
the heads
concerning
Absalom.
So
David’s
army
marched
into the field to engage
Israel in
the battle ,
which
took
place
in the
forest of Ephraim .
And
the
people
goeth
out
into the field to meet
Israel ,
and
the battle is
in a
forest of Ephraim ;
There the people of Israel were
defeated
by
David’s
servants, and the slaughter
was
great that day —
twenty thousand men.
and
smitten
there are
the people of Israel before
the
servants of
David
, and the smiting
there
is
great on
that day --
twenty thousand ;
The battle spread
over the whole
countryside
, and that
day
the forest devoured
more
people than the sword.
and
the battle is
there
scattered
over the face
of
all
the
land
, and the forest multiplieth
to
devour
among
the
people more
than those
whom
the sword hath
devoured
in
that
day
.
Now
Absalom was
riding
on
his
mule
when
he
met
the servants of David, and as
the mule went
under
the thick
branches
of a
large
oak, Absalom’s
head was
caught
fast
in
the tree.
The mule under him kept
going,
so
that
he
was
suspended
in
midair
.
And
Absalom meeteth
before
the servants of David, and Absalom
is
riding
on
the mule ,
and
the mule
cometh
in
under
an
entangled
bough
of the
great
oak, and
his
head taketh
hold
on
the oak,
and
he
is
placed
between
the heavens
and
the
earth,
and
the
mule that
`is'
under him hath
passed
on
.
When
one of
the
men
saw
this
, he
told
Joab, “
I just
saw Absalom hanging
in an oak tree!”
And
one man
seeth
, and
declareth
to
Joab, and
saith,
`Lo,
I saw Absalom hanged
in an oak .'
“You
just
saw
him!”
Joab exclaimed.
“Why
did
you
not strike
him to the ground
right
there?
I
would
have
given
you
ten shekels
of
silver
and a
warrior’s
belt!”
And
Joab saith
to
the
man
who
is
declaring
`it'
to
him,
`And
lo,
thou
hast
seen
--
and
wherefore
didst
thou
not smite
him there
to the earth
--
and
on
me
to
give
to
thee
ten silverlings
and one
girdle?'
The man replied
, “Even
if
a thousand shekels
of
silver
were
weighed
out
into
my
hands
, I would
not raise
my hand against
the son of the king .
For we
heard
the king command
you
and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect
the young
man
Absalom for
my
sake.’
And
the man saith
unto
Joab
, `Yea,
though
I
am
weighing
on
my
hand
a thousand silverlings
, I do
not put
forth
my hand unto
the son of the king ;
for in
our
ears
hath
the king charged
thee,
and Abishai ,
and Ittai, saying,
Observe
ye
who
`is'
against
the youth
--
against
Absalom ;
If
I had jeopardized
my own
life
—
and nothing
is hidden
from the king —you
would
have
abandoned
me
. ”
or
I had done
against
my soul
a
vain
thing,
and no
matter
is hid
from the king ,
and
thou
--
thou
dost
station
thyself
over-against
. '
But
Joab declared
, “I
am
not going
to
wait
like
this
with
you!”
And he took
three spears
in his hand and thrust
them through
the heart of Absalom while he was
still
alive in the oak tree
.
And
Joab saith
, `
Not right
--
I
tarry
before
thee;'
and he taketh
three darts
in his hand ,
and striketh
them into
the heart of Absalom ,
while he `is'
alive ,
in the midst
of
the
oak.
And ten young
men
who
carried
Joab’s
armor
surrounded
Absalom, struck
him,
and killed
him.
And they
go
round
--
ten youths
bearing
weapons
of
Joab
--
and
smite
Absalom, and put
him to
death
.
Then
Joab blew
the
ram’s
horn
, and the troops
broke
off
their
pursuit
of
Israel because
Joab had
restrained
them.
And
Joab bloweth
with
a
trumpet
, and the people
turneth
back
from
pursuing
after
Israel ,
for
Joab hath
kept
back
the
people;
They took
Absalom ,
cast him into
a
large
pit
in the forest, and piled
a huge
mound
of stones over
him.
Meanwhile
, all the
Israelites
fled ,
each to his home
.
and
they take
Absalom and
cast him in the forest unto
the
great
pit
, and set
up
over
him
a very
great
heap
of stones, and
all Israel
have
fled --
each to his tent
.
During
his
lifetime,
Absalom had
set
up for himself a
pillar in the King’s
Valley, for he had
said, “
I have no son to preserve
the
memory
of
my name .”
So
he gave
the pillar his name, and to
this
day
it is called Absalom’s
Monument.
And
Absalom hath
taken,
and
setteth
up for himself in
his
life,
the
standing-
pillar that
`is'
in the king's
valley, for he said, `
I have no son to cause
my name to
be
remembered;'
and
he calleth
the standing-
pillar by
his own
name, and it is called `The
monument of
Absalom'
unto
this
day
.
Then
Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please
let me run and tell
the king the
good
news
that
the
LORD
has
avenged
him of his enemies .”
And
Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, `
Let me run ,
I
pray
thee,
and I
bear
the king tidings,
for
Jehovah
hath
delivered
him out
of the
hand
of
his enemies ;'
But
Joab replied
, “You
are
not the
man to
take
good
news
today.
You
may
do
it
another
day, but you
must
not do
so
today
, because the king’s
son is dead. ”
and
Joab saith
to
him
, `Thou
art
not a
man of
tidings
this
day, but thou
hast
borne
tidings
on
another
day,
and
this
day
thou
dost
not bear
tidings
, because the king's
son `
is '
dead. '
So
Joab said
to a
Cushite
, “
Go, tell
the king what
you
have
seen .”
The
Cushite
bowed
to Joab and took
off
running
.
And
Joab saith
to Cushi
, `
Go, declare
to
the king that
which
thou
hast
seen ;'
and
Cushi
boweth
himself
to Joab ,
and runneth
.
Ahimaaz son of Zadok ,
however
, persisted
and said
to
Joab, “Regardless
of
whatever may
happen
, please
let me also
run behind
the Cushite !”
“My
son,”
Joab replied
, “
why do
you
want
to
run
, since
you
will
not
receive
a
reward
? ”
And
Ahimaaz son of Zadok addeth
again
, and saith
unto
Joab, `And
whatever it
be
, let me run ,
I
pray
thee,
I
also,
after
the Cushite .'
And
Joab saith
, `
Why `is'
this
--
thou
art
running
, my
son,
and
for
thee
there
are
no
tidings
found
? '
--
“No
matter
what
, I
want
to
run!”
he replied.
“Then
run !”
Joab
told
him
. So
Ahimaaz ran
by
way of the plain
and outran
the Cushite.
`And
, whatever
it
be,
`said
he ,'
let
me
run. '
And
he
saith
to
him,
`Run;'
and
Ahimaaz runneth
the
way of the circuit,
and passeth
by
the Cushite.
Now
David was
sitting between the two gates when
the watchman went
up
to
the roof of the gateway
by
the wall, looked
out
, and saw
a man running alone
.
And
David is
sitting between the two gates ,
and
the watchman goeth
unto
the roof of the gate,
unto
the wall, and
lifteth
up
his
eyes
, and looketh,
and
lo,
a man running by
himself
.
So
he
called
out
and told
the king .
“If
he
is
alone
, ”
the king replied
, “
he bears
good
news.”
As
the
first
runner
drew
near
,
And the watchman
calleth,
and
declareth
to
the
king, and
the king saith
, `If
by
himself,
tidings
`are'
in
his
mouth;'
and
he cometh
, coming
on
and
drawing
near.
the watchman saw
another man running, and he
called
out
to
the gatekeeper, “Look!
Another
man is
running alone!”
“This
one
also
brings
good
news,”
said
the king.
And
the watchman seeth
another man running, and the watchman
calleth
unto
the
gatekeeper, and
saith,
`Lo,
a
man running by
himself;'
and
the king saith,
`Also
this
one
is
bearing
tidings
. '
The watchman said
, “
The first man
appears
to
me
to
be
running like
Ahimaaz son of Zadok. ”
“
This is a good man, ”
said
the
king.
“He
comes
with good news
. ”
And
the watchman saith
, `I
see
the running
of
the
first as
the
running of
Ahimaaz son of Zadok. '
And
the
king
saith,
`
This `
is '
a good man, and
with good tidings
he
cometh
. '
Then
Ahimaaz called
out
to
the king, “All
is
well!”
And he bowed
facedown
before
the king .
He
continued
, “Blessed
be
the LORD
your
God !
He
has
delivered
up the men who raised
their hands
against my lord the king. ”
And
Ahimaaz calleth
and
saith
unto
the king, `Peace;'
and he boweth
himself
to
the king, on
his
face,
to
the earth,
and
saith,
`Blessed
`is'
Jehovah
thy
God who
hath
shut
up the men who lifted
up
their hand
against my lord the king. '
The king asked
, “Is
the young
man
Absalom all
right
? ”
And Ahimaaz replied,
“When
Joab
sent
the
king’s
servant
and
your
servant
, I saw a
great tumult
, but
I do
not know
what it was
. ”
And
the king saith
, `Peace
to
the youth
--
to
Absalom? '
And Ahimaaz saith
, `
I saw the
great multitude
, at
the
sending
away
of
the
servant
of
the
king,
even
thy
servant
`by'
Joab,
and
I have
not known
what `
it is'
. '
“Move
aside,”
said
the king, “and
stand
here .”
So
he stepped
aside
.
And
the king saith
, `Turn
round,
station
thyself
here ;'
and
he turneth
round
and
standeth
still
.
Just
then
the Cushite came
and said
, “May
my lord the
king hear
the
good
news:
Today
the LORD
has
avenged
you
of all who
rose
up against you!”
And
lo,
the Cushite hath
come,
and the
Cushite
saith
, `Let
tidings
be
proclaimed,
my lord ,
O
king ;
for
Jehovah
hath
delivered
thee
to-day
out
of
the hand
of all those
rising
up against thee.'
The king asked
the Cushite, “Is
the young
man
Absalom all
right
? ”
And the Cushite replied
, “May
what
has
become
of
the young
man
happen
to
the enemies of my lord the king and to
all who rise
up against you
to
harm
you
. ”
And
the king saith
unto
the Cushite, `Peace
to
the youth
--
to
Absalom? '
And the Cushite saith
, `Let
them
be
--
as
the youth
--
the enemies of my lord the king ,
and all who have
risen
up against thee
for
evil
. '
The king was
shaken
and went
up to
the gate
chamber and
wept.
And as
he
walked
, he cried
out
, “O
my son Absalom
! My son ,
my son Absalom !
If
only
I had died instead
of
you
, O
Absalom, my son, my son !”
And
the king trembleth,
and goeth
up on
the upper
chamber of
the
gate,
and weepeth
, and
thus
he hath
said
in
his
going
, `
My son! Absalom
my son ;
my son Absalom ;
oh
that
I had died for
thee
, Absalom, my son, my son .'
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and Young's Literal Translation. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..