2 Samuel 18:6-15

New International Version

⁶ David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest^(A) of Ephraim. ⁷ There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.

⁹ Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair^(B) got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

¹⁰ When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike^(C) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels^[a] of silver and a warrior’s belt.^(D)”

¹² But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels^[b] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^[c]’ ¹³ And if I had put my life in jeopardy^[d]—and nothing is hidden from the king^(E)—you would have kept your distance from me.”

¹⁴ Joab^(F) said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵ And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.^(G)