Old/New Testament

Chapter 16

David and Ziba. ¹ When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, he was met by Ziba, the servant of Meribbaal. Ziba had with him a pair of saddled donkeys laden with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruits, and one skin of wine. ² The king said to Ziba: “What are you planning to do with these?” Ziba replied: “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the bread and the fruit are for the soldiers to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who fall exhausted in the desert.”

³ The king then asked: “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba replied: “He is staying in Jerusalem, for he said: ‘Today the house of Israel will restore to me my father’s kingdom.’ ” ⁴ Therefore, the king said to Ziba: “Everything that belonged to Meribbaal is yours.” Then Ziba replied: “I humbly pay you homage, my lord the king. May I always be considered to be worthy of being granted your favor.”

David and Shimei. ⁵ As King David was nearing Horonaim, he was approached by a man of the family of Saul. His name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and he was cursing as he drew near. ⁶ He threw stones at David and his servants, as well as at all the people and the soldiers on his right and on his left.

⁷ As he cursed, Shimei shouted: “Get out, get out, you murderous scoundrel! ⁸ The Lord has repaid all of you for the blood of the house of Saul whose sovereignty you have stolen, and the Lord has given the kingdom to your son Absalom. Now your wickedness has caught up with you, for you are a man of blood.”

⁹ Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king: “Why should this dead dog be allowed to curse my lord the king? Let me go over and behead him.” ¹⁰ However, the king said: “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord told him: ‘Curse David,’ who will then dare to say: ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and all his servants: “If my own son who was conceived from my loins is now seeking my life, how much more understandable is it that this Benjaminite is prepared to do so! Let him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has instructed him to do so. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look upon my wretched condition and grant me a blessing to repay me for the curses that I have been forced to endure this day.”

¹³ Therefore, David and his men resumed their journey, while Shimei kept abreast of him on the opposite hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones and flinging dust at him. ¹⁴ When the king and all the people with him reached the Jordan, they stopped there to rest, for they were exhausted.

¹⁵ Absalom’s Counselors.^[a] Meanwhile Absalom and all of the Israelites entered Jerusalem, and accompanying him was Ahithophel. ¹⁶ Then Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, approached Absalom and said to him: “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷ Then Absalom asked Hushai: “Is this the way you show loyalty to your friend?” ¹⁸ Hushai replied to Absalom: “I intend to follow the man whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, and I will remain with him. ¹⁹ Besides, whom should I serve if not his son? Just as I served your father, so will I serve you.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel: “Give us your counsel on what you think we should do.” ²¹ Ahithophel replied to Absalom: “Go to your father’s concubines whom he left behind to take care of the palace and have relations with them. As a result, all Israel will hear that you have greatly antagonized your father, and the courage of all your supporters will be strengthened.” ²² Therefore, a tent was pitched for Absalom upon the roof, and in the sight of all Israel Absalom lay with his father’s concubines.

²³ Counsel of Ahithophel. Now in those days the counsel offered by Ahithophel was regarded as counsel presented by God himself. And that was how the counsel of Ahithophel was regarded by both David and Absalom.

Chapter 17

¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom: “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set forth in pursuit of David this very night. ² I plan to overtake him when he is weary and discouraged and to throw him into a panic. Then, when all the people who are with him flee, I will strike down only the king. ³ After that, I will bring all the people back to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You are seeking the death of only one man. The rest of the people will be unharmed.” ⁴ Absalom and all the elders of Israel found this plan to be satisfactory.

Counsel of Hushai. ⁵ Then Absalom said: “Now also summon Hushai the Archite, and let us hear what he has to say.” ⁶ When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him: “This is what Ahithophel suggested. Shall we do as he advises? If not, give us your ideas in this regard.”

⁷ Hushai replied to Absalom: “On this particular occasion Ahithophel has not offered good advice.” ⁸ Then he went on to say: “You well know that your father and his men are warriors and that they are as fierce as a bear in the wilderness who has been robbed of her cubs. In addition, your father is unsurpassed in devising strategy, and he will not spend the night with the troops.

⁹ “You can be certain that even now he has concealed himself in a cave or some other place. And if some of our troops should be slain during the first attack, the word will quickly spread that the followers of Absalom have been slaughtered. ¹⁰ Then even the most valiant of our warriors, with courage like that of a lion, will shrink away in fear. For all Israel well knows that your father is a warrior and that those who serve with him are brave.

¹¹ “This is the advice that I offer to you. Summon all Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, to be gathered in support of you, and be at their side as they march into battle. ¹² When we catch up with him, wherever he may be found, we shall then attack him and descend upon him as the dew falls upon the ground. He will not survive, nor will any of those with him. ¹³ And if he should withdraw into a town, all Israel shall bring ropes into that town, and we shall drag it down into a gorge so that not even a single remnant of it can be found there.”

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the Israelites declared: “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is superior to that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the shrewd advice of Ahithophel and thereby bring disaster on Absalom.

¹⁵ David Told of the Plan. Then Hushai said to the priests Zadok and Abiathar: “This is the counsel that Ahithophel gave to Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I advised. ¹⁶ Therefore, send a warning to David without delay and tell him: ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert, but cross over as quickly as you can. Otherwise the king and all the people with him may be annihilated.’ ”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A servant girl used to go there and report to them what was happening, and then they would go and inform King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. ¹⁸ However, a young lad saw them and informed Absalom. Therefore, the two of them ran off quickly and went to the house of a man in Horonaim. He had a cistern in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.

¹⁹ The man’s wife then took a covering, stretched it out over the cistern, and strewed crushed grain on it so that nothing would be noticed. ²⁰ When the servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house, they asked: “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied: “They went by here a short while ago and went toward the water.” They continued their pursuit, but when they found no sight of them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ After they had departed, the two men climbed out of the cistern and went to warn King David. “Leave immediately and cross the water quickly,” they said, as they related to him how Ahithophel had decided to proceed against him. ²² Therefore, David and all of the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By dawn there was not a single one left who had not crossed to the opposite bank of the Jordan.

²³ When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and departed straight home to his own town. Then, having left detailed instructions to ensure the well-being of his family, he hanged himself. He died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴ By the time that Absalom had crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel, David had already reached Mahanaim. ²⁵ Absalom had appointed Amasa to be commander of the army in Joab’s place. Amasa was the son of a man called Ithra the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah. ²⁶ The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the territory of Gilead.

²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, he was greeted by Shobi, the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir, the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim. ²⁸ They brought bedding, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, ²⁹ honey and curds, and cheese from the flocks and herds for David and the people with him to eat, as they said: “Your troops must have been hungry and thirsty and exhausted in the desert.”

Chapter 18

Preparation for Battle. ¹ David mustered the men who were with him, and he appointed commanders to be in charge of units of a thousand and units of a hundred.^{[b] 2} Then David divided his army into three groups: one under the command of Joab, another under the command of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Joab, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. After that, the king said to the soldiers: “I myself will also march forth with you.”

³ However, the soldiers replied: “You must not come with us. If we are forced to flee, they will not be concerned about us, not even if half of us should die. However, you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better if you remain in the city to supply whatever help we may need.”

⁴ The king said to them: “I shall do whatever seems best to you.” Then he stood beside the gate while all the soldiers marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵ He also gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with the young man Absalom.” And all of the soldiers heard the king give this directive to the commanders in regard to Absalom.

Defeat of Absalom. ⁶ Then the army marched into the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim. ⁷ The Israelite forces were defeated there by the forces of David, and the casualties numbered twenty thousand men. ⁸ The battle spread over the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

Death of Absalom. ⁹ Meanwhile, Absalom, by chance, happened to encounter some of David’s men. He was riding on his mule, and as it passed under the thick branches of a large oak, his head became caught in its branches, and he was left hanging in midair while the mule he had been riding continued on. ¹⁰ Someone who had seen this reported to Joab: “I saw Absalom hanging from an oak.”

¹¹ Joab said to the man who had informed him: “If you actually saw him, why then did you not strike him to the ground then and there? I would have willingly given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”

¹² However, the man replied to Joab: “Even if you were to weigh out a thousand shekels of silver and place them in the palm of my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai: ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ¹³ On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously with Absalom and thereby placed my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—then you would have dissociated yourself from me.”

¹⁴ Joab then answered him bluntly: “I cannot waste my time arguing with you.” Thereupon he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive, hanging in midair from the oak tree. ¹⁵ Then ten young men who served as Joab’s armor-bearers closed in on Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶ After that, Joab ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and the soldiers ceased their pursuit of Israel because he had ordered them to halt. ¹⁷ They picked up Absalom, flung his body into a large pit in the forest, and piled up a great mound of stones over him. Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their tents.

¹⁸ During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it for himself in the King’s Valley, for he said: “I have no son to perpetuate the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and to the present day it is still called Absalom’s Monument.

¹⁹ David Told of Absalom’s Death. Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab: “Grant me permission to take the good news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.” ²⁰ But Joab replied: “Today you would not be the bearer of good news. On some other day, you may do so, but you shall not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹ Then Joab said to an Ethiopian: “Go forth and report to the king what you have witnessed.” The Ethiopian bowed down before Joab and ran off. ²² Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, again said to Joab: “Come what may, allow me to run after the Ethiopian.”

Joab replied: “My son, why do you wish to go? You will not receive any reward for the news you bring.” ²³ “Come what may,” he answered, “I want to run.” Joab finally relented, and he said: “I grant you leave to depart.” Then Ahimaaz sped off by way of the plain of the Jordan and outran the Ethiopian.

²⁴ While David was sitting between the inner and the outer wall, a sentry went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he looked up, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵ The sentry called down to the king and reported this to him. “If he is alone,” said the king, “he has some news to tell us.”

²⁶ As the man continued to draw nearer, the sentry beheld another man running, and he shouted to the gatekeeper, saying: “Look! Here comes another man running alone.” The king asserted: “He must also be bringing good news.” ²⁷ The sentry added: “The first one runs just like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” The king replied: “He is a good man, and I feel certain that he comes with good news to report.”

²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out to the king: “All is well!” After that he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said: “Blessed be the Lord, your God, for he has delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”

²⁹ Thereupon the king asked: “Is all well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered: “When the king’s servant Joab sent your servant forth, I was aware of a great commotion, but I do not know what it was all about.” ³⁰ The king said: “Stand off to the side and wait over there.” Therefore, he stepped aside and remained there.

³¹ When the Ethiopian arrived, he said: “I bring good news for my lord the king. For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all those who rebelled against you.” ³² Then the king asked the Ethiopian: “Has all gone well with the young man Absalom?” The Ethiopian answered: “May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up to harm you share the fate of that young man.”

³³ Greatly shaken, the king went up to the chamber over the gate, weeping incessantly. And as he went, he cried out: “O my son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”^[c]

²⁰ The Coming of the Kingdom of God.^[a] Once, the Pharisees asked him when the kingdom of God was coming. He answered, “The coming of the kingdom of God will not occur with signs that can be observed. ²¹ Nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

²² The Day of the Son of Man.^[b] Then he said to his disciples, “The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ²³ People will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go running after them. ²⁴ For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. ²⁵ But first he must endure great suffering and be rejected by this generation.

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed all of them. ²⁸ “The same thing happened in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But on the day that Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed all of them.

³⁰ “It will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, the one who is standing on the roof, with his possessions inside, must not come down to collect them, and someone who is in the field must not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will save it.

³⁴ “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁵ And there will be two women grinding grain together. One will be taken and the other will be left. [ ³⁶ Two men will be out in the field. One will be taken and the other will be left.]”^[c]

³⁷ They asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said in reply, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”