18:1 Then
David
mustered
the
men
who
were
with
him
and
set
over
them
commanders
of
thousands
and
commanders
of
hundreds.
18:2 And
David
sent
out
the
army,
one
third
under
the
command
of
Joab,
one
third
under
the
command
of
Abishai
the
son
of
Zeruiah,
Joab's
brother,
and
one
third
under
the
command
of
Ittai
the
Gittite.
And
the
king
said
to
the
men,
"I
myself
will
also
go
out
with
you."
18:3 But
the
men
said,
"You
shall
not
go
out.
For
if
we
flee,
they
will
not
care
about
us.
If
half
of
us
die,
they
will
not
care
about
us.
But
you
are
worth
ten
thousand
of
us.
Therefore
it
is
better
that
you
send
us
help
from
the
city."
18:4 The
king
said
to
them,
"Whatever
seems
best
to
you
I
will
do."
So
the
king
stood
at
the
side
of
the
gate,
while
all
the
army
marched
out
by
hundreds
and
by
thousands.
18:5 And
the
king
ordered
Joab
and
Abishai
and
Ittai,
"Deal
gently
for
my
sake
with
the
young
man
Absalom."
And
all
the
people
heard
when
the
king
gave
orders
to
all
the
commanders
about
Absalom.
18:6 So
the
army
went
out
into
the
field
against
Israel,
and
the
battle
was
fought
in
the
forest
of
Ephraim.
18:7 And
the
men
of
Israel
were
defeated
there
by
the
servants
of
David,
and
the
loss
there
was
great
on
that
day,
twenty
thousand
men.
18:8 The
battle
spread
over
the
face
of
all
the
country,
and
the
forest
devoured
more
people
that
day
than
the
sword.
18:9 And
Absalom
happened
to
meet
the
servants
of
David.
Absalom
was
riding
on
his
mule,
and
the
mule
went
under
the
thick
branches
of
a
great
oak,
and
his
head
caught
fast
in
the
oak,
and
he
was
suspended
between
heaven
and
earth,
while
the
mule
that
was
under
him
went
on.
18:10 And
a
certain
man
saw
it
and
told
Joab,
"Behold,
I
saw
Absalom
hanging
in
an
oak."
18:11 Joab
said
to
the
man
who
told
him,
"What,
you
saw
him!
Why
then
did
you
not
strike
him
there
to
the
ground
I
would
have
been
glad
to
give
you
ten
pieces
of
silver
and
a
belt."
18:12 But
the
man
said
to
Joab,
"Even
if
I
felt
in
my
hand
the
weight
of
a
thousand
pieces
of
silver,
I
would
not
reach
out
my
hand
against
the
king's
son,
for
in
our
hearing
the
king
commanded
you
and
Abishai
and
Ittai,
'For
my
sake
protect
the
young
man
Absalom.'
18:13 On
the
other
hand,
if
I
had
dealt
treacherously
against
his
life
(and
there
is
nothing
hidden
from
the
king),
then
you
yourself
would
have
stood
aloof."
18:14 Joab
said,
"I
will
not
waste
time
like
this
with
you."
And
he
took
three
javelins
in
his
hand
and
thrust
them
into
the
heart
of
Absalom
while
he
was
still
alive
in
the
oak.
18:15 And
ten
young
men,
Joab's
armor-bearers,
surrounded
Absalom
and
struck
him
and
killed
him.
18:16 Then
Joab
blew
the
trumpet,
and
the
troops
came
back
from
pursuing
Israel,
for
Joab
restrained
them.
18:17 And
they
took
Absalom
and
threw
him
into
a
great
pit
in
the
forest
and
raised
over
him
a
very
great
heap
of
stones.
And
all
Israel
fled
every
one
to
his
own
home.
18:18 Now
Absalom
in
his
lifetime
had
taken
and
set
up
for
himself
the
pillar
that
is
in
the
King's
Valley,
for
he
said,
"I
have
no
son
to
keep
my
name
in
remembrance."
He
called
the
pillar
after
his
own
name,
and
it
is
called
Absalom's
monument
to
this
day.
18:19 Then
Ahimaaz
the
son
of
Zadok
said,
"Let
me
run
and
carry
news
to
the
king
that
the
LORD
has
delivered
him
from
the
hand
of
his
enemies."
18:20 And
Joab
said
to
him,
"You
are
not
to
carry
news
today.
You
may
carry
news
another
day,
but
today
you
shall
carry
no
news,
because
the
king's
son
is
dead."
18:21 Then
Joab
said
to
the
Cushite,
"Go,
tell
the
king
what
you
have
seen."
The
Cushite
bowed
before
Joab,
and
ran.
18:22 Then
Ahimaaz
the
son
of
Zadok
said
again
to
Joab,
"Come
what
may,
let
me
also
run
after
the
Cushite."
And
Joab
said,
"Why
will
you
run,
my
son,
seeing
that
you
will
have
no
reward
for
the
news"
18:23 "Come
what
may,"
he
said,
"I
will
run."
So
he
said
to
him,
"Run."
Then
Ahimaaz
ran
by
the
way
of
the
plain,
and
outran
the
Cushite.
18:24 Now
David
was
sitting
between
the
two
gates,
and
the
watchman
went
up
to
the
roof
of
the
gate
by
the
wall,
and
when
he
lifted
up
his
eyes
and
looked,
he
saw
a
man
running
alone.
18:25 The
watchman
called
out
and
told
the
king.
And
the
king
said,
"If
he
is
alone,
there
is
news
in
his
mouth."
And
he
drew
nearer
and
nearer.
18:26 The
watchman
saw
another
man
running.
And
the
watchman
called
to
the
gate
and
said,
"See,
another
man
running
alone!"
The
king
said,
"He
also
brings
news."
18:27 The
watchman
said,
"I
think
the
running
of
the
first
is
like
the
running
of
Ahimaaz
the
son
of
Zadok."
And
the
king
said,
"He
is
a
good
man
and
comes
with
good
news."
18:28 Then
Ahimaaz
cried
out
to
the
king,
"All
is
well."
And
he
bowed
before
the
king
with
his
face
to
the
earth
and
said,
"Blessed
be
the
LORD
your
God,
who
has
delivered
up
the
men
who
raised
their
hand
against
my
lord
the
king."
18:29 And
the
king
said,
"Is
it
well
with
the
young
man
Absalom"
Ahimaaz
answered,
"When
Joab
sent
the
king's
servant,
your
servant,
I
saw
a
great
commotion,
but
I
do
not
know
what
it
was."
18:30 And
the
king
said,
"Turn
aside
and
stand
here."
So
he
turned
aside
and
stood
still.
18:31 And
behold,
the
Cushite
came,
and
the
Cushite
said,
"Good
news
for
my
lord
the
king!
For
the
LORD
has
delivered
you
this
day
from
the
hand
of
all
who
rose
up
against
you."
18:32 The
king
said
to
the
Cushite,
"Is
it
well
with
the
young
man
Absalom"
And
the
Cushite
answered,
"May
the
enemies
of
my
lord
the
king
and
all
who
rise
up
against
you
for
evil
be
like
that
young
man."
18:33 And
the
king
was
deeply
moved
and
went
up
to
the
chamber
over
the
gate
and
wept.
And
as
he
went,
he
said,
"O
my
son
Absalom,
my
son,
my
son
Absalom!
Would
I
had
died
instead
of
you,
O
Absalom,
my
son,
my
son!"