United Public Domain Gold 2/United Public Domain Gold 2.iso/religious/rel002.dms/rel002.adf/2Sam11-17/2Sam11-17

Text File | 1990-12-27 | 38KB | 709 lines

 11:1  And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the
time when kings go forth [to battle], that David sent Joab, and
his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the
children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still
at Jerusalem.
 11:2  And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose
from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house:
and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman
[was] very beautiful to look upon.
 11:3  And David sent and inquired after the woman. And [one]
said, [Is] not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife
of Uriah the Hittite?
 11:4  And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in
unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her
uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
 11:5  And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and
said, I [am] with child.
 11:6  And David sent to Joab, [saying], Send me Uriah the
Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
 11:7  And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded [of
him] how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war
prospered.
 11:8  And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash
thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there
followed him a mess [of meat] from the king.
 11:9  But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all
the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
 11:10  And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not
down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not
from [thy] journey? why [then] didst thou not go down unto
thine house?
 11:11  And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and
Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my
lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into
mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? [as]
thou livest, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not do this
thing.
 11:12  And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to
morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that
day, and the morrow.
 11:13  And when David had called him, he did eat and drink
before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to
lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down
to his house.
 11:14  And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a
letter to Joab, and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah.
 11:15  And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the
forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that
he may be smitten, and die.
 11:16  And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that
he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men
[were].
 11:17  And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab:
and there fell [some] of the people of the servants of David;
and Uriah the Hittite died also.
 11:18  Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning
the war;
 11:19  And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made
an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king,
 11:20  And if so be that the king's wrath arise, and he say
unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when
ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall?
 11:21  Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a
woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that
he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou,
Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
 11:22  So the messenger went, and came and showed David all
that Joab had sent him for.
 11:23  And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men
prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and
we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate.
 11:24  And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy
servants; and [some] of the king's servants be dead, and thy
servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
 11:25  Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say
unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword
devoureth one as well as another: make thy battle more strong
against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him.
 11:26  And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband
was dead, she mourned for her husband.
 11:27  And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched
her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son.
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
 12:1  And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto
him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one
rich, and the other poor.
 12:2  The rich [man] had exceeding many flocks and herds:
 12:3  But the poor [man] had nothing, save one little ewe
lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up
together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own
meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was
unto him as a daughter.
 12:4  And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he
spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress
for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor
man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
 12:5  And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man;
and he said to Nathan, [As] the LORD liveth, the man that hath
done this [thing] shall surely die:
 12:6  And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did
this thing, and because he had no pity.
 12:7  And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith
the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I
delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
 12:8  And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's
wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of
Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have
given unto thee such and such things.
 12:9  Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the
LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the
Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife [to be] thy
wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of
Ammon.
 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine
house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife
of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
 12:11  Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil
against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives
before thine eyes, and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he
shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
 12:12  For thou didst [it] secretly: but I will do this thing
before all Israel, and before the sun.
 12:13  And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the
LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away
thy sin; thou shalt not die.
 12:14  Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great
occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child
also [that is] born unto thee shall surely die.
 12:15  And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck
the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very
sick.
 12:16  David therefore besought God for the child; and David
fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
 12:17  And the elders of his house arose, [and went] to him,
to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did
he eat bread with them.
 12:18  And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child
died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the
child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet
alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our
voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the
child is dead?
 12:19  But when David saw that his servants whispered, David
perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto
his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
 12:20  Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and
anointed [himself], and changed his apparel, and came into the
house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own
house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he
did eat.
 12:21  Then said his servants unto him, What thing [is] this
that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child,
[while it was] alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst
rise and eat bread.
 12:22  And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted
and wept: for I said, Who can tell [whether] GOD will be
gracious to me, that the child may live?
 12:23  But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I
bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not
return to me.
 12:24  And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in
unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called
his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
 12:25  And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he
called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
 12:26  And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of
Ammon, and took the royal city.
 12:27  And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have
fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters.
 12:28  Now therefore gather the rest of the people together,
and encamp against the city, and take it: lest I take the city,
and it be called after my name.
 12:29  And David gathered all the people together, and went to
Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.
 12:30  And he took their king's crown from off his head, the
weight whereof [was] a talent of gold with the precious stones:
and it was [set] on David's head. And he brought forth the
spoil of the city in great abundance.
 12:31  And he brought forth the people that [were] therein,
and put [them] under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under
axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and
thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So
David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
 13:1  And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of
David had a fair sister, whose name [was] Tamar; and Amnon the
son of David loved her.
 13:2  And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister
Tamar; for she [was] a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for
him to do any thing to her.
 13:3  But Amnon had a friend, whose name [was] Jonadab, the
son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab [was] a very subtle
man.
 13:4  And he said unto him, Why [art] thou, [being] the king's
son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon
said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
 13:5  And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and
make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say
unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me
meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see [it], and
eat [it] at her hand.
 13:6  So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the
king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray
thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes
in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.
 13:7  Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy
brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat.
 13:8  So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was
laid down. And she took flour, and kneaded [it], and made cakes
in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
 13:9  And she took a pan, and poured [them] out before him;
but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Have out all men from
me. And they went out every man from him.
 13:10  And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the
chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes
which she had made, and brought [them] into the chamber to
Amnon her brother.
 13:11  And when she had brought [them] unto him to eat, he
took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my
sister.
 13:12  And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me;
for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this
folly.
 13:13  And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for
thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now
therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not
withhold me from thee.
 13:14  Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being
stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
 13:15  Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred
wherewith he hated her [was] greater than the love wherewith he
had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
 13:16  And she said unto him, [There is] no cause: this evil
in sending me away [is] greater than the other that thou didst
unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
 13:17  Then he called his servant that ministered unto him,
and said, Put now this [woman] out from me, and bolt the door
after her.
 13:18  And [she had] a garment of divers colours upon her: for
with such robes were the king's daughters [that were] virgins
apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the
door after her.
 13:19  And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment
of divers colours that [was] on her, and laid her hand on her
head, and went on crying.
 13:20  And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy
brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he
[is] thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained
desolate in her brother Absalom's house.
 13:21  But when king David heard of all these things, he was
very wroth.
 13:22  And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good
nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his
sister Tamar.
 13:23  And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom
had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which [is] beside Ephraim: and
Absalom invited all the king's sons.
 13:24  And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy
servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and
his servants go with thy servant.
 13:25  And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not
all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed
him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
 13:26  Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother
Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go
with thee?
 13:27  But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the
king's sons go with him.
 13:28  Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye
now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto
you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded
you? be courageous, and be valiant.
 13:29  And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom
had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man
gat him up upon his mule, and fled.
 13:30  And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that
tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the
king's sons, and there is not one of them left.
 13:31  Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on
the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes
rent.
 13:32  And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother,
answered and said, Let not my lord suppose [that] they have
slain all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is
dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been
determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.
 13:33  Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing
to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for
Amnon only is dead.
 13:34  But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch
lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much
people by the way of the hill side behind him.
 13:35  And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons
come: as thy servant said, so it is.
 13:36  And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of
speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up
their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants
wept very sore.
 13:37  But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of
Ammihud, king of Geshur. And [David] mourned for his son every
day.
 13:38  So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there
three years.
 13:39  And [the soul of] king David longed to go forth unto
Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was
dead.
 14:1  Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's
heart [was] toward Absalom.
 14:2  And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise
woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a
mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not
thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time
mourned for the dead:
 14:3  And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him.
So Joab put the words in her mouth.
 14:4  And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell
on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O
king.
 14:5  And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she
answered, I [am] indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is
dead.
 14:6  And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove
together in the field, and [there was] none to part them, but
the one smote the other, and slew him.
 14:7  And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine
handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother,
that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew;
and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my
coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband [neither]
name nor remainder upon the earth.
 14:8  And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and
I will give charge concerning thee.
 14:9  And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O
king, the iniquity [be] on me, and on my father's house: and
the king and his throne [be] guiltless.
 14:10  And the king said, Whosoever saith [ought] unto thee,
bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.
 14:11  Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the
LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of
blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he
said, [As] the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son
fall to the earth.
 14:12  Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee,
speak [one] word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.
 14:13  And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought
such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak
this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not
fetch home again his banished.
 14:14  For we must needs die, and [are] as water spilled on
the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God
respect [any] person: yet doth he devise means, that his
banished be not expelled from him.
 14:15  Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing
unto my lord the king, [it is] because the people have made me
afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king;
it may be that the king will perform the request of his
handmaid.
 14:16  For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of
the hand of the man [that would] destroy me and my son together
out of the inheritance of God.
 14:17  Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king
shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so [is] my
lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy
God will be with thee.
 14:18  Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide
not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And
the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.
 14:19  And the king said, [Is not] the hand of Joab with thee
in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul
liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to
the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy
servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the
mouth of thine handmaid:
 14:20  To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant
Joab done this thing: and my lord [is] wise, according to the
wisdom of an angel of God, to know all [things] that [are] in
the earth.
 14:21  And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done
this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
 14:22  And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed
himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy
servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord,
O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his
servant.
 14:23  So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom
to Jerusalem.
 14:24  And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and
let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house,
and saw not the king's face.
 14:25  But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised
as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to
the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
 14:26  And when he polled his head, (for it was at every
year's end that he polled [it]: because [the hair] was heavy on
him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head
at two hundred shekels after the king's weight.
 14:27  And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one
daughter, whose name [was] Tamar: she was a woman of a fair
countenance.
 14:28  So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw
not the king's face.
 14:29  Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to
the king; but he would not come to him: and when he sent again
the second time, he would not come.
 14:30  Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field
is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire.
And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.
 14:31  Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto [his] house,
and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on
fire?
 14:32  And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee,
saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say,
Wherefore am I come from Geshur? [it had been] good for me [to
have been] there still: now therefore let me see the king's
face; and if there be [any] iniquity in me, let him kill me.
 14:33  So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had
called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on
his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed
Absalom.
 15:1  And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared
him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
 15:2  And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of
the gate: and it was [so], that when any man that had a
controversy came 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.
 15:3  And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters [are] good
and right; but [there is] no man [deputed] of the king to hear
thee.
 15:4  Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the
land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come
unto me, and I would do him justice!
 15:5  And it was [so], that when any man came nigh [to him]
to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and
kissed him.
 15:6  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.
 15:7  And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said
unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I
have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron.
 15:8  For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in
Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to
Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.
 15:9  And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose,
and went to Hebron.
 15:10  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 reigneth in Hebron.
 15:11  And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem,
[that were] called; and they went in their simplicity, and they
knew not any thing.
 15:12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's
counsellor, from his city, [even] from Giloh, while he offered
sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people
increased continually with Absalom.
 15:13  And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts
of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
 15:14  And David said unto all his servants that [were] with
him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not
[else] escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he
overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the
city with the edge of the sword.
 15:15  And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy
servants [are ready to do] whatsoever my lord the king shall
appoint.
 15:16  And the king went forth, and all his household after
him. And the king left ten women, [which were] concubines, to
keep the house.
 15:17  And the king went forth, and all the people after him,
and tarried in a place that was far off.
 15:18  And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the
Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six
hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before
the king.
 15:19  Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore
goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with
the king: for thou [art] a stranger, and also an exile.
 15:20  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.
 15:21  And Ittai answered the king, and said, [As] the LORD
liveth, and [as] my lord the king liveth, surely in what place
my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there
also will thy servant be.
 15:22  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.
 15:23  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.
 15:24  And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites [were] 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.
 15:25  And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God
into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD,
he will bring me again, and show me [both] it, and his
habitation:
 15:26  But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold,
[here am] I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.
 15:27  The king said also unto Zadok the priest, [Art not]
thou a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons
with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
 15:28  See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until
there come word from you to certify me.
 15:29  Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God
again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.
 15:30  And David went up by the ascent of [mount] Olivet, and
wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went
barefoot: and all the people that [was] with him covered every
man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
 15:31  And [one] told David, saying, Ahithophel [is] among the
conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee,
turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.
 15:32  And it came to pass, that [when] David was come to the
top [of the mount], where he worshipped God, behold, Hushai the
Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his
head:
 15:33  Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then
thou shalt be a burden unto me:
 15:34  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 hitherto, so [will] I now also [be] thy servant: then
mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
 15:35  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.
 15:36  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 every thing that ye can hear.
 15:37  So Hushai David's friend came into the city, and
Absalom came into Jerusalem.
 16:1  And when David was a little past the top [of the hill],
behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple
of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread,
and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer
fruits, and a bottle of wine.
 16:2  And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these?
And Ziba said, The asses [be] for the king's household to ride
on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat;
and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may
drink.
 16:3  And the king said, And where [is] thy master's son? And
Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for
he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the
kingdom of my father.
 16:4  Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine [are] all that
[pertained] unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech
thee [that] I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
 16:5  And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came
out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name [was]
Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he
came.
 16:6  And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of
king David: and all the people and all the mighty men [were] on
his right hand and on his left.
 16:7  And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out,
thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:
 16:8  The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the
house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD
hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son:
and, behold, thou [art taken] in thy mischief, because thou
[art] a bloody man.
 16:9  Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why
should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I
pray thee, and take off his head.
 16:10  And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons
of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto
him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done
so?
 16:11  And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants,
Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life:
how much more now [may this] Benjamite [do it]? let him alone,
and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.
 16:12  It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction,
and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this
day.
 16:13  And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went
along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he
went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
 16:14  And the king, and all the people that [were] with him,
came weary, and refreshed themselves there.
 16:15  And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came
to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
 16:16  And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's
friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom,
God save the king, God save the king.
 16:17  And Absalom said to Hushai, [Is] this thy kindness to
thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?
 16:18  And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD,
and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I
be, and with him will I abide.
 16:19  And again, whom should I serve? [should I] not [serve]
in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's
presence, so will I be in thy presence.
 16:20  Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you
what we shall do.
 16:21  And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy
father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and
all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father:
then shall the hands of all that [are] with thee be strong.
 16:22  So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the
house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the
sight of all Israel.
 16:23  And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in
those days, [was] as if a man had inquired at the oracle of
God: so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and
with Absalom.
 17:1  Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose
out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after
David this night:
 17:2  And I will come upon him while he [is] weary and weak
handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that [are]
with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
 17:3  And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man
whom thou seekest [is] as if all returned: [so] all the people
shall be in peace.
 17:4  And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders
of Israel.
 17:5  Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and
let us hear likewise what he saith.
 17:6  And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto
him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we
do [after] his saying? if not; speak thou.
 17:7  And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that
Ahithophel hath given [is] not good at this time.
 17:8  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men,
that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed in their minds,
as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father
[is] a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
 17:9  Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some [other]
place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be
overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say,
There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
 17:10  And he also [that is] valiant, whose heart [is] as the
heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth
that thy father [is] a mighty man, and [they] which [be] with
him [are] valiant men.
 17:11  Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally
gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand
that [is] by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle
in thine own person.
 17:12  So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall
be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the
ground: and of him and of all the men that [are] with him there
shall not be left so much as one.
 17:13  Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all
Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the
river, until there be not one small stone found there.
 17:14  And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel
of Hushai the Archite [is] better than the counsel of
Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good
counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring
evil upon Absalom.
 17:15  Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the
priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the
elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
 17:16  Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying,
Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but
speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the
people that [are] with him.
 17:17  Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they
might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and
told them; and they went and told king David.
 17:18  Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they
went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in
Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
 17:19  And the woman took and spread a covering over the
well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was
not known.
 17:20  And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the
house, they said, Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the
woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And
when they had sought and could not find [them], they returned
to Jerusalem.
 17:21  And it came to pass, after they were departed, that
they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and
said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for
thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
 17:22  Then David arose, and all the people that [were] with
him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there
lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.
 17:23  And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not
followed, he saddled [his] ass, and arose, and gat him home to
his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and
hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of
his father.
 17:24  Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over
Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
 17:25  And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of
Joab: which Amasa [was] a man's son, whose name [was] Ithra an
Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash,
sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
 17:26  So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
 17:27  And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim,
that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of
Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai
the Gileadite of Rogelim,
 17:28  Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and
wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans,
and lentiles, and parched [pulse],
 17:29  And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine,
for David, and for the people that [were] with him, to eat: for
they said, The people [is] hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in
the wilderness.