Absalom Revolts against David

151 And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Absalom prepareth for himself a chariot, and horses, and fifty men are running before him; 2 and Absalom hath risen early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate, and it cometh to pass, every man who hath a pleading to come unto the king for judgment, that Absalom calleth unto him, and saith, 'Of what city 'art' thou?' and he saith, 'Of one of the tribes of Israel 'is' thy servant.' 3 And Absalom saith unto him, 'See, thy matters 'are' good and straightforward—and there is none hearkening to thee from the king.' 4 And Absalom saith, 'Who doth make me a judge in the land, that unto me doth come every man who hath a plea and judgment?—then I have declared him righteous.' 5 And it hath come to pass, in the drawing nearing of any one to bow himself to him, that he hath put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and given a kiss to him; 6 and Absalom doth according to this thing to all Israel who come in for judgment unto the king, and Absalom stealeth the heart of the men of Israel.

7 And it cometh to pass, at the end of forty years, that Absalom saith unto the king, 'Let me go, I pray thee, and I complete my vow, that I vowed to Jehovah in Hebron, 8 for a vow hath thy servant vowed in my dwelling in Geshur, in Aram, saying, If Jehovah doth certainly bring me back to Jerusalem, then I have served Jehovah.' 9 And the king saith to him, 'Go in peace;' and he riseth and goeth to Hebron, 10 and Absalom sendeth spies through all the tribes of Israel, saying, 'At your hearing the voice of the trumpet, then ye have said, Absalom hath reigned in Hebron.' 11 And with Absalom have gone two hundred men, out of Jerusalem, invited ones, and they are going in their simplicity, and have not known anything; 12 and Absalom sendeth Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counsellor of David, out of his city, out of Gilo, in his sacrificing sacrifices; and the conspiracy is strong, and the people are going and increasing with Absalom.

13 And he who is declaring tidings cometh in unto David, saying, 'The heart of the men of Israel hath been after Absalom.' 14 And David saith to all his servants who 'are' with him in Jerusalem, 'Rise, and we flee, for we have no escape from the face of Absalom; haste to go, lest he hasten, and have overtaken us, and forced on us evil, and smitten the city by the mouth of the sword.' 15 And the servants of the king say unto the king, 'According to all that my lord the king chooseth—lo, thy servants 'do'.' 16 And the king goeth out, and all his household at his feet, and the king leaveth ten women—concubines—to keep the house. 17 And the king goeth out, and all the people at his feet, and they stand still at the farthest off house. 18 And all his servants are passing on at his side, and all the Cherethite, and all the Pelethite, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came at his feet from Gath, are passing on at the front of the king. 19 And the king saith unto Ittai the Gittite, 'Why dost thou go—thou also—with us? turn back—and abide with the king, for thou 'art' a stranger, and also an exile thou—to thy place. 20 Yesterday 'is' thy coming in, and to-day I move thee to go with us, and I am going on that which I am going!—turn back, and take back thy brethren with thee,—kindness and truth.' 21 And Ittai answereth the king and saith, 'Jehovah liveth, and my lord the king liveth, surely in the place where my lord the king is—if for death, if for life, surely there is thy servant.' 22 And David saith unto Ittai, 'Go and pass over;' and Ittai the Gittite passeth over, and all his men, and all the infants who 'are' with him. 23 And all the land are weeping—a great voice, and all the people are passing over; and the king is passing over through the brook Kidron, and all the people are passing over on the front of the way of the wilderness;

24 and lo, also Zadok, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God, and they make the ark of God firm, and Abiathar goeth up, till the completion of all the people to pass over out of the city. 25 And the king saith to Zadok, 'Take back the ark of God to the city; if I find grace in the eyes of Jehovah, then He hath brought me back, and shewn me it and His habitation; 26 and if thus He say, I have not delighted in thee; here 'am' I, He doth to me as 'is' good in His eyes.' 27 And the king saith unto Zadok the priest, 'Art thou a seer? turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you; 28 see ye, I am tarrying in the plains of the wilderness till the coming in of a word from you to declare to me.' 29 And Zadok taketh back—and Abiathar—the ark of God to Jerusalem, and they abide there. 30 And David is going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping, and he hath the head covered, and he is going barefooted, and all the people who 'are' with him have covered each his head, and have gone up, going up and weeping;

31 and David declared, saying, 'Ahithophel 'is' among the conspirators with Absalom;' and David saith, 'Make foolish, I pray Thee, the counsel of Ahithophel, O Jehovah.' 32 And it cometh to pass, David hath come unto the top, where he boweth himself to God, and lo, to meet him 'is' Hushai the Archite, his coat rent, and earth on his head; 33 and David saith to him, 'If thou hast passed on with me then thou hast been on me for a burden, 34 and if to the city thou dost turn back, and hast said to Absalom, Thy servant I am, O king; servant of thy father I 'am' also hitherto, and now, I 'am' also thy servant; then thou hast made void for me the counsel of Ahithophel; 35 and are there not with thee there Zadok and Abiathar the priests? and it hath been, the whole of the matter that thou hearest from the house of the king thou dost declare to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests. 36 Lo, there with them 'are' their two sons, Ahimaaz to Zadok, and Jonathan to Abiathar, and ye have sent by their hand unto me anything that ye hear.' 37 And Hushai, David's friend, cometh in to the city, and Absalom cometh in to Jerusalem.

31 And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and 'is' strong, and the house of Saul are going on and 'are' weak.

David's Sons Born at Hebron

2 And there are born to David sons in Hebron, and his first-born is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, 3 and his second 'is' Chileab, of Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite, and the third 'is' Absalom son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, 4 and the fourth 'is' Adonijah son of Haggith, and the fifth 'is' Shephatiah son of Abital, 5 and the sixth 'is' Ithream, of Eglah wife of David; these have been born to David in Hebron.

Abner Plans a League with David

6 And it cometh to pass, in the war being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner hath been strengthening himself in the house of Saul,

7 and Saul hath a concubine, and her name 'is' Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and 'Ish-Bosheth' saith unto Abner, 'Wherefore hast thou gone in unto the concubine of my father?' 8 And it is displeasing to Abner exceedingly, because of the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he saith, 'The head of a dog 'am' I—that in reference to Judah to-day I do kindness with the house of Saul thy father, unto his brethren, and unto his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David—that thou chargest against me iniquity concerning the woman to-day? 9 thus doth God to Abner, and thus He doth add to him, surely as Jehovah hath sworn to David—surely so I do to him: 10 to cause the kingdom to pass over from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba.' 11 And he is not able any more to turn back Abner a word, because of his fearing him. 12 And Abner sendeth messengers unto David for himself, saying, 'Whose 'is' the land?' saying, 'Make thy covenant with me, and lo, my hand 'is' with thee, to bring round unto thee all Israel.' 13 And he saith, 'Good—I make with thee a covenant; only, one thing I am asking of thee, that is, Thou dost not see my face, except thou dost first bring in Michal, daughter of Saul in thy coming into see my face.' 14 And David sendeth messengers unto Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, saying, 'Give up my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.' 15 And Ish-Bosheth sendeth, and taketh her from a man, from Phaltiel son of Laish, 16 and her husband goeth with her, going on and weeping behind her, unto Bahurim, and Abner saith unto him, 'Go, turn back;' and he turneth back. 17 And the word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, 'Heretofore ye have been seeking David for king over you, 18 and now, do 'it', for Jehovah hath spoken of David saying, By the hand of David my servant—to save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.' 19 And Abner speaketh also in the ears of Benjamin, and Abner goeth also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that 'is' good in the eyes of Israel, and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin, 20 and Abner cometh in unto David, to Hebron, and with him twenty men, and David maketh for Abner, and for the men who 'are' with him, a banquet. 21 And Abner saith unto David, 'I arise, and go, and gather unto my lord the king the whole of Israel, and they make with thee a covenant, and thou hast reigned over all that thy soul desireth;' and David sendeth away Abner, and he goeth in peace.

Joab Kills Abner

22 And lo, the servants of David, and Joab, have come from the troop, and much spoil have brought with them, and Abner is not with David in Hebron, for he hath sent him away, and he goeth in peace; 23 and Joab and all the host that 'is' with him have come, and they declare to Joab, saying, 'Abner son of Ner hath come unto the king, and he sendeth him away, and he goeth in peace.' 24 And Joab cometh unto the king, and saith, 'What hast thou done? lo, Abner hath come unto thee! why 'is' this—thou hast sent him away, and he is really gone? 25 Thou hast known Abner son of Ner, that to deceive thee he came, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou art doing.' 26 And Joab goeth out from David, and sendeth messengers after Abner, and they bring him back from the well of Sirah, and David knew not. 27 And Abner turneth back to Hebron, and Joab turneth him aside unto the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smiteth him there in the fifth 'rib'—and he dieth—for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28 And David heareth afterwards and saith, 'Acquitted 'am' I, and my kingdom, by Jehovah, unto the age, from the blood of Abner son of Ner; 29 it doth stay on the head of Joab, and on all the house of his father, and there is not cut off from the house of Joab one having an issue, and leprous, and laying hold on a staff, and falling by a sword, and lacking bread.' 30 And Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because that he put to death Asahel their brother, in Gibeon, in battle. 31 And David saith unto Joab, and unto all the people who 'are' with him, 'Rend your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner;' and king David is going after the bier. 32 And they bury Abner in Hebron, and the king lifteth up his voice, and weepeth at the grave of Abner, and all the people weep; 33 and the king lamenteth for Abner, and saith:—'As the death of a fool doth Abner die? 34 Thy hands not bound, And thy feet to fetters not brought nigh! As one falling before sons of evil—Thou hast fallen!' and all the people add to weep over him. 35 And all the people come to cause David to eat bread while yet day, and David sweareth, saying, 'Thus doth God to me, and thus He doth add, for—before the going in of the sun, I taste no bread or any other thing.' 36 And all the people have discerned 'it', and it is good in their eyes, as all that the king hath done is good in the eyes of all the people; 37 and all the people know, even all Israel, in that day, that it hath not been from the king—to put to death Abner son of Ner. 38 And the king saith unto his servants, 'Do ye not know that a prince and a great one hath fallen this day in Israel? 39 and I to-day 'am' tender, and an anointed king: and these men, sons of Zeruiah, 'are' too hard for me; Jehovah doth recompense to the doer of the evil according to his evil.'