Second Book of Samuel 18

¹ David reviewed the troops that were with him, and appointed commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds to lead them.

² David divided the army into three groups, one under the command of Joab, another under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. Then David said to the troops, ‘I too will march with you in person’.

³ But the troops replied, ‘You must not go. If we are routed, they will not give us a thought; and if half of us die, they will not give us a thought; but you, you are the equal of ten thousand of us. Besides, it is better for you to be ready to reinforce us from the town.’

⁴ David said, ‘I will do as you think best’. And the king stood by the gate as the troops marched out by their hundreds and their thousands.

⁵ The king gave orders to Joab, Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake treat young Absalom gently’. And all the troops heard that the king had given these orders about Absalom to all the commanders.

⁶ So the troops marched out to take the field against Israel, and battle was joined in the Forest of Ephraim.

⁷ There Israel’s army was beaten by David’s followers; it was a great defeat that day, with twenty thousand casualties.

⁸ The fighting spread throughout the region and, of the troops, the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

⁹ Absalom happened to run into some of David’s followers. Absalom was riding a mule and the mule passed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom’s head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on.

¹⁰ Someone saw this and told Joab. ‘I have just seen Absalom’ he said ‘hanging from an oak.’

¹¹ Joab said to the man who told him, ‘If you saw him, why did you not strike him to the ground then and there? I would have taken it on myself to give you ten silver shekels and a belt too.’

¹² But the man answered Joab, ‘Even were I to feel the weight of a thousand silver shekels in my hand, I would not lift my hand against the king’s son. In our own hearing the king gave you and Abishai and Ittai these orders, “For my sake spare young Absalom”.

¹³ Had I acted treacherously, thus endangering my life, nothing is hidden from the king, and you yourself would have stood by idle.’

¹⁴ Then Joab said, ‘I cannot waste my time with you like this’. And he took three lances in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s heart while he was still alive there in the oak tree.

¹⁵ Then ten soldiers, Joab’s armour-bearers, stepped forward, cut Absalom down and finished him off.

¹⁶ Then Joab had the trumpet sounded and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab held the troops back.

¹⁷ They took Absalom, flung him into a deep pit in the forest and reared a great cairn over him. All the Israelites had fled, each man to his tent.

¹⁸ Now Absalom during his lifetime had undertaken the erection of the pillar to himself which is in the Valley of the King. ‘I have no son’ he said ‘to preserve the memory of my name.’ So he had given the pillar his name, and it is called to this day the Pillar of Absalom.

¹⁹ Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, ‘I must run and tell the good news to the king that Yahweh has vindicated his cause by ridding him of his enemies’.

²⁰ But Joab said, ‘Today you would be no bearer of good news, some other day you will be; but today you would not be bringing good news, for the king’s son is dead’.

²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, ‘Go and tell the king what you have seen’. The Cushite bowed to Joab and ran off.

²² But Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted. ‘Come what may,’ he said to Joab ‘I must myself run after the Cushite.’ ‘My son,’ Joab said ‘why run? You will get no reward for your news.’

²³ But he replied, ‘Come what may, I am going to run.’ ‘Then run’ Joab said. And Ahimaaz set off to run by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.

²⁴ David was sitting between the two gates. The lookout had gone up to the roof of the gate, on the ramparts; he looked up and saw a man running all by himself.

²⁵ The watch called out to the king and told him. The king said, ‘If he is by himself, he has good news to tell’. As the man drew still nearer,

²⁶ the watch saw another man running, and the watch who was on top of the gate called out, ‘Here comes another man running by himself’. David said, ‘He too is a bearer of good news’.

²⁷ The watchman said, ‘I recognise the way the first man runs; Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs like that’. ‘He is a good man’ the king said ‘and he comes with good news.’

²⁸ Ahimaaz approached the king. ‘All hail!’ he said, and bowed down before the king with his face to the earth. ‘Blessed be Yahweh your God’ he said ‘who has handed over the men who rebelled against my lord the king!’

²⁹ ‘Is all well with young Absalom?’ the king asked. Ahimaaz replied, ‘I saw there was a great uproar when Joab despatched your servant, but I do know what it was’.

³⁰ The king said, ‘Move aside and stand there’. He moved aside and stood waiting.

³¹ Then the Cushite arrived. ‘Good news for my lord the king!’ cried the Cushite. ‘Yahweh has vindicated your cause today by ridding you of all who rebelled against you.’

³² ‘Is all well with young Absalom?’ the king asked the Cushite. ‘May the enemies of my lord the king’ the Cushite answered ‘and all who rebelled against you to your hurt, share the lot of that young man.’