And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

And it will be, as Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, and Hushai will say to Absalom, The king shall live, the king shall live.

And Absalom will say to Hushai, This thy mercy with thy friend? wherefore wentest thou not with thy friend?

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.

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.

And Absalom will say to Ahithophel, Bring counsel to yourselves what we shall do.

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.

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.

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.

Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

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:

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.

And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

And Absalom said, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and we will hear also what he says.

And Hushai will come to Absalom, and Absalom will say to him, saying, According to this word spake Ahithophel: shall we do his word? if not, speak thou.

And Hushai will say to Absalom, The counsel which Ahithophel counseled is not good in this time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And Hushai will say to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, According to this, and according to this, Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the old men of Israel; and according to this and according to this, I counseled.

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.

As for Jonathan and Ahimaaz, they stood by the well of Rogel, and a damsel went thither and told them. They went on their way and told King David, for they durst not be seen to come into the city.

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.

And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

And Absalom's servants will come to the woman to her house, and they will say, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? and the woman will say to them, They passed over the brook of waters. And they will seek and not find; and they will turn back to Jerusalem.

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.

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.

And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not done, and he will saddle the ass and rise and go to his house to his city, and command his house, and he will strangle himself and die. And he will be buried in the grave of his father.

Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

And Israel and Absalom will encamp in the land of Gilead.

And it will be as David went to Mahanaim, and Shobi, son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

brought beds and basins and objects of pottery, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,

honey, butter, sheep and cheese of kine - for David, and all the people that were with him, to eat. For they supposed that the people should be hungry, fainty, and thirsty in the wilderness.

And David will review the people which are with him, and he will put over them captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds.

And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city.

And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

And the people will go forth to the field to the meeting of Israel: and the war will be in the forest of Ephraim;

And there the people of Israel will be struck before David's servants, and a great slaughter will be in that day of twenty thousand.

For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

Absalom happened to run into David's soldiers. While Absalom was trying to get away on his mule, it ran under the thick branches of a giant oak tree, and Absalom's head got caught in the tree! As his mule ran out from under him, Absalom was left hanging above the ground.

And one man will see and announce to Joab, and say, Behold, I saw Absalom suspended in an oak

And Joab will say to the man announcing to him, And behold, thou sawest, and wherefore didst thou not strike him there to the earth? and for me to give to thee ten of silver and one girdle.

And the man will say to Joab, And not I weighing upon my hand a thousand of silver, I will not stretch forth my hand against the king's son. for in our ears, the king commanded thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Watch for me over the boy, over Absalom.

Moreover though I had jeoparded my life and done falsely thereto, yet could nought of all the matter have been hid from the king: yea, and thou thyself wouldest be against me."

Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

And ten boys lifting up Joab's arms will surround and strike Absalom, and kill him.

And Joab will strike upon the trumpet, and the people will turn back from pursuing after Israel: for Joab restrained the people.

And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

While Absalom had been living, he had erected a pillar as a monument to himself in King's Valley because he had been telling himself, "I don't have a son to carry on my family name." So he named the pillar after himself it's called Absalom's Monument even today.

Then said Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, "Let me run I pray thee, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath judged him quite of the hands of all his enemies."

Joab said to him, "You [will] not [be] a man {bringing} good news this day! You may bring good news on another day, but today you will not be bringing good news because the king's son is dead."

And Joab will say to Cushi, Go, announce to the king what thou sawest. And Cushi will worship to Joab, and run.

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” Joab said, “Why should you run, my son, seeing you will have no messenger’s reward for going [because you have only bad news]?”

But come what may,'said he , I will run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.

And the watcher will call and announce to the king. And the king will say, If alone, good news in his month. And he will go, going, and draw near.

And he watching will see another man running, and the watcher will call at the gate and say, Behold, a man running alone. And the king will say, This also announces good tidings.

The sentinel said, "I [am] seeing [that] the running of the first [is] like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zakok." The king said, "He [is] a good man; he will come, for good news."

And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.

And the king will say, Turn, stand here. And he will turn and stand.

And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

And the king will be moved, and he will go up into the upper chamber of the gate and weep: and thus he said in his going, My son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom I who will give my death, me for thee, Absalom my son, my son!

And it will be announced to Joab, Behold, the king weeping, and he will mourn for Absalom.

And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.

And the people will steal away in that day to go to the city, as people will steal away being ashamed in fleeing in battle.

And the king covered his face, and the king will cry out with a great voice, My son Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!

And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;

In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.

Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.

Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.

And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.

And Absalom, whom we made a ruler over us, is dead in the fight. So now why do you say nothing about getting the king back? And word of what all Israel was saying came to the king.

And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.

Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh; and why will ye be the last to bring back the king?

And to Amasa say ye, Art not thou my bone and my flesh? Thus doth God do to me, and thus He doth add, if thou art not head of the host before me all the days instead of Joab.'

And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.

And the king will turn back and come to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to cause the king to pass over Jordan.

The men of Judah went out as far as Gilgal to greet the king and escort him across the Jordan River while Gera's son Shimei, a descendant of Benjamin from Bahurim, accompanied them to meet King David.

And he will say to the king, My lord will not reckon iniquity to me, and he will not remember what thy servant did perversely in the day which my lord the king came forth from Jerusalem, for the king to set to his heart

For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said, Is not death the right fate for Shimei, because he has been cursing the one marked by the holy oil?

And David will say, What to me, and to you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye shall be to me for an adversary? Shall there this day be a man put to death in Israel? Did I not know that this day I am king over Israel?

So the king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” Then the king gave him his oath.

And it will be when he came to Jerusalem to the meeting of the king, and the king will say to him, Wherefore wentest thou not with me, Mephibosheth?

And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.

And he will slander against thy servant to my lord the king; and my lord the king as a messenger of God: and do thou the good in thine eyes.

For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

Then the king replied to him, "Why should you continue speaking like this? You and Ziba will inherit the field together."

And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.

And Barzillai the Gileadite will come down from Rogelim, and he will pass with the king over Jordan to send him upon Jordan.

Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.