and it cometh to pass, on the third day, that lo, a man hath come in out of the camp from Saul, and his garments are rent, and earth on his head; and it cometh to pass, in his coming in unto David, that he falleth to the earth, and doth obeisance.

And David saith unto the youth who is declaring it to him, 'How hast thou known that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?'

And David taketh hold on his garments, and rendeth them, and also all the men who are with him,

Saul and Jonathan! They are loved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they have not been parted. Than eagles they have been lighter, Than lions they have been mightier!

and his men who are with him hath David brought up -- a man and his household -- and they dwell in the cities of Hebron.

And the men of Judah come, and anoint there David for king over the house of Judah; and they declare to David, saying, 'The men of Jabesh-Gilead are they who buried Saul.'

And David sendeth messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and saith unto them, 'Blessed are ye of Jehovah, in that ye have done this kindness with your lord, with Saul, that ye bury him.

and now, are your hands strong, and be ye for sons of valour, for your lord Saul. is dead, and also -- me have the house of Judah anointed for king over them.'

And there are there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel, and Asahel is light on his feet, as one of the roes which are in the field,

And Joab hath turned back from after Abner, and gathereth all the people, and there are lacking of the servants of David nineteen men, and Asahel;

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.

And there are born to David sons in Hebron, and his first-born is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,

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.

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.

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.'

And the son of Saul heareth that Abner is dead in Hebron, and his hands are feeble, and all Israel have been troubled.

and the Beerothites flee to Gittaim, and are there sojourners unto this day.

And all the tribes of Israel come unto David, to Hebron, and speak, saying, 'Lo, we are thy bone and thy flesh;

And David taketh again concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after his coming from Hebron, and there are born again to David sons and daughters.

And these are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

and the Philistines have come, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim.

And the Philistines add again to come up, and are spread out in the valley of Rephaim,

and David riseth and goeth, and all the people who are with him, from Baale-Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God, whose name hath been called -- the name of Jehovah of Hosts, inhabiting the cherubs -- upon it.

And they cause the ark of God to ride on a new cart, and lift it up from the house of Abinadab, which is in the height, and Uzzah and Ahio sons of Abinadab are leading the new cart;

and David and all the house of Israel are playing before Jehovah, with all kinds of instruments of fir-wood, even with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cornets, and with cymbals.

and David and all the house of Israel are bringing up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the voice of a trumpet,

and I am with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and I cut off all thine enemies from thy presence, and have made for thee a great name, as the name of the great ones who are in the earth,

'When thy days are full, and thou hast lain with thy fathers, then I have raised up thy seed after thee which goeth out from thy bowels, and have established his kingdom;

And now, Lord Jehovah, Thou art God Himself, and Thy words are truth, and Thou speakest unto Thy servant this goodness,

And he smiteth Moab, and measureth them with a line, causing them to lie down on the earth, and he measureth two lines to put to death, and the fulness of the line to keep alive, and the Moabites are to David for servants, bearers of a present.

and he putteth in Edom garrisons -- in all Edom he hath put garrisons, and all Edom are servants to David; and Jehovah saveth David whithersoever he hath gone.

and Zadok son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech son of Abiathar, are priests, and Seraiah is scribe,

And Mephibosheth hath a young son, and his name is Micha, and every one dwelling in the house of Ziba are servants to Mephibosheth.

And the Bene-Ammon come out, and set battle in array, at the opening of the gate, and Aram of Zoba, and Rehob, and Ish-Tob, and Maacah, are by themselves in the field;

And Joab draweth nigh, and the people who are with him, to battle against Aram, and they flee from his presence;

And Aram seeth that it is smitten before Israel, and they are gathered together;

And Uriah saith unto David, 'The ark, and Israel, and Judah, are abiding in booths, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field are encamping; and I -- I go in unto my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife! -- thy life, and the life of thy soul -- if I do this thing.'

And it cometh to pass in Joab's watching of the city, that he appointeth Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men are;

and the messenger saith unto David, 'Surely the men have been mighty against us, and come out unto us into the field, and we are upon them unto the opening of the gate,

and those shooting shoot at thy servants from off the wall, and some of the servants of the king are dead, and also, thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.

And David seeth that his servants are whispering, and David understandeth that the lad is dead, and David saith unto his servants, 'Is the lad dead?' and they say, 'Dead.'

and the people who are in it he hath brought out, and setteth to the saw, and to cutting instruments of iron, and to axes of iron, and hath caused them to pass over into the brick-kiln; and so he doth to all the cities of the Bene-Ammon; and David turneth back, and all the people, to Jerusalem.

-- and upon her is a long coat, for such upper robes do daughters of the king who are virgins put on, -- and his servant taketh her out without, and hath bolted the door after her.

And the king saith unto Absalom, 'Nay, my son, let us not all go, I pray thee, and we are not too heavy on thee;' and he presseth on him, and he hath not been willing to go, and he blesseth him.

And it cometh to pass -- they are in the way -- and the report hath come unto David, saying, 'Absalom hath smitten all the sons of the king, and there is not left of them one;'

and the king riseth, and rendeth his garments, and lieth on the earth, and all his servants are standing by with rent garments.

And Absalom fleeth, and the young man who is watching lifteth up his eyes and looketh, and lo, much people are coming by the way behind him, on the side of the hill.

And the woman of Tekoah saith unto the king, 'On me, my lord, O king, is the iniquity, and on the house of my father; and the king and his throne are innocent.'

for we do surely die, and are as water which is running down to the earth, which is not gathered, and God doth not accept a person, and hath devised devices in that the outcast is not outcast by Him.

And there are born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter, and her name is Tamar; she was a woman of a fair appearance.

And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Absalom prepareth for himself a chariot, and horses, and fifty men are running before him;

And Absalom saith unto him, 'See, thy matters are good and straightforward -- and there is none hearkening to thee from the king.'

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;

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.

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.'

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.

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.

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;

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;

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.

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.'

And the king saith to Ziba, 'Lo, thine are all that Mephibosheth hath;' and Ziba saith, 'I have bowed myself -- I find grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king.'

And the king cometh in, and all the people who are with him, wearied, and they are refreshed there.

And Ahithophel saith unto Absalom, 'Go in unto the concubines of thy father, whom he left to keep the house, and all Israel hath heard that thou hast been abhorred by thy father, and the hands of all who are with thee have been strong.'

and come upon him, and he weary and feeble-handed, and I have caused him to tremble, and all the people have fled who are with him, and I have smitten the king by himself,

and I bring back all the people unto thee -- as the turning back of the whole is the man whom thou art seeking -- all the people are peace.

And Hushai saith, 'Thou hast known thy father and his men, that they are heroes, and they are bitter in soul as a bereaved bear in a field, and thy father is a man of war, and doth not lodge with the people;

lo, now, he is hidden in one of the pits, or in one of the places, and it hath been, at the falling among them at the commencement, that the hearer hath heard, and said, There hath been a slaughter among the people who are after Absalom;

and he also, the son of valour, whose heart is as the heart of the lion, doth utterly melt, for all Israel doth know that thy father is a hero, and sons of valour are those with him.

and we have come in unto him in one of the places where he is found, and we are upon him as the dew falleth on the ground, and there hath not been left of him and of all the men who are with him even one.

and now, send hastily, and declare to David, saying, Lodge not to-night in the plains of the wilderness, and also, certainly pass over, lest there be a swallowing up of the king and of all the people who are with him.'

And Jonathan and Ahimaaz are standing at En-Rogel, and the maid-servant hath gone and declared to them -- and they go and have declared it to king David -- for they are not able to be seen to go in to the city.

And the servants of Absalom come in unto the woman to the house, and say, 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' and the woman saith to them, 'They passed over the brook of water;' and they seek, and have not found, and turn back to Jerusalem.

And David riseth, and all the people who are with him, and they pass over the Jordan, till the light of the morning, till one hath not been lacking who hath not passed over the Jordan.

and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, have brought nigh for David, and for the people who are with him to eat, for they said, 'Thy people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.'

And David inspecteth the people who are with him, and setteth over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds,

And the people say, 'Thou dost not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set their heart upon us; and if half of us die, they do not set their heart unto us -- for now like us are ten thousand; and now, better that thou be to us from the city for an helper.'

and smitten there are the people of Israel before the servants of David, and the smiting there is great on that day -- twenty thousand;

And Ahimaaz son of Zadok addeth again, and saith unto Joab, 'And whatever it be, let me run, I pray thee, I also, after the Cushite.' And Joab saith, 'Why is this -- thou art running, my son, and for thee there are no tidings found?' --

And the watchman calleth, and declareth to the king, and the king saith, 'If by himself, tidings are in his mouth;' and he cometh, coming on and drawing near.

And the people stealeth away, on that day, to go in to the city, as the people steal away, who are ashamed, in their fleeing in battle;

And it cometh to pass, all the people are contending through all the tribes of Israel, saying, 'The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, yea, he himself delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he hath fled out of the land because of Absalom,

and Absalom whom we anointed over us is dead in battle, and now, why are ye silent -- to bring back the king?'

And king David sent unto Zadok and unto Abiathar the priests, saying, 'Speak ye unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye last to bring back the king unto his house? (and the word of all Israel hath come unto the king, unto his house;)

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

and a thousand men are with him from Benjamin, and Ziba servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him, and they have gone prosperously over the Jordan before the king.

And David saith, 'What -- to me and to you, O sons of Zeruiah, that ye are to me to-day for an adversary? to-day is any man put to death in Israel? for have I not known that to-day I am king over Israel?'

And Barzillai saith unto the king, 'How many are the days of the years of my life, that I go up with the king to Jerusalem?

And, lo, all the men of Israel are coming unto the king, and they say unto the king, 'Wherefore have they stolen thee -- our brethren, the men of Judah?' (and they bring the king and his household over the Jordan, and all the men of David with him).

And all the men of Judah answer against the men of Israel, 'Because the king is near unto us, and why is this -- ye are displeased about this matter? have we at all eaten of the king's substance? a gift hath he lifted up to us?'

And David cometh in unto his house at Jerusalem, and the king taketh the ten women-concubines -- whom he had left to keep the house, and putteth them in a house of ward, and sustaineth them, and unto them he hath not gone in, and they are shut up unto the day of their death, in widowhood living.

they are near the great stone that is in Gibeon, and Amasa hath gone before them, and Joab is girded; his long robe he hath put on him, and upon it a girdle -- a sword is fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and he hath gone out, and it falleth.

And he passeth over through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-Maachah, and to all the Berites, and they are assembled, and go in also after him,

and they go in and lay siege against him, in Abel of Beth-Maachah, and cast up a mount against the city, and it standeth in a trench, and all the people who are are with Joab are destroying, to cause the wall to fall.

And the woman cometh unto all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast it unto Joab, and he bloweth with a trumpet, and they are scattered from the city, each to his tents, and Joab hath turned back to Jerusalem unto the king.

and Sheva is scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar are priests,

And the king calleth for the Gibeonites, and saith unto them -- as to the Gibeonites, they are not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorite, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul seeketh to smite them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah --

And the Gibeonites say to him, 'We have no silver and gold by Saul and by his house, and we have no man to put to death in Israel;' and he saith, 'What ye are saying I do to you.'

And the battle is again in Gath, and there is a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands are six, and the toes of his feet are six, twenty and four in number, and he also hath been born to the giant,

And shake and tremble doth the earth, Foundations of the heavens are troubled, And are shaken, for He hath wrath!