And David said unto him - How turned out the matter? tell me, I pray thee. And he said - The people have fled from the battle, yea moreover, many, of the people have fallen, and died, Yea moreover, Saul, and Jonathan his son, are dead.

Then said David unto the young man who was telling him, - How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?

And they lamented aloud, and wept, and fasted until the evening, - for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

And David said unto the young man who was telling him, Whence art thou? And he said, Son of a sojourner - an Amalekite, am I.

Then chanted David this dirge, - over Saul and over Jonathan his son;

But, Abner son of Ner, prince of the host that pertained unto Saul, took Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

Forty years old, was Ish-bosheth son of Saul, when he began to reign over Israel, and, two years, reigned he, - but, the house of Judah, followed David.

And Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, came out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

And, Joab son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out from Hebron and met, by the pool of Gibeon, together, - and they sat down, these, by the pool, on the one side, and, those, by the pool, on the other side.

Then there arose, and went over by number, - twelve of Benjamin, pertaining to Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, and twelve, of the servants of David.

Then Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, - but, the sun, had gone in by the time, they, had come as far as the hill of Ammah, that overlooketh Giah, by way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

And his second Chileab, by Abigail, wife of Nabal the Carmelite, And the third Absolom, son of Maachah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

And the fourth Adonijah, son of Higgith, - And the fifth Shephatiah, son of Abital;

And David sent messengers unto Ish-bosheth son of Saul, saying, - Give up my wife, Michal, whom I espoused to myself, for a hundred foreskins of Philistines.

So Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, - from Paltiel, son of Laish.

When, Joab, and all the host that was with him, had come in, then told they Joab, saying, Abner son of Ner hath been in unto the king, and he hath let him go, and he hath departed in peace.

Thou knowest Abner son of Ner, that, to deceive thee, he came, - and to take knowledge of thy going out, and thy coming in, and to take knowledge of all that thou art doing.

And, when David heard of it, after that, he said - Guiltless, am I and my kingdom before Yahweh, unto times age-abiding, - of the blood of Abner son of Ner.

And, when all the people came near to get David to eat bread, while yet it was day, David sware, saying - So, let God do to me, and, so, let him add, if, before the sun go in, I taste bread, or anything else.

So then all the people, and all Israel, took note, that day, that it was not of the king, to cause the death of Abner son of Ner.

Now, when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands became feeble, - and, all Israel, were dismayed.

And two men, captains of bands, pertained to Ish-bosheth son of Saul - the name of the one, was Baanah, and, the name of the other, Rechab - sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin, - for, even Beeroth, used to be reckoned unto Benjamin;

And, Jonathan, son of Saul, had a son, lame of his feet, - five years old, was he, when tidings came in of Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel, so his nurse took him up, and fled, and it came to pass, when she started up to flee, that he fell and was lamed, and, his name, was, Mephibosheth.

and brought in the head of Ish-bosheth unto David, at Hebron, and said unto the king, Lo! the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life: so hath Yahweh given to my lord the king, avengement this day, on Saul and on his seed.

So then David captured the citadel of Zion, - the same, is the city of David.

I, will become his father, And, he, shall become my son: If he commit iniquity, then will I correct him, with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men;

And David smote Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, - when he went to lay his hand on the River Euphrates.

then Tou sent Hadoram his son unto King David, to ask after his welfare, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had smitten him, for Hadadezer had had wars with Tou, - and, in his hand, were vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze.

from Syria, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, - and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

and, Joab, son of Zeruiah, was over the army, - and, Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was remembrancer.

And, Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests, - and, Seraiah, was scribe;

and, Benaiah, son of Jehoiadah, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, - and, the sons of David, became, chief rulers.

Then said the king - Is there never a man remaining unto the house of Saul, that I may show him the lovingkindness of God? And Ziba said unto the king, There remaineth a son unto Jonathan, lame in his feet.

And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Lo! he, is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.

Then sent King David, - and fetched him out of the house of Machir son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

Now, when Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came in unto David, he fell on his face and did homage. And David said, Mephibosheth? And he said, Lo! thy servant.

Then the king called for Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, - All that pertained unto Saul and unto all his house, have I given unto the son of thy lord:

therefore shalt thou till for him the ground, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants, and shalt bring in, so that thy lord's son may have bread to eat, but, Mephibosheth, thy lord's son, shall continually eat bread at my table. Now, Ziba, had fifteen sons, and twenty servants.

Now, Mephibosheth, had a little son, whose name, was Micha. And, all that dwelt in the house of Ziba, were servants unto Mephibosheth.

And it came to pass, after this, that the king of the sons of Ammon died, - and that Hanun his son reigned in his stead.

Then said David - I will shew lovingkindness unto Hanun son of Nahash, as his father shewed, unto me, lovingkindness. So David sent to comfort him, by the hand of his servants, as to his father, - and the servants of David came into the land of the sons of Ammon.

Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not, a woman, cast on him an upper millstone from off the wall, that he died, in Thebez? Wherefore came ye near unto the wall? Then shalt thou say - Moreover, thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, died.

And, when the time of mourning had passed, David sent and received her into his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing which David had done was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh.

Thus, saith Yahweh, - Behold me! raising up over thee calamity out of thine own household, and I will take thy wives, before thine eyes, and give unto thy neighbour, and he will lie with thy wives, in the eyes of this sun.

For, thou, didst it, in secret, - but, I, will do this thing, before all Israel, and before the sun.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahweh. Then said Nathan unto David, - Yahweh also, hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die!

Nevertheless, because thou hast greatly blasphemed Yahweh, by this thing, the very son that is born to thee, shall, die.

Then said his servants unto him, What is this thing that thou hast done? For the child's sake, while living, thou didst fast and weep, but, as soon as the child was dead, thou didst arise and eat food.

And David consoled Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her, - and she bare a son, and called his name, Solomon, and Yahweh loved him.

And it came to pass, after this, that, Absolom, son of David, having a beautiful sister, whose name, was Tamar, Amnon son of David loved her.

But, Amnon, had a friend, whose name, was Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, - and, Jonadab, was a very cunning man.

So he said to him, - Why art thou looking so wretched - a king's son too - morning by morning? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said to him, With Tamar, my brother Absolom's sister, am I in love.

And the king said unto Absolom - Nay! my son, do not, I pray thee, let us all go, lest we be burdensome upon thee. And, though he urged him, he would not go, but blessed him.

Then responded Jonadab son of Shimeah David's brother, and said - Let not my lord say that they have put, all the young men - the king's sons, to death; for, Amnon alone, is dead; for, by the bidding of Absolom, was it appointed, from the day that he forced Tamar his sister.

But, Absolom, had fled, and had taken his journey unto Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David the king mourned for his son continually,

And Joab, son of Zeruiah, perceived that the heart of the king was towards Absolom.

Then said she: Let the king, I pray thee, remember Yahweh thy God; so that the blood-redeemer may not make utter ruin, and that they destroy not my son. And he said - By the life of Yahweh, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

For the king can hearken, to rescue his handmaid out of the power of the man who would seek to destroy both me and my son together, out of the inheritance of God.

So Absolom dwelt in Jerusalem two years of days, - and, the face of the king, had he not seen.

And the king said, unto Zadok the priest, Art thou not, a seer? return into the city, in peace, - and Ahimaaz thine own son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar - your two sons, with you.

Then said the king, And where is thy lord's son? And Ziba said unto the king - Lo! abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, To-day, will the house of Israel, restore unto me, the kingdom of my father.

And, when King David had come as far as Bahurim, lo! from thence a man coming out, of the family of the house of Saul, whose name, was Shimei son of Gera, coming out and cursing as he came.

Yahweh, hath brought back upon thee, all the shed-blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and Yahweh hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absolom thy son, - and, here thou art, in thy ruin, for that, a man of bloodshed, thou art.

Then said Abishai, son of Zeruiah, unto the king - Wherefore should this dead dog curse my lord the king? I pray thee, let me cross over and take off his head.

Then said David unto Abishai, and unto all his servants, Lo! my own son who sprang from my body, is seeking my life, - then how much more, now, a Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse, for, Yahweh, hath permitted him.

And, again, whom, should, I serve? Should it not be in presence of his son? as I served in presence of thy father, so, will I continue thy presence.

Lo! by this time, hath, he, hidden himself in some pit, or other place, - and it shall be, as soon as he falleth upon them at the first, that he that hearkeneth for tidings will hear of it , and will say - There is a defeat among the people that are following Absolom:

then will, even the son of valour himself, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, utterly melt, - for all Israel do know that, a man of might, is thy father, and that, sons of valour, are they who are with him.

Now, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were staying by En-rogel, and a maidservant was to go and tell them, and, they, were to go and tell King David, - for they might not be seen to eater the city.

Now Absolom had appointed, Amasa, instead of Joab, over the army, - Amasa, being the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Ishmaelite, who went in unto Abigail, daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, mother of Joab.

And it came to pass, when David entered Mahanaim, that 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,

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

And the man said unto Joab, Though I were weighing upon my palm a thousand pieces of silver, yet would I not put forth my hand against the son of the king, - for, in our hearing, the king Charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Watch any man who would touch the young man Absolom.

But, Absolom, had taken, and raised up for himself, in his lifetime, the pillar that is in the king's vale, for he said, I have no son, to keep in remembrance my name, so he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absolom's monument unto this day.

Then, Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, Let me run, I pray thee, and carry tidings unto the king, - how that Yahweh hath vindicated him, at the hand of his enemies.

And Joab said to him - Not a man to bear tidings, art thou this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day, - but, this day, shalt thou not bear tidings, for this cause, that, the king's son, is dead.

Then said Joab to a Cushite, Go tell the king, what thou hast seen. And the Cushite bowed himself down to Joab, and ran.

Then, yet again, said Ahimaaz son of Zadok unto Joab. But, be what may, do, I pray thee, let, me also, run, after the Cushite. And Joab said - Wherefore is it that, thou, wouldst run, my son, when, thou, hast no tidings of, any profit?

Then said the watchman, It seemeth, to me, that, the running of the foremost, is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok. And the king said, A good man, is he, and, with good tidings, he cometh.

Then was the king deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept, - and, thus, he said as he went - O my son Absolom, my son - my son - Absolom! could, I, but have died in thy stead, O Absolom, my son - my son!

So the victory, on that day, was turned into mourning, with all the people, - for the people heard, on that day, saying, The king is distressed for his son.

But, the king, muffled his face, and the king made outcry, with a loud voice, - O my son Absolom, O Absolom, my son, my son!

Then hastened Shimei, son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, - and came down, with the men of Judah, to meet King David.

But the ferry-boat kept crossing, to bring over the household of the king, and to do what was good in his eyes. And, Shimei, son of Gera, fell down before the king, when he had passed over the Jordan;

Then responded Abishai, son of Zeruiah, and said, For this, shall not Shimei be put to death, for that he cursed the Anointed of Yahweh?

And, Mephibosheth, son of Saul, came down to meet the king, - he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor, his clothes, had he washed, from the day the king departed, until the day that he entered in peace.

Now, in that place, there happened to be an abandoned man, whose name, was Sheba son of Bichri, a man of Benjamin, - so he blew a horn, and said - We have no share in David, Nor inheritance have we in the son of Jesse, Every man to his home, O Israel!

Then went up all the men of Israel from following David, to follow Sheba son of Bichri, - but, the men of Judah, clave unto their king, from the Jordan, even as far as Jerusalem.

Then said David unto Abishai, Now, shall Sheba son of Bichri, do us more harm than Absolom, - thou, take the servants of thy lord, and pursue him, lest he have got him into fortified cities, and so have escaped our eye.

Then went out after him - the men of Joab, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, - and they went out from Jerusalem, to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

Amasa not heeding the sword that was in the hand of Joab, he smote him therewith in the belly, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again, and he died. So, Joab and Abishai his brother, pursued Sheba son of Bichri.

But, Amasa, was wallowing in blood, in the midst of the highway, - and, when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa, out of the highway into the field, and cast over him a garment, as soon as he saw that every man that came up to him stood still.

When he had removed him out of the highway, every man passed on, after Joab, to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

Not so, is the matter! but, a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba son of Bichri, his name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David, give up him alone, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Lo! his head, shall be cast unto thee, through the wall.

So the woman came unto all the people in her wisdom, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast it out unto Joab. And he blew with a horn, and they dispersed themselves from the city, every man to his home; but, Joab, returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

And, Joab, was restored unto all the army of Israel, - And, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,

And, Adoniram, was over the tribute, - And, Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the remembrancer;

But the king had pity upon Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, Saul's son, - because of the oath of Yahweh that was between them, between David and Jonathan, Saul's son.

So the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul, even Armoni and Mephibosheth, - and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai, the Meholathite;

So David went and fetched the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the owners of Jabesh-gilead, - who stole them from the broadway of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day when the Philistines had smitten Saul in Gilboa;