And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

And Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up each one from following his brother.

and if it be so that the king's wrath arise, and he say to you, Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if that was too little, I would have given to you such and such things besides.

And the elders of his house rose up toward him, to raise him up from the earth. But he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

And it happened on the seventh day, the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Behold, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice. How then will he trouble himself if we tell him that the child is dead?

But he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

And she said to him, There is no cause. This evil in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me. But he would not listen to her.

And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be too heavy upon you. And he pressed him. He would not go, however, but blessed him.

Then she said, Please let the king remember Jehovah your God, that you would not allow the avengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they should destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of your son fall to the earth.

For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

And Absalom sent to Joab, to send him to the king. But he would not come to him. And when he sent again a second time, he would not come.

And Absalom said, Oh that I might be made judge in the land, so that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!

And Joab said to the man who told him, And, behold, you saw him, and why did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a girdle.

And the man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand silverlings in my hand, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king's son. For in our ears the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware you who go against the young man, against Absalom.

Or I would have dealt falsely with my own life, for there is no matter hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.

And the king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!

By loving your enemies and hating those who love you, you have declared today that there are neither commanders nor servants to you. For I know that today if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you very much!

And David longed and said, Oh that someone would give me a drink from the water of the well of Bethlehem by the gate!

And the three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah.

And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this. Is it not the blood of the men who went in danger of their lives? And he would not drink it. These three mighty men did these things.