And he saith to me, Who art thou? and I say unto him, An Amalekite I am.'

And David saith unto the youth who is declaring it to him, 'Whence art thou?' and he saith, 'Son of a sojourner, an Amalekite, I am.'

And Abner looketh behind him, and saith, 'Art thou he -- Asahel?' and he saith, 'I am.'

And he is not able any more to turn back Abner a word, because of his fearing him.

And the word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, 'Heretofore ye have been seeking David for king over you,

Thou hast known Abner son of Ner, that to deceive thee he came, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou art doing.'

also heretofore, in Saul's being king over us, thou hast been he who is bringing out and bringing in Israel, and Jehovah saith to thee, Thou dost feed My people Israel, and thou art for leader over Israel.'

And it cometh to pass in that night, that the word of Jehovah is unto Nathan, saying,

During all the time that I have walked up and down among all the sons of Israel, a word have I spoken with one of the tribes of Israel which I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, 'Why have ye not built to Me a house of cedars?

Because of Thy word, and according to Thy heart, Thou hast done all this greatness, to cause Thy servant to know it.

'And now, Jehovah God, the word which Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish unto the age, and do as Thou hast spoken;

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

And the house of Saul hath a servant, and his name is Ziba, and they call for him unto David; and the king saith unto him, 'Art thou Ziba?' and he saith, 'Thy servant.'

And Nathan saith unto David, 'Thou art the man! Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, I anointed thee for king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

'Wherefore hast thou despised the word of Jehovah, to do the evil thing in His eyes? Uriah the Hittite thou hast smitten by the sword, and his wife thou hast taken to thee for a wife, and him thou hast slain by the sword of the Bene-Ammon.

and saith to him, 'Wherefore art thou thus lean, O king's son, morning by morning? dost thou not declare to me?' And Amnon saith to him, 'Tamar -- sister of Absalom my brother -- I am loving.'

And I -- whither do I cause my reproach to go? and thou -- thou art as one of the fools in Israel; and now, speak, I pray thee, unto the king; for he doth not withhold me from thee.'

and now, let not my lord the king lay unto his heart the word, saying, All the sons of the king have died, for Amnon alone is dead.'

And Jonadab saith unto the king, 'Lo, the sons of the king have come; as the word of thy servant, so it hath been.'

and thou hast gone unto the king, and spoken unto him, according to this word;' and Joab putteth the words into her mouth.

And the woman saith, 'Let, I pray thee, thy maid-servant speak unto my lord the king a word;' and he saith, 'Speak.'

And now that I have come to speak unto the king my lord this word, it is because the people made me afraid, and thy maid-servant saith, Let me speak, I pray thee, unto the king; it may be the king doth do the word of his handmaid,

and thy maid-servant saith, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for ease; for as a messenger of God so is my lord the king, to understand the good and the evil; and Jehovah thy God is with thee.'

And Joab falleth on his face to the earth, and doth obeisance, and blesseth the king, and Joab saith, 'To-day hath thy servant known that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king, in that the king hath done the word of his servant.'

and Absalom hath risen early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate, and it cometh to pass, every man who hath a pleading to come unto the king for judgment, that Absalom calleth unto him, and saith, 'Of what city art thou?' and he saith, 'Of one of the tribes of Israel is thy servant.'

And the king saith unto Ittai the Gittite, 'Why dost thou go -- thou also -- with us? turn back -- and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger, and also an exile thou -- to thy place.

And the king saith unto Zadok the priest, 'Art thou a seer? turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you;

see ye, I am tarrying in the plains of the wilderness till the coming in of a word from you to declare to me.'

Jehovah hath turned back on thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and Jehovah doth give the kingdom in to the hand of Absalom thy son; and lo, thou art in thine evil, for a man of blood thou art.'

And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counselled in those days is as when one inquireth at the word of God; so is all the counsel of Ahithophel both to David and to Absalom.

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 cometh in unto Absalom, and Absalom speaketh unto him, saying, 'According to this word hath Ahithophel spoken; do we do his word? if not, thou -- speak thou.'

So that I have counselled: Let all Israel be diligently gathered unto thee, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and thou thyself art going in the midst;

and Joab saith to him, 'Thou art not a man of tidings this day, but thou hast borne tidings on another day, and this day thou dost not bear tidings, because the king's son is dead.'

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 now, rise, go out and speak unto the heart of thy servants, for by Jehovah I have sworn, that -- thou art not going out -- there doth not lodge a man with thee to-night; and this is worse for thee than all the evil that hath come upon thee from thy youth till now.'

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;)

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 the men of Israel answer the men of Judah, and say, 'Ten parts we have in the king, and also in David more than you; and wherefore have ye lightly esteemed us, that our word hath not been first to bring back our king?' And the word of the men of Judah is sharper than the word of the men of Israel.

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.

And Joab saith to Amasa, 'Art thou in peace, my brother?' and the right hand of Joab layeth hold on the beard of Amasa to give a kiss to him;

And he cometh near unto her, and the woman saith, 'Art thou Joab?' and he saith, 'I am.' And she saith to him, 'Hear the words of thy handmaid;' and he saith, 'I am hearing.'

I am of the peaceable -- faithful ones of Israel; thou art seeking to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel; why dost thou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?

For Thou art my lamp, O Jehovah, And Jehovah doth lighten my darkness.

The Spirit of Jehovah hath spoken by me, And His word is on my tongue.

And the word of the king is severe towards Joab, and against the heads of the force, and Joab goeth out, and the heads of the force, from before the king to inspect the people, even Israel;

And David riseth in the morning, and the word of Jehovah hath been unto Gad the prophet, seer of David, saying,

And Gad cometh in unto David, and declareth to him, and saith to him, 'Do seven years of famine come in to thee in thy land? or three months art thou fleeing before thine adversary -- and he pursuing thee? or are three days' pestilence in thy land? now, know and see what word I take back to Him sending me.'

and David goeth up, according to the word of Gad, as Jehovah commanded.