Then David mustered the people that were with him, - and set over them, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds.

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.

But the people said - Thou must not go forth, for, if we, flee, they will not regard us, neither, if half of us die, will they regard us, for, thou, compared with us, art worth ten thousand, - now, therefore, it will be better that thou come to us out of the city, with succour.

And the king said unto them, Whatever is best in your eyes, I will do. And the king stood beside the gate, while, all the people, came out by hundreds and by thousands.

And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, - and said - Lo! I saw Absolom suspended in an oak.

Then said Joab to the man that was telling him, Lo! since thou sawest him, why didst thou not smite him there, to the ground? then should I have been bound to give thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle.

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.

And Joab said, Not thus, may I tarry before thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absolom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

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?

But, be what may, I will run. So he said to him - Run. Then ran Ahimaaz by the way of the plain, and got beyond the Cushite.

So the watchman called out, and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth. And he came on nearer and nearer.

Then saw the watchman another man, running, so he called out unto the porter, Lo! a man, running alone. And the king said. This one also, beareth tidings.

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 called out Ahimaaz, and said unto the king, Peace! And he bowed himself down to the king, with his face to the earth, - and said - Blessed, be Yahweh thy God, who hath surrendered the men who were lifting up their hand, against my lord the king.

And the king said, Is it, well, with the young man - Absolom? Then said Ahimaaz - I saw a great crowd, when Joab sent the king's servant and me thy servant, but I knew not what it meant .

And the king said, Aside! stand, here. So he turned aside, and stood.

Then lo! the Cushite, coming in, - and the Cushite said - Tidings, getteth my lord the king, how that Yahweh hath vindicated thee to-day, at the hand of all them who had risen up against thee.

And the king said unto the Cushite - Is it, well, with the young man - Absolom? Then said the Cushite - Be, like the young man, the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against thee, for harm.

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!

Then came Joab unto the king, in the house, - and said - Thou hast, to-day, covered with shame the faces of all thy servants, who have rescued thy life to-day, and the lives of thy sons and thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;

So the king arose, and took his seat in the gate, - and, to all the people, was it told, saying - Lo! the king, is sitting in the gate. Then came all the people before the king, but, Israel, had fled every man to his home.

and he said unto the king - Let not my lord impute to me iniquity, neither do thou remember the perverseness of thy servant, on the day that thou wentest out, my lord O king, from Jerusalem, that the king should lay it upon his heart.

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?

But David said, What have I in common with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, for ye would become to me, to-day, a very traitor! Shall there, to-day, be put to death a man in Israel? for do I not know, that, to-day, I, am king over Israel?

Then said the king unto Shimei - Thou shalt not die. And the king sware to him.

And it came to pass, when he entered Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest thou not with me, Mephibosheth.

And he said, My lord, O king, my servant, betrayed me, - for thy servant said - I will even saddle me mine ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king, for, lame, is thy servant.

For, when all the house of my father were nothing better than dead men, unto my lord the king, then didst thou set thy servant among them that used to eat at thy table, - what then have I further, by way of right, or to cry out any further unto the king?

Then the king said unto him, Wherefore shouldst thou speak any further of thine affairs? I have said - Thou and Ziba, shall share the land.

And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Even the whole, let him take, - now that my lord the king hath entered, in peace, into his own house.

So then the king said unto Barzillai, - Thou, come over with me, and I will sustain thee with me, in Jerusalem.

But Barzillai said unto the king, - Like unto what, are the days of the years of my life, that I should come up with the king, to Jerusalem.

Then said the king, With me, shall Chimham pass over, and, I, will do unto him that which shall be good in thine eyes, - and, whatsoever thou shalt choose to lay upon me, I will do for thee.

Then lo! all the men of Israel, were coming unto the king, - and they said unto the king - Why did our brethren the men of Judah steal thee away, and escort the king and his household over the Jordan, and all the men of David with him?

And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said - Ten parts, have we in the king, therefore, even in David, have we more right than ye. Why, then, made ye light of us, so that our word was not heard first as to bringing back our king? And, the words of the men of Judah, were fiercer than, the words of the men of Israel.

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 said the king unto Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah, within three days, - and, thou, here, take thy stand!

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 said Joab unto Amasa, Art thou, well, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand, to kiss him.

Now, a man, stood over him, of the young men of Joab, - and said - Whosoever is well pleased with Joab, and whosoever pertaineth to David, let him follow Joab.

So he came near unto her, and the woman said, - Art thou Joab? And he said, - I am. And she said unto him, - Hear thou the words of thy handmaid. And he said, I do hear.

Then answered Joab and said, - Far be it! far be it from me! I will neither swallow up nor lay waste.

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.

And there came to be a famine, in the days of David, for three years, year after year, so then David sought the face of Yahweh, - and Yahweh said - It respecteth Saul and his house, as to bloodshed, in that he put to death the Gibeonites.

The king therefore called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now, the Gibeonites, were, not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, with whom, the sons of Israel, had entered into an oath, and Saul had sought to smite them, in his jealousy for the sons of Israel and Judah) -

wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites - What shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I make propitiation, so that ye may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?

And the Gibeonites said unto him - It is not a matter with us of silver or gold, with Saul or with his house, neither would we have a man put to death in Israel. And he said, - What do ye say I should do for you?

Then said they unto the king, The man who consumed us, and who thought to have destroyed us from taking a place within any of the bounds of Israel,

let there be delivered up to us - seven men of his sons, and we will crucify them unto Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Yahweh. And the king said, I, will deliver them up.

and he said, - Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer - mine;

They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, - then became Yahweh my stay:

And brought me forth from among my foes, - yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, from the man of violence, hast thou delivered me.

Who hath made great the victories of his King, - and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, to David and to his Seed, unto times age-abiding.

Said the God of Israel, Unto me, spake the Rock of Israel: - One Ruling over Men, A Righteous One, ruling in the reverence of God,

And David longed, and said, - Who will give me to drink water out of the well of Bethlehem, that is within the gate?

and said - Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this! is it not the blood of the men who went with their lives in their hands ? So he would not drink it. These things, did the three mighty men.

The king, therefore, said unto Joab, captain of the force, who was with him - Go to and fro, I pray thee, throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even unto Beer -sheba, and number ye the people, - so shall I know the sum of the people.

Then said Joab unto the king - Yea, Yahweh thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold, and suffer the eyes of my lord the king, to see it, - but, my lord the king, wherefore doth he find pleasure in this thing?

And they passed over the Jordan, - and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city, that is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, even towards Jazer.

And the heart of David smote him, after he had reckoned up the people, - and David said unto Yahweh - I have sinned greatly, in what I have done, Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

So Gad came in unto David, and told him, - and said to him: Shall there come unto thee seven years of famine in thy land? Or, for three months, wilt thou flee before thine enemies while, they, pursue thee? Or shall there be, for three days, pestilence in thy land? Now, consider and see, what, answer, I shall return to him that sent me.

And David said unto Gad - I am in a great strait, - let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Yahweh, for, manifold, are, his compassions, but, into the hand of man, let me not fall.

But, when the messenger stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem, to destroy it, then relented Yahweh as to the evil, and he said to the messenger who was destroying the people - Enough! now, stay thy hand. And, the messenger of Yahweh, was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Then said David unto Yahweh, when he saw the messenger who was smiting the people, yea he said - Lo! I, have sinned, and, I, have done perversely, but what have, these sheep, done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against the house of my father!

And Gad came unto David, on that day, - and said unto him - Go up, rear thou unto Yahweh an altar, in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Then said Araunah, Wherefore, hath my lord the king come unto his servant? And David said - To buy of thee the threshing-floor, to build an altar unto Yahweh, that the plague may be stayed from off the people.

Then said Araunah unto David, Let my lord the king accept it and cause to ascend what is good in his own eyes, - see! the oxen for the ascending-sacrifice, and the threshing-sledges and ox-yokes for wood.

The whole, did Araunah give, as a king to a king. And Araunah said unto the king, Yahweh thy God, accept thee!

But the king said unto Araunah - Nay! but I will, buy, it of thee, for a price, and will not cause to ascend unto Yahweh my God, offerings that have cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor, and the oxen, for fifty shekels of silver;

Wherefore his servants said unto him - Let there be sought for my lord the king, a young woman - a virgin, so shall she stand before the king, that she may become his companion, - and she shall lie in thy bosom, and my lord the king shall get, heat.

Go, and get thee in unto King David, and thou shalt say unto him - Didst not, thou thyself, my lord O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying - Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne? Why, then, hath, Adonijah, become king?

And Bath-sheba bowed, and did homage unto the king, - and the king said - What aileth thee?

And she said unto him - My lord, thou thyself, didst swear by Yahweh thy God, unto thy handmaid, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, - yea, he, shall sit upon my throne.

Thou, therefore, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel, are upon thee, - to tell them, who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him.

Then said Nathan - My lord, O king, hast, thou, said, Adonijah, shall become king after me, - yea, he, shall sit upon my throne?

For he hath gone down to-day, and hath sacrificed oxen and heifers and sheep, in abundance, and hath invited all the sons of the king, and the generals of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and, there they are - eating and drinking before him, - and they have said - Long live King Adonijah!

If, of my lord the king, this thing had been brought to pass, then wouldest thou not have made known unto thy servant, who should sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him?

Then responded King David, and said, Call me Bath-sheba. So she came in before the king, and stood before the king.

And the king sware, and said, - By the life of Yahweh, who hath redeemed my life out of every strait,

even as I sware unto thee by Yahweh, God of Israel, saying, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne, in my stead, even so, will I do this day.

Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did homage unto the king, - and said - Let my lord, King David, live to times age-abiding!

Then said King David - Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. And they came in before the king.

Then said the king unto them - Take ye with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon the mule which pertaineth unto myself, - and bring him down unto Gihon;

Then shall ye come up after him, and he shall enter, and sit upon my throne, yea, he, shall become king in my stead; even, him, have I charged to become leader, over Israel, and over Judah.

Then took Zadok the priest, the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon, - and they blew with a ram's horn, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!

And Adonijah, and all the guests who were with him, heard it, just as, they, had made an end of eating, - and, when Joab heard the sound of a horn, he said - Wherefore the noise of the city, in tumult?

While yet he was speaking, lo! Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, came in, - and Adonijah said - Come in, for, a worthy man, thou art, and, good tidings, dost thou bring.

But Jonathan responded and said to Adonijah, - Of a truth, our lord, King David, hath made, Solomon, king.

Moreover also, Solomon hath taken his seat upon the throne of the kingdom.

Moreover also, thus and thus, hath said the king, - Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath given, to-day, one to sit upon my throne, mine own eyes also beholding it.

Then said Solomon, If he will be a man of worth, there shall not one hair of him fall to the earth, - but, if mischief be found in him, then shall he die.

So King Solomon sent, and brought him down from the altar, and he came in, and bowed himself down to King Solomon, - and Solomon said unto him - Go to thine own house.

to the end that Yahweh may establish his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy sons will take heed to their way, by walking before me, in truth, with all their heart, and with all their soul, (then, said he) there shall not be cut off to thee a man, from off the throne of Israel.

But, when, Solomon, took his seat upon the throne of David his father, then was the kingdom firmly established.

And Adonijah son of Haggith came in unto Bath-sheba, mother of Solomon: And she said - Peaceably, comest thou? And he said - Peaceably.

Then said he - I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said - Say on.