And he will call his boy serving him, and say, Send away now this from me without, and fasten the door after her.

And upon her a tunic reaching to the soles of the feet; for thus will the king's daughters, the virgins, be clothed with upper garments. And his attendant will bring her forth without, and he fastened the door after

And Tamar will take ashes upon her head, and she rent the tunic reaching to the feet which was upon her, and she will put her hand upon her head and will go, going and crying.

And Absalom her brother will say to her Was Amnon thy brother with thee? and now my sister be silent, he is thy brother; thou shalt not set thy heart to this word. And Tamar will remain, and she was desolate in the house of Absalom her brother.

But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth.

And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

Then he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired sheepshearers. Will the king and his servants please come with your servant?”

And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.

So Absalom said, "But [will you] not let Amnon my brother go with us?" And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"

But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.

And Absalom will command his boys, saying, See now, when the heart of Amnon is good with wine, and I said to you, Strike Amnon; and kill him; ye shall not be afraid, for I commanded you: be strong and be for sons of strength.

And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.

And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.

Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead.

Meanwhile, Absalom had run away. While the young man standing watch was looking around, all of a sudden he observed many people coming down the road behind and to the west of the mountain! So the watchman left his post and reported, "I have seen men coming from the direction of Horonaim."

And Jonadab will say to the king, Behold, the king's sons came; as thy servant spake, so it was.

And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.

And Absalom hath fled, and goeth unto Talmai, son of Ammihud, king of Geshur, and David mourneth for his son all the days.

And the king was sorrowing for his son all the time.

And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:

And come to the king and speak to him according to this word. And Joab will put words in her mouth.

And the woman, the Tekoite, will speak to the king and fall upon her face to the earth, and worship him, and say, Save, O king!

And the king will say to her, What to thee? And she will say, Truly I a widow woman, and my husband will die.

And to thy servant two sons, and they two will strive in the field, and none delivering between them; and the one will smite the one and kill him.

And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.

And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.

And the woman, the Tekoite, will say to the king, Upon me, my lord the king, the iniquity, and upon my father's house: and the king and his throne innocent

The king said, "[Whoever] has spoken to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you again."

She replied, “Please, may the king invoke the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!”

“As the Lord lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

Then the woman said, Will the king let his servant say one word more? And he said, Say on.

And the woman will say, And wherefore didst thou reckon according to this concerning the people of God? for the king speaks this word as transgressing for the king not to turn back his fugitive.

For we will certainly die and are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not [simply] take away life, but devises plans so that the one who is banished is not driven away from Him.

Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

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

Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee.

And the king will answer and say to the woman, Now thou shalt not hide from me the word which I ask thee. And the woman will say, Now will my lord the king speak?

And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:

To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

Then the king said to Joab, "Look, please, I will grant this thing. Go and bring back the young man Absalom."

And Joab will fall upon his face to the earth, and worship him, and bless the king: and Joab will say, This day thy servant knew that I found grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king, for that the king did the word of his servant

And Joab will rise and go to Geshur and bring Absalom to Jerusalem

And the king will say, He shall turn about to his house and not see my face. And Absalom will turn to his house and not see the face of the king.

But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And in his shaving his head (and it was from the end of days to days that he will shave, for it was heavy upon him;) and he shaved and weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the stone of the king.

And there will be born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, and her name Tamar: she was a woman of fair aspect

But he would not come to him. And he sent again, and for all that he would not come.

And he will say to his servants, See, Joab's portion to my hand, and barley to him there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the portion on fire.

And Joab will rise and come to Absalom to the house, and say to him, Wherefore did thy servants set on fire the portion which is to me?

And Absalom saith unto Joab, 'Lo, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, and I send thee unto the king to say, Why have I come in from Geshur? -- good for me while I am there -- and now, let me see the king's face, and if there is in me iniquity then thou hast put me to death.'

And Joab will come to the king and announce to him: and he will call for Absalom, and he will come to the king and worship to him upon his face to the earth before the king: and the king will kiss Absalom.

Some time later Absalom managed to acquire a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.

And thereto he used to rise up early in the mornings and to stand by the wayside that led to the gate of the city. And all the men of Israel that had complaints and came to the king for judgment, he called unto him, and said, "Of what city art thou?" And when the other answered, "thy servant is of such a tribe of Israel,"

Absalom would respond, "Look, your claims are valid and defensible, but nobody will listen to you on behalf of the king.

Who will appoint me to be a judge in the land? When anyone arrived to file a legal complaint or other cause, he could approach me for justice and I would settle it!"

And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

After four years Absalom said to the king, "Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron.

For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.

And the king will say to him, Go in peace. And he will rise and go to Hebron.

But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they knew nothing about the whole matter.

And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counseller, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

And he announcing, will come to David, saying, The heart of the man Israel was after Absalom.

And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

And the king's servants said to the king, Behold, thy servants will do whatever my lord the king shall choose.

And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house.

And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.

And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place.

Besides, you only arrived yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I go wherever I can? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”

And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.

And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.

And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.

And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation:

But if he should say something like "I'm not pleased with you,' well then, here I am let him do to me whatever seems right to him."

And the king will say to Zadok the priest., Thou seest: turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you.

See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.

And Zadok and Abiathar will turn back the ark of God to Jerusalem: and they will sit there.

And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

And it was announced to David, saying, Ahithophel among those conspiring with Absalom. And David will say, Now make foolish the counsel of Ahithophel, O Jehovah.

Just as David was coming to the top of the Mount of Olives where God was being worshipped, there was Hushai the Archite to meet him, with his coat ripped and dust all over his head!

David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.

But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

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.

Look, there with them [are] their two sons, Ahimaaz of Zadok and Jonathan of Abiathar. You shall send to me {by means of them} all the words that you hear."

And Hushai, David's friend, will come to the city, and Absalom will come to Jerusalem.

And the king will say to Ziba, What are these to thee? and Ziba will say, The asses for the house of the king to ride; and the bread and the fruits for the food of the boys, and the wine for the drinking of the faint in the desert.

And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

And king David went to Bahurim, and behold, from thence a man will come forth from the family of the house of Saul, and his name Shimei, son of Gera: he came forth, coming forth and cursing.

And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

Shimei said while cursing him, "Go out, go out, [you] {man of bloodshed}, [you] {man of wickedness}.

The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.

And Abishai son of Zeruiah will say to the king, Wherefore shall this dead dog curse my lord the king? I will pass over now and take away his head.

And the king will say, What to me and you ye sons of Zeruiah? for he shall curse, and because Jehovah said to him, Curse David: and who shall say, Wherefore didst thou thus?

And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.

It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

And David went, and his men, in the way; and Shimei went by the side of the mountain near to him going, and he will curse and stone with stones near to him, and dusting with dust