2 Samuel 18

1 And David counted the people who were with him, and he set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent the people out — a third of them under the hand of Joab, a third under the hand of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And David said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you.” [a] 3 And they said, “You will not go out. For if we run, they will pay us no attention; and if half of us die, they will pay us no attention. But you are as ten thousand of us. It is better now that you be in the city, a help ready to help us.” [b]

4 And the king said to them, “Whatever seems good in your eyes, I will do.” And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “For my sake, spare the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard the king giving his order to all the commanders about Absalom.

6 And all the people went out into the forest to meet Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. 7 And the people of Israel were broken there before David’s servants, and there was a great slaughter that day — twenty thousand men. 8 And the fighting there was scattered over the face of the whole land, and the forest devoured more of the people that day than the sword devoured among them.

9 And Absalom came face to face with David’s servants. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went in under the thick branches of the great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he hung between heaven and earth, and the mule went on out from under him. 10 And one man saw it and reported it to Joab and said, “Look — I have seen Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 And Joab said to the man who reported it to him, “So you saw him! Why did you not strike him to the ground there? I would have given you four ounces of silver and a belt.” [c]

12 And the man said to Joab, “Even if I were weighing out twenty-five pounds of silver into my own hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. For in our hearing the king gave orders to you and to Abishai and to Ittai, saying, ‘Keep the young man Absalom safe for me, [d] 13 and do nothing wrong against his life.’ And no word of it stays hidden from the king — and you yourself would stand against me.” 14 And Joab said, “Then I will make the beginning myself. I will not go on waiting here in front of you.” And Joab took three javelins in his hand and drove them into Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the heart of the oak. [e] 15 And ten young men who carried Joab’s weapons closed in around Absalom and struck him and put him to death.

16 And Joab blew the horn, and the people turned back from chasing after Israel, for Joab spared the people. [f] 17 And he took Absalom and threw him into a great chasm in the forest, into the great pit, and he set over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, every man to his tent. 18 Now Absalom, while he was still alive, had set up for himself the pillar at which he was taken, and he had set it up for his own keeping — the pillar in the king’s valley — for he said that he had no son to keep his name in remembrance. And he called the pillar Absalom’s Hand, and so it is to this day. [g]

19 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry the good news to the king, that the Lord has given him judgment from the hand of his enemies.” [h] 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry news today. You will carry news another day; but today you will carry none, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 And Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and report to the king what you have seen.” And the Cushite bowed down to Joab and went out. [i]

22 And Ahimaaz son of Zadok spoke to Joab again and said, “Whatever comes of it, let me run too, after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why is it that you want to run, my son? Come now — you have no news that will bring you anything.” 23 And he said, “And what if I do run?” And Joab said to him, “Run.” And Ahimaaz ran by the way of Kechar and passed the Cushite. [j]

24 And David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up onto the roof of the gate, by the wall, and lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man running alone in front of him. 25 And the watchman called out and reported it to the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth.” And the man came on, going and drawing nearer. 26 And the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called out at the gate and said, “Look — another man running alone.” And the king said, “This one too is bringing good news.” 27 And the watchman said, “I see the running of the first man as the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and he is coming with good news.”

28 And Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Peace!” And he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has shut up the men who hated — their hand against my lord the king.” [k] 29 And the king said, “Is it peace with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said, “I saw a great crowd when Joab sent off the king’s slave and your slave, and I did not know what was there.” [l] 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” And he turned aside and stood. [m]

31 And there was the Cushite, arriving. And he said to the king, “Let my lord the king hear good news: the Lord has given you judgment today from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 And the king said to the Cushite, “Is it peace with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite said, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen against him to do him harm, be as that young man.” [n]