The Death of Absalom

This was the state of David and his followers. But Absalom gathered a vast army of the Hebrews to oppose his father, crossed the Jordan River with it, and encamped not far from Mahanaim, in the country of Gilead. He made Amasa commander of his whole army in place of Joab, his relative. Amasa’s father was Ithra and his mother Abigail; and she and Zeruiah, Joab’s mother, were David’s sisters. When David had counted his followers and found them to be about four thousand, he resolved not to wait until Absalom attacked him. He set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over his men and divided his army into three parts. One part he entrusted to Joab, the next to Abishai, Joab’s brother, and the third to Ittai, David’s companion and friend, though he came from the city of Gath. When David wanted to fight among them himself, his friends would not let him; and their refusal rested on very wise reasons. They said, “If we are defeated while he is with us, we have lost all good hope of recovering ourselves; but if we should be beaten in one part of our army, the other parts can fall back to him and so prepare a greater force, while the enemy will naturally suppose that he has another army with him.” So David was pleased with their advice and resolved to stay at Mahanaim himself. As he sent his friends and commanders out to the battle, he asked them to show all possible zeal and loyalty, and to keep in mind the benefits they had received from him, which, though not very great, had still not been altogether small. And he begged them, when they had won, to spare the young man Absalom, for fear that he might do himself some harm if Absalom died. So he sent his army out to the battle and wished them victory in it. [a]

Then Joab drew up his army in battle order facing the enemy on a great plain with a wood behind it, and Absalom also led his army into the field against him. When the battle was joined, both sides did great deeds of strength and daring. The one side exposed themselves to the greatest dangers and used their utmost zeal so that David might recover his kingdom; the other fell short in nothing, whether in doing or in suffering, so that Absalom might not be stripped of the kingdom and brought to punishment by his father for his shameless attempt against him. The more numerous side was anxious not to be defeated by the few who were with Joab and the other commanders, because that would be the greater disgrace; while David’s soldiers strove hard to overcome the many tens of thousands the enemy had with them. The struggle was fierce, and David’s men won, being superior in strength and in skill at war. They followed the others as they fled through the forests and valleys; some they took prisoner, and many they killed, more in the flight than in the battle, for about twenty thousand fell that day. [c]

But all David’s men rushed at Absalom, for he was easily known by his beauty and his height. He himself was afraid that his enemies would seize him, so he mounted the king’s mule and fled. But as he was carried along with violence and noise and great motion, being light himself, his hair became badly entangled in the large branches of a knotty tree that spread a long way out, and there he hung in an astonishing way. As for the animal, it went on farther, and fast, as if its master were still on its back; but he, hanging in the air from the branches, was taken by his enemies. When one of David’s soldiers saw this, he reported it to Joab; and when the general said that if he had shot and killed Absalom, he would have given him about twenty ounces of silver, he replied, “I would not have killed my master’s son if you had given me twenty-five pounds of silver, especially when he asked in the hearing of us all that the young man be spared.” But Joab told him to show him where he had seen Absalom hanging. Then he shot him to the heart and killed him. Joab’s armor-bearers stood around the tree, pulled down his dead body and threw it into a deep, gaping pit, and they laid a heap of stones on him until the hollow was filled up and had both the look and the size of a grave. Then Joab sounded the retreat and called his own soldiers back from pursuing the enemy army, to spare their countrymen.

Absalom had set up for himself a marble pillar in the King’s Valley, about a quarter of a mile from Jerusalem, which he named Absalom’s Hand, saying that if his children were killed, his name would remain through that pillar. For he had three sons and one daughter, named Tamar, as we said before. When she was married to David’s grandson Rehoboam, she bore a son named Abijah, who succeeded his father in the kingdom; but of these we will speak in a part of our history where it will be more fitting. After Absalom’s death they all returned to their own homes. [g]

Now Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok the high priest, went to Joab and asked permission to go and tell David of this victory, and bring him the good news that God had given him his help and his providence. Joab did not grant his request, but said to him, “Will you, who have always been the messenger of good news, now go and tell the king that his son is dead?” So he told him to give it up. He then called Cushi and entrusted the task to him, that he should tell the king what he had seen. But when Ahimaaz asked again to be allowed to go as messenger, and assured him that he would report only what concerned the victory and nothing about the death of Absalom, Joab let him go to David. He took a shorter road than the other, for no one knew it but himself, and arrived ahead of Cushi. Now David was sitting between the gates, waiting to see when someone would come to him from the battle and tell him how it had gone. One of the watchmen saw Ahimaaz running, and before he could make out who he was, he told David that he saw someone coming toward him; and David said he was a messenger of good news. A little later the watchman told him that another messenger was following; and the king said that he too was a good messenger. When the watchman saw Ahimaaz, now very close, he told the king that it was the son of Zadok the high priest who was running. David was very glad and said he was a messenger of good tidings and was bringing him the kind of news from the battle that he wanted to hear.

While the king was saying this, Ahimaaz appeared and bowed down before the king. When the king asked him about the battle, he said he brought him good news of victory and of power. When David asked what he had to say about his son, he said he had come away suddenly as soon as the enemy was defeated; he had heard a great noise of men pursuing Absalom, but could learn no more because of the haste he had made when Joab sent him to tell him of the victory. But when Cushi arrived, bowed before him and told him of the victory, David asked him about his son, and he replied, “May the same misfortune fall on your enemies as has fallen on Absalom.” That word did not let either David or his soldiers rejoice over the victory, though it was a very great one. David went up to the highest part of the city and wept for his son, beating his breast and tearing at his head, tormenting himself in every way and crying out, “O my son! I wish that I had died myself and ended my days with you!” For he was a man of tender natural affection, and had extraordinary compassion for this son in particular. [i]

When the army and Joab heard that the king was mourning for his son, they were ashamed to enter the city looking like conquerors; they all came in dejected and in tears, as if they had been beaten. While the king kept himself covered and grieved bitterly for his son, Joab went in to him, comforted him and said, “My lord the king, you do not realize that you are bringing disgrace on yourself by what you are doing now. You seem to hate those who love you and run risks for you, and even to hate yourself and your family, and to love those who are your bitter enemies, and to long for the company of those who are no more and who have been justly killed. For if Absalom had won the victory and established himself firmly in the kingdom, none of us would have been left alive. All of us, beginning with you and your children, would have died miserably, while our enemies would not have wept for us but rejoiced over us, and would have punished even those who pitied us in our misfortunes. And you are not ashamed to do this for one who has been your bitter enemy, who, though he was your own son, proved so wicked toward you. So stop this unreasonable grief. Come out and let your soldiers see you, and thank them for the victory and for the zeal they showed in the fight. For I myself will persuade the people this very day to leave you and give the kingdom to another, if you go on like this; and then I will make you grieve bitterly and in earnest.” By speaking to him like this, Joab made the king stop his mourning and brought him to consider his affairs. So David changed his clothes, presented himself in a way fit to be seen by the people, and sat at the gates. When all the people heard of it, they ran together to him and greeted him. Such was the state of David’s affairs at that time.