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2 Samuel 18:31-33
New Catholic Bible
2 Samuel 18:31-33
New Catholic Bible
31 When the Ethiopian arrived, he said: “I bring good news for my lord the king. For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all those who rebelled against you.” 32 Then the king asked the Ethiopian: “Has all gone well with the young man Absalom?” The Ethiopian answered: “May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up to harm you share the fate of that young man.”
33 Greatly shaken, the king went up to the chamber over the gate, weeping incessantly. And as he went, he cried out: “O my son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”[a]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 18:33 David’s lament over his son Absalom’s death is the typical response of any loving parent. No matter how difficult the relationship has been, it is not natural for a child to predecease a parent, and in this case there is a lot of guilt and failure on David’s part to explain Absalom’s mistakes.
