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2 Samuel 15
1599 Geneva Bible

15 2 The practices of Absalom to aspire to the kingdom. 14 David and his flee. 31 David’s prayer. 34 Hushai is sent to Absalom to discover his counsel.

1 After this, Absalom [a]prepared him chariots, and horses, and fifty men to [b]run before him.

2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood hard by the entering in of the gate: and every man that had any [c]matter, and came to the king for judgment, him did Absalom call unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he answered, Thy servant is of one of the [d]tribes of Israel.

3 Then Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and righteous, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.

4 Absalom said moreover, [e]Oh that I were made Judge in the land, that every man which hath any matter of controversy, might come to me, that I might do him justice.

5 And when any man came near to him, and did him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel, that came to the King for judgment: so Absalom [f]stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

7 ¶ And after [g]forty years, Absalom said unto the King, I pray thee, let me go to Hebron, and render my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord.

8 For thy servant vowed a vow when I remained at Geshur, in Aram, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, I will [h]serve the Lord.

9 And the King said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.

10 ¶ Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, When ye hear the sound of the trumpet, ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.

11 ¶ And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were [i]called: and they went in their simplicity, knowing nothing.

12 Also Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he offered sacrifices: and the treason was great: for the people [j]increased still with Absalom.

13 ¶ Then came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are turned after Absalom.

14 Then David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Up, and let us flee: for we shall not escape from [k]Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he come suddenly and take us, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

15 And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, thy servants are ready to do according to all that my lord the king shall [l]appoint.

16 So the king departed and all his household [m]after him, and the king left ten concubines to keep the house.

17 And the king went forth and all the people after him, and tarried in a [n]place [o]far off.

18 And all his servants went about him, and all the [p]Cherethites and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, even six hundred men which were come after him from Gath, went before the king.

19 Then said the King to [q]Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore comest thou also with us? Return and abide with the King, for thou art a stranger, depart thou therefore to thy place.

20 Thou camest yesterday, and should I cause thee to wander today and go with us? I will go whither I can: therefore return thou, and carry again thy [r]brethren: mercy and [s]truth be with thee.

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

22 Then David said to Ittai, Come, and go forward. And Ittai the Gittite went, and all his men, and all the children that were with him.

23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and [t]all the people went forward, but the King passed over the brook Kidron: and all the people went over toward the way of the wilderness.

24 ¶ And lo, Zadok also was there, and all the Levites with him, [u]bearing the Ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the Ark of God: and Abiathar went [v]up until the people were all come out of the city.

25 Then the King said unto Zadok, Carry the Ark of God again into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and the [w]Tabernacle thereof.

26 But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee, behold, [x]here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good in his eyes.

27 The King said again unto Zadok the Priest, Art not thou a (A)Seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you: to wit, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

28 Behold, I will tarry in the fields of the wilderness, until there come some word from you to be told me.

29 Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the Ark of God again to Jerusalem, and they tarried there.

30 And David went up the mount of olives, and wept as he went up, and had his head [y]covered, and went barefooted: and all the people that was with him, had every man his head covered, and as they went up, they wept.

31 Then one told David, saying, Ahithophel is one of them that have conspired with Absalom: and David said, O Lord, I pray thee, turn the [z]counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

32 ¶ Then David came to the top of the mount where he worshipped God: and behold, Hushai the Archite came against him with his coat torn, and having earth upon his head.

33 Unto whom David said, If thou go with me, thou shalt be a burthen unto me.

34 But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy [aa]servant, O King (as I have been in time past thy father’s servant, so will I now be thy servant) then thou mayest bring me the counsel of Ahithophel to nought.

35 And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the Priests? therefore whatsoever thou shalt hear out of the King’s house, thou shalt show to Zadok and Abiathar the Priests.

36 Behold, there are with them their two sons: Ahimaaz Zadok’s son, and Jonathan Abiathar’s son: by them also shall ye send me everything that ye can hear.

37 So Hushai David’s friend went into the city: and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 15:1 Hebrew, made him.
  2. 2 Samuel 15:1 Which were as a guard to set forth his estate.
  3. 2 Samuel 15:2 Or, controversy.
  4. 2 Samuel 15:2 That is, noting of what city or place he was.
  5. 2 Samuel 15:4 Thus by slander, flattery and fair promises the wicked seek preferment.
  6. 2 Samuel 15:6 By enticing them from his father to himself.
  7. 2 Samuel 15:7 Counting from the time that the Israelites had asked a King of Samuel.
  8. 2 Samuel 15:8 By offering a peace offering, which was lawful to do in any place.
  9. 2 Samuel 15:11 And bid to his feast in Hebron.
  10. 2 Samuel 15:12 Hebrew, went and increased.
  11. 2 Samuel 15:14 Whose heart he saw that Satan had so possessed, that he would leave no mischief unattempted.
  12. 2 Samuel 15:15 Hebrew, choose.
  13. 2 Samuel 15:16 Hebrew, at his feet.
  14. 2 Samuel 15:17 Or, house.
  15. 2 Samuel 15:17 To wit, from Jerusalem.
  16. 2 Samuel 15:18 These were as the king’s guard, or as some write, his counselors.
  17. 2 Samuel 15:19 Who as some write was the king’s son of Gath.
  18. 2 Samuel 15:20 Meaning, them of his family.
  19. 2 Samuel 15:20 God require thee thy friendship and fidelity.
  20. 2 Samuel 15:23 To wit, the six hundred men.
  21. 2 Samuel 15:24 Which was the charge, of the Kohathites, Num. 4:4.
  22. 2 Samuel 15:24 To stand by the Ark.
  23. 2 Samuel 15:25 Or, his tabernacle.
  24. 2 Samuel 15:26 The faithful in all their afflictions show themselves obedient to God’s will.
  25. 2 Samuel 15:30 With ashes and dust in sign of sorrow.
  26. 2 Samuel 15:31 The counsel of the crafty worldlings doth more harm than the open force of the enemy.
  27. 2 Samuel 15:34 Though Hushai dissembled here at the King’s request, yet may we not use this example to excuse our dissimulation.
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2 Samuel 15
New International Version

Absalom’s Conspiracy

15 In the course of time,(A) Absalom provided himself with a chariot(B) and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate.(C) Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.”(D) 4 And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land!(E) Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”

5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts(F) of the people of Israel.

7 At the end of four[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. 8 While your servant was living at Geshur(G) in Aram, I made this vow:(H) ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.[b]’”

9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.

10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,(I) then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel(J) the Gilonite, David’s counselor,(K) to come from Giloh,(L) his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.(M)

David Flees

13 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”

14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee,(N) or none of us will escape from Absalom.(O) We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”

15 The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

16 The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines(P) to take care of the palace. 17 So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. 18 All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites(Q) and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

19 The king said to Ittai(R) the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,(S) an exile from your homeland. 20 You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander(T) about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”[c](U)

21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”(V)

22 David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

23 The whole countryside wept aloud(W) as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,(X) and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

24 Zadok(Y) was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark(Z) of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar(AA) offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place(AB) again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.(AC)”

27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?(AD) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.(AE) You and Abiathar return with your two sons. 28 I will wait at the fords(AF) in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping(AG) as he went; his head(AH) was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel(AI) is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

32 When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai(AJ) the Arkite(AK) was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust(AL) on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden(AM) to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’(AN) then you can help me by frustrating(AO) Ahithophel’s advice. 35 Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.(AP) 36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz(AQ) son of Zadok and Jonathan(AR) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

37 So Hushai,(AS) David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom(AT) was entering the city.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 15:7 Some Septuagint manuscripts, Syriac and Josephus; Hebrew forty
  2. 2 Samuel 15:8 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew does not have in Hebron.
  3. 2 Samuel 15:20 Septuagint; Hebrew May kindness and faithfulness be with you
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