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2 Samuel 9-20
New English Translation

David Finds Mephibosheth

9 [a] Then David asked, “Is anyone still left from the family[b] of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?”

2 Now there was a servant from Saul’s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “At your service.”[c] 3 The king asked, “Is there not someone left from Saul’s family[d] that I may extend God’s kindness to him?” Ziba said to the king, “One of Jonathan’s sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.” 4 The king asked him, “Where is he?” Ziba told the king, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

5 So King David had him brought[e] from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in[f] Lo Debar. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed low with his face toward the ground.[g] David said, “Mephibosheth?” He replied, “Yes, at your service.”[h]

7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, because I will certainly extend kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will be a regular guest at my table.”[i] 8 Then Mephibosheth[j] bowed and said, “Of what importance am I, your servant, that you show regard for a dead dog like me?”[k]

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I hereby give to your master’s grandson. 10 You will cultivate[l] the land for him—you and your sons and your servants. You will bring its produce[m] and it will be[n] food for your master’s grandson to eat.[o] But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will be a regular guest at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth was a regular guest[p] at David’s table,[q] just as though he were one of the king’s sons.

12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the king’s table. But both his feet were crippled.

David and the Ammonites

10 Later the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun succeeded him.[r] 2 David said, “I will express my loyalty[s] to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal[t] to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father’s death.[u] When David’s servants entered the land of the Ammonites, 3 the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy?[v] No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”[w]

4 So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed,[x] and then sent them away. 5 Messengers[y] told David what had happened,[z] so he sent them to the men who were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown again; then you may come back.”

6 When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them,[aa] they[ab] sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah,[ac] in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish Tob.[ad]

7 When David heard the news, he sent Joab and the entire army to meet them.[ae] 8 The Ammonites marched out and were deployed for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the men from Aram Zobah, Rehob, Ish Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

9 When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.[af] 10 He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army[ag] and they were deployed[ah] against the Ammonites. 11 Joab[ai] said, “If the Arameans start to overpower me,[aj] you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you,[ak] I will come to your rescue. 12 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The Lord will do what he decides is best!”[al]

13 So Joab and his men[am] marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and returned to[an] Jerusalem.

15 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they consolidated their forces.[ao] 16 Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from[ap] beyond the Euphrates River,[aq] and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them.[ar]

17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River,[as] and came to Helam. The Arameans deployed their forces against David and fought with him. 18 The Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 700 Aramean charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers.[at] He also struck down Shobach, the general in command of the army, who died there. 19 When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer[au] saw they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subjects of Israel.[av] The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

11 In the spring of the year, at the time when kings[aw] normally conduct wars,[ax] David sent out Joab with his officers[ay] and the entire Israelite army.[az] They defeated the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem.[ba] 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace.[bb] From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.[bc] 3 So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger[bd] said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

4 David sent some messengers to get her.[be] She came to[bf] him and he went to bed with her.[bg] (Now at that time she was in the process of purifying herself from her menstrual uncleanness.)[bh] Then she returned to her home. 5 The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”

6 So David sent a message to Joab that said, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.[bi] 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your home and relax.”[bj] When Uriah left the palace, the king sent a gift to him.[bk] 9 But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all[bl] the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.

10 So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?” 11 Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with[bm] my wife? As surely as you are alive,[bn] I will not do this thing!” 12 So David said to Uriah, “Stay here another day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem both that day and the following one.[bo] 13 Then David summoned him. He ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed with the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his own house.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote: “Station Uriah at the front in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”

16 So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers[bp] were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, some of David’s soldiers[bq] fell in battle. Uriah the Hittite also died.

18 Then Joab sent a full battle report to David.[br] 19 He instructed the messenger as follows: “When you finish giving the battle report to the king, 20 if the king becomes angry and asks you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you realize they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone[bs] down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ just say to him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”

22 So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and attacked us[bt] in the field. But we forced them to retreat[bu] all the way to the door of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall and some of the king’s soldiers[bv] died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” 25 David said to the messenger, “Tell Joab, ‘Don’t let this thing upset you.[bw] There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down.[bx] Press the battle against the city and conquer[by] it.’ Encourage him with these words.”[bz]

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for him.[ca] 27 When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace.[cb] She became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the Lord.[cc]

Nathan the Prophet Confronts David

12 So the Lord sent Nathan[cd] to David. When he came to David,[ce] Nathan[cf] said,[cg] “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children.[ch] It used to[ci] eat his food,[cj] drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms.[ck] It was just like a daughter to him.

4 “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home,[cl] he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed[cm] the traveler who had come to visit him.[cn] Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked[co] it for the man who had come to visit him.”

5 Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die![cp] 6 Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!”[cq]

7 Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘I chose[cr] you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your arms.[cs] I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well! 9 Why have you shown contempt for the Lord’s decrees[ct] by doing evil in my[cu] sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife to be your own wife! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!’ 11 This is what the Lord has said: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you[cv] from inside your own household![cw] Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion.[cx] He will go to bed with[cy] your wives in broad daylight![cz] 12 Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.’”[da]

13 Then David exclaimed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord!” Nathan replied to David, “Yes, and the Lord has forgiven[db] your sin. You are not going to die. 14 Nonetheless, because you have treated the Lord with such contempt[dc] in this matter, the son who has been born to you will certainly die.”

15 Then Nathan went to his home. The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill.[dd] 16 Then David prayed to[de] God for the child and fasted.[df] He would even[dg] go and spend the night lying on the ground. 17 The elders of his house stood over him and tried to lift him from the ground, but he was unwilling, and refused to eat food with them.

18 On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to inform him that the child had died, for they said, “While the child was still alive he would not listen to us[dh] when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He will do himself harm!”[di]

19 When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he[dj] realized that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” They replied, “Yes, he’s dead.” 20 So David got up from the ground, bathed, put on oil, and changed his clothes. He went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then, when he entered his palace, he requested that food be brought to him, and he ate.

21 His servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? While[dk] the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!” 22 He replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept because I thought,[dl] ‘Perhaps[dm] the Lord will show pity and the child will live.’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Am I able to bring him back at this point? I will go to him, but he cannot return to me!”

24 So David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He came to her[dn] and went to bed with her.[do] Later she gave birth to a son, and David[dp] named him Solomon. Now the Lord loved the child[dq] 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that he should be named Jedidiah[dr] for the Lord’s sake.

David’s Forces Defeat the Ammonites

26 [ds] So Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal city. 27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city.[dt] 28 So now assemble the rest of the army[du] and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city and it will be named for me.”

29 So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it. 30 He took the crown of their king[dv] from his head—it was gold, weighed about seventy-five pounds,[dw] and held a precious stone—and it was placed on David’s head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder. 31 He removed[dx] the people who were in it and made them labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work[dy] at the brick kiln. This was his policy[dz] with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

The Rape of Tamar

13 Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her.[ea] 2 But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick[eb] over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.

3 Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 He asked Amnon,[ec] “Why are you, the king’s son,[ed] so depressed every morning? Can’t you tell me?” So Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.” 5 Jonadab replied to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick.[ee] When your father comes in to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.’”

6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came in to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can make a couple of cakes in my sight. Then I will eat from her hand.”

7 So David sent Tamar to the house saying, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, who was lying down. She took the dough, kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched,[ef] and baked them.[eg] 9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, “Get everyone out of here!”[eh] So everyone left.[ei]

10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. 11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me,[ej] my sister!”

12 But she said to him, “No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing! 13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools[ek] in Israel! Just[el] speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her.[em] He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her.[en] 15 Then Amnon greatly despised her.[eo] His disdain toward her surpassed the love he had previously felt toward her.[ep] Amnon said to her, “Get up and leave!”

16 But she said to him, “No I won’t, for sending me away now would be worse than what you did to me earlier!”[eq] But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal attendant and said to him, “Take this woman out of my sight[er] and lock the door behind her!” 18 (Now she was wearing a long robe,[es] for this is what the king’s virgin daughters used to wear.) So Amnon’s[et] attendant removed her and bolted the door[eu] behind her. 19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went on her way, wailing as she went.

20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!”[ev] Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.

21 Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry.[ew] 22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

23 Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work.[ex] Let the king and his servants go with me.”

25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom[ey] pressed[ez] him, the king[fa] was not willing to go. Instead, David[fb] blessed him.

26 Then Absalom said, “If you will not go,[fc] then let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.

28 Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk[fd] and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!”[fe] 29 So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed. Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.

30 While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!” 31 Then the king stood up and tore his garments and lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing there with torn garments as well.

32 Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not say, ‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about[ff] from the day that Amnon[fg] humiliated his sister Tamar. 33 Now don’t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, ‘All the king’s sons are dead.’ It is only Amnon who is dead.”

34 In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west[fh] on a road beside the hill. 35 Jonadab said to the king, “Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as I said.”

36 Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping.[fi] The king and all his servants wept loudly[fj] as well. 37 But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David[fk] grieved over his son every day.

38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he remained there for three years. 39 The king longed[fl] to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon.[fm]

David Permits Absalom to Return to Jerusalem

14 Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see[fn] Absalom. 2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning[fo] and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time.[fp] 3 Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.” Then Joab told her what to say.[fq]

4 So the Tekoan woman went[fr] to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me,[fs] O king!” 5 The king replied to her, “What do you want?”[ft] She answered, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 Your servant[fu] has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the entire family has risen up against your servant, saying, ‘Turn over the one who struck down his brother, so that we can execute him and avenge the death[fv] of his brother whom he killed. In so doing we will also destroy the heir.’ They want to extinguish my remaining coal,[fw] leaving no one on the face of the earth to carry on the name of my husband.”

8 Then the king told the woman, “Go to your home. I will give instructions concerning your situation.”[fx] 9 The Tekoan woman said to the king, “My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!”

10 The king said, “Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won’t bother you again!” 11 She replied, “In that case,[fy] let the king invoke the name of[fz] the Lord your God so that the avenger of blood may not add to the killing! Then they will not destroy my son!” He replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of your son’s head[ga] will fall to the ground.”

12 Then the woman said, “Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter.” He replied, “Tell me.” 13 The woman said, “Why have you devised something like this against God’s people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the king has not brought back the one he has banished. 14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored.[gb] 15 I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful.[gc] But your servant said, ‘I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant[gd] asks. 16 Yes![ge] The king may[gf] listen and deliver his female servant[gg] from the hand of the man who seeks to remove[gh] both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’[gi] 17 So your servant said, ‘May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the Lord your God be with you!’”

18 Then the king replied to the woman, “Don’t hide any information from me when I question you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” 19 The king said, “Did Joab put you up to all of this?”[gj] The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant’s mouth. 20 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.”[gk]

21 Then the king said to Joab, “All right! I[gl] will do this thing. Go and bring back the young man Absalom!” 22 Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked[gm] the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your[gn] servant!”

23 So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “Let him go over[go] to his own house. He may not see my face.” So Absalom went over[gp] to his own house; he did not see the king’s face.

25 Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom.[gq] From the soles of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance.[gr] 26 When he would shave his head—at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long[gs] and he would shave it—he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds[gt] according to the king’s weight. 27 Absalom had[gu] three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very attractive woman.[gv]

28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king’s face. 29 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab[gw] was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come. 30 So he said to his servants, “Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.”[gx] So Absalom’s servants set Joab’s[gy] portion of the field on fire.

31 Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?” 32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent a message to you saying, ‘Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message:[gz] “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”

33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king[ha] summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom[hb] bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him.[hc]

Absalom Leads an Insurrection against David

15 Some time later Absalom managed to acquire[hd] a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.[he] 2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant,[hf] am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate.[hg] But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me[hh] a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint[hi] could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”

5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom[hj] would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty[hk] of the citizens[hl] of Israel.

7 After four[hm] years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron. 8 For I made this vow[hn] when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, I will serve the Lord.’” 9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom[ho] got up and went to Hebron.

10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume[hp] that Absalom rules in Hebron.” 11 Now 200 men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning.[hq] 12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser,[hr] to come from his city, Giloh.[hs] The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.

David Flees from Jerusalem

13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!”[ht] 14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come on![hu] Let’s escape![hv] Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring[hw] disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.”[hx] 15 The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.”[hy]

16 So the king and all the members of his royal court[hz] set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines[ia] to attend to the palace. 17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing[ib] at a spot[ic] some distance away. 18 All his servants were leaving with him,[id] along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—some 600 men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with[ie] the king.

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new[if] king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.[ig] 20 It seems as if you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men[ih] with you. May genuine loyal love[ii] protect[ij] you!”

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 is, whether it means death or life, there I[ik] will be as well!” 22 So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.”[il] So Ittai the Gittite went along,[im] accompanied by all his men and all the dependents[in] who were with him.

23 All the land was weeping loudly[io] as all these people were leaving.[ip] As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving[iq] on the road that leads to the desert. 24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving[ir] the city.

25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 26 However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”[is]

27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer?[it] Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar.[iu] 28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you[iv] reaches me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David[iw] had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom.” So David prayed,[ix] “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord.”

32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you leave[iy] with me you will be a burden to me. 34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you.[iz] Everything you hear in the king’s palace[ja] you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.”[jb]

37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

David Receives Gifts from Ziba

16 When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were 200 loaves of bread, 100 raisin cakes, 100 baskets of summer fruit,[jc] and a container of wine.

2 The king asked Ziba, “Why did you bring these things?”[jd] Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the loaves of bread[je] and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert.”[jf] 3 The king asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”[jg] Ziba replied to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather’s[jh] kingdom.’” 4 The king said to Ziba, “Everything that was Mephibosheth’s now belongs to you.” Ziba replied, “I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David and His Men

5 Then King David reached[ji] Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached.[jj] 6 He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left. 7 As he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Leave! Leave! You man of bloodshed, you wicked man![jk] 8 The Lord has punished you for[jl] all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” 10 But the king said, “What do we have in common,[jm] you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!,’ who can say to him, ‘Why have you done this?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood,[jn] is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him. 12 Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction[jo] and this day grant me good in place of his curse.”[jp]

13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.[jq] 14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at their destination, where David[jr] refreshed himself.

The Advice of Ahithophel

15 Now when Absalom and all the men[js] of Israel arrived in Jerusalem, Ahithophel was with him. 16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,[jt] “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” 18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.[ju] 19 Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”[jv]

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Sleep with[jw] your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.”[jx] 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof,[jy] and Absalom slept with[jz] his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation.[ka] Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.[kb]

The Death of Ahithophel

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out 12,000 men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 2 When I catch up with[kc] him he will be exhausted and worn out.[kd] I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.[ke] The entire army will return unharmed.”[kf]

4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders[kg] of Israel. 5 But Absalom said, “Call for[kh] Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”[ki] 6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”[kj] 8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men—they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.[kk] Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. 9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first,[kl] whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ 10 If that happens even the bravest soldier—one who is lion-hearted—will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. 11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba—in number like the sand by the sea—be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. 12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive—not one of them! 13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided[km] to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders[kn] of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised. 16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him,[ko] “Don’t spend the night at the fords[kp] of the wilderness tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over,[kq] or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”[kr]

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. 18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. 19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men[ks] searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan[kt] climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream[ku] quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”[kv] 22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River.[kw] By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave[kx] of his father.

24 Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River. 25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married[ky] Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.) 26 The army of Israel[kz] and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 28 brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,[la] 29 honey, curds, flocks, and cheese.[lb] For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”[lc]

The Death of Absalom

18 David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. 2 David then sent out the army—a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

3 But the soldiers replied,[ld] “You should not do this![le] For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be concerned about us.[lf] Even if half of us should die, they won’t be concerned. But you[lg] are like 10,000 of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.” 4 Then the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stayed beside the city gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.

6 Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David’s men.[lh] The slaughter there was great that day—20,000 soldiers were killed. 8 The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.

9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his[li] mule, it[lj] went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair,[lk] while the mule he had been riding kept going.

10 When one[ll] of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot?[lm] I would have given you ten pieces of silver[ln] and a commemorative belt!”[lo]

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if[lp] I were receiving[lq] 1,000 pieces of silver,[lr] I would not strike[ls] the king’s son! In our very presence[lt] the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’[lu] 13 If I had acted at risk of my own life[lv]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”[lw]

14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree.[lx] 15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor-bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet[ly] and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes.[lz]

18 Before this[ma] Absalom[mb] had set up a monument[mc] and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning, “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

David Learns of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.”[md] 20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today,[me] for the king’s son is dead.”

21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. 22 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.” But Joab said, “Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.” 23 But he said,[mf] “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab[mg] said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,[mh] and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. 25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.”[mi] The runner[mj] came ever closer.

26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz[mk] son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Greetings!”[ml] He bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and said, “May the Lord your God be praised because he has defeated[mm] the men who opposed[mn] my lord the king!”

29 The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.” 30 The king said, “Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside and waited.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said,[mo] “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!”[mp] 32 The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you[mq] be like that young man!”

33 (19:1)[mr] The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son,[ms] Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”[mt]

19 (19:2) Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.” 2 So the victory of that day was turned to mourning as far as all the people were concerned. For the people heard on that day, “The king is grieved over his son.” 3 That day the people stole away to go to the city the way people who are embarrassed steal away in fleeing from battle. 4 The king covered his face and cried out loudly,[mu] “My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”

5 So Joab visited[mv] the king at his home. He said, “Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. 6 You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now[mw] that if[mx] Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today,[my] it would be all right with you. 7 So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to[mz] your servants. For I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!”

8 So the king got up and sat at the city gate. When all the people were informed that the king was sitting at the city gate, they[na] all came before him.

David Goes Back to Jerusalem

But the Israelite soldiers[nb] had all fled to their own homes.[nc] 9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed as our king,[nd] has died in battle. So now why do you hesitate to bring the king back?”[ne]

11 Then King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests saying, “Tell the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back to his palace,[nf] when everything Israel is saying has come to the king’s attention.[ng] 12 You are my brothers—my very own flesh and blood![nh] Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back?’ 13 Say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my flesh and blood?[ni] God will punish me severely,[nj] if from this time on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”

14 He[nk] won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. Then they sent word to the king saying, “Return, you and all your servants as well.” 15 So the king returned and came to the Jordan River.[nl]

Now the people of Judah[nm] had come to Gilgal to meet the king and to help him[nn] cross the Jordan. 16 Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim came down quickly with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 There were 1,000 men from Benjamin with him, along with Ziba the servant[no] of Saul’s household, and with him his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They hurriedly crossed[np] the Jordan within sight of the king. 18 They crossed at the ford in order to help the king’s household cross and to do whatever he thought appropriate.

Now after he had crossed the Jordan, Shimei son of Gera threw himself down before the king. 19 He said to the king, “Don’t think badly of me, my lord, and don’t recall the sin of your servant on the day when you, my lord the king, left[nq] Jerusalem! Please don’t call it to mind! 20 For I, your servant,[nr] know that I sinned, and I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”

21 Abishai son of Zeruiah replied, “For this should not Shimei be put to death? After all, he cursed the Lord’s anointed!” 22 But David said, “What do we have in common,[ns] you sons of Zeruiah? You are like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 The king said to Shimei, “You won’t die.” The king vowed an oath[nt] concerning this.

24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson,[nu] came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely[nv] returned, Mephibosheth[nw] had not cared for his feet[nx] nor trimmed[ny] his mustache nor washed his clothes.

25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 He replied, “My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I[nz] said, ‘Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,’ for I[oa] am lame. 27 But my servant[ob] has slandered me[oc] to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you. 28 After all, there was no one in the entire house of my grandfather[od] who did not deserve death from my lord the king. But instead you allowed me to eat at your own table![oe] What further claim do I have to ask[of] the king for anything?”

29 Then the king replied to him, “Why should you continue speaking like this? You and Ziba will inherit the field together.” 30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him have[og] the whole thing! My lord the king has returned safely[oh] to his house!”

31 Now when Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, he crossed the Jordan with the king so he could send him on his way from there.[oi] 32 But Barzillai was very old—eighty years old, in fact—and he had taken care of the king when he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very rich[oj] man. 33 So the king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will take care of you while you are with me in Jerusalem.”

34 Barzillai replied to the king, “How many days do I have left to my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am now eighty years old. Am I able to discern good and bad? Can I[ok] taste what I eat and drink? Am I still able to hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should I[ol] continue to be a burden to my lord the king? 36 I will cross the Jordan with the king and go a short distance.[om] Why should the king reward me in this way? 37 Let me[on] return so that I may die in my own town near the grave of my father and my mother. But look, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever seems appropriate to you.”

38 The king replied, “Kimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever I deem appropriate. And whatever you choose, I will do for you.”

39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, as did the king. After the king had kissed him and blessed him, Barzillai returned to his home.[oo] 40 When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham[op] crossed over with him. Now all the soldiers[oq] of Judah along with half the soldiers of Israel had helped the king cross over.[or]

41 Then all the men of Israel began coming to the king. They asked the king, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, sneak the king[os] away and help the king and his household cross the Jordan—and not only him but all of David’s men as well?” 42 All the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative! Why are you so upset about this? Have we eaten at the king’s expense?[ot] Or have we misappropriated anything for our own use?” 43 The men of Israel replied to the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and we have a greater claim on David than you do! Why do you want[ou] to curse us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing back our king?” But the comments of the men of Judah were more severe than those of the men of Israel.

Sheba’s Rebellion

20 Now a wicked man[ov] named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjaminite,[ow] happened to be there. He blew the trumpet[ox] and said,

“We have no share in David;
we have no inheritance in this son of Jesse!
Every man go home,[oy] O Israel!”

2 So all the men of Israel deserted[oz] David and followed Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River[pa] to Jerusalem.

3 Then David went to his palace[pb] in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement.[pc] Though he provided for their needs, he did not sleep with them.[pd] They remained under restriction until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.

4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together for me in three days,[pe] and you be present here with them too.” 5 So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than the time that the king had allotted him.

6 Then David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will cause greater disaster for us than Absalom did! Take your lord’s servants and pursue him. Otherwise he will secure[pf] fortified cities for himself and get away from us.” 7 So Joab’s men, accompanied by the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors, left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

8 When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his waist. When he advanced, it fell out.[pg]

9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” With his right hand Joab took hold of Amasa’s beard as if to greet him with a kiss. 10 Amasa did not protect himself from the knife in Joab’s other hand, and Joab[ph] stabbed him in the abdomen, causing Amasa’s[pi] intestines to spill out on the ground. There was no need to stab him again; the first blow was fatal.[pj] Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.

11 One of Joab’s soldiers who stood over Amasa said, “Whoever is for[pk] Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!” 12 Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came across Amasa[pl] stopped, the man[pm] pulled him[pn] away from the path and into the field and threw a garment over him. 13 Once he had removed Amasa[po] from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.

14 Sheba[pp] traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of[pq] Beth Maacah and all the Berite region. When they had assembled,[pr] they too joined him. 15 So Joab’s men[ps] came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city that stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab’s soldiers were trying to break through[pt] the wall so that it would collapse, 16 a wise woman called out from the city, “Listen up! Listen up! Tell Joab, ‘Come near so that I may speak to you.’”

17 When he approached her, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” He replied, “I am.” She said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” He said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.” 18 She said, “In the past they would always say, ‘Let them inquire in Abel,’ and that is how they settled things. 19 I represent the peaceful and the faithful in Israel. You are attempting to destroy an important city[pu] in Israel. Why should you swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”

20 Joab answered, “Not at all![pv] I don’t intend to swallow up or destroy anything! 21 That’s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Sheba son of Bikri. He has rebelled[pw] against King David. Give me just this one man, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Joab, “This very minute[px] his head will be thrown over the wall to you!”

22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice and they cut off Sheba’s head[py] and threw it out to Joab. Joab[pz] blew the trumpet, and his men[qa] dispersed from the city, each going to his own home.[qb] Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

23 Now Joab was the general in command of all the army of Israel. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Perethites. 24 Adoniram[qc] was supervisor of the work crews.[qd] Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the secretary. 25 Sheva was the scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests. 26 Ira the Jairite was David’s personal priest.[qe]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 9:1 sn 2 Samuel 9-20 is known as the Succession Narrative. It is a literary unit that describes David’s efforts at consolidating his own kingdom following the demise of King Saul; it also provides the transition to subsequent leadership on the part of David’s successor Solomon.
  2. 2 Samuel 9:1 tn Heb “house.”
  3. 2 Samuel 9:2 tn Heb “your servant.”
  4. 2 Samuel 9:3 tn Heb “house.”
  5. 2 Samuel 9:5 tn Heb “sent and took him.”
  6. 2 Samuel 9:5 tn Heb “from.”
  7. 2 Samuel 9:6 tn Heb “he fell on his face and bowed down.”
  8. 2 Samuel 9:6 tn Heb “Look, your servant.”
  9. 2 Samuel 9:7 tn Heb “and you will eat food at my table continually.”
  10. 2 Samuel 9:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. 2 Samuel 9:8 tn Heb “What is your servant, that you turn to a dead dog which is like me?”
  12. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn Heb “work.”
  13. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words “its produce” here.
  14. 2 Samuel 9:10 tc The words “it will be,” though present in the MT, are absent from the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.
  15. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn Heb “and he will eat it.”
  16. 2 Samuel 9:11 tn Heb “eating.”
  17. 2 Samuel 9:11 tc Heb “my table.” But the first person reference to David is awkward here since the quotation of David’s words has already been concluded in v. 10; nor does the “my” refer to Ziba, since the latter part of v. 11 does not seem to be part of Ziba’s response to the king. The ancient versions are not unanimous in the way that they render the phrase. The LXX has “the table of David” (τῆς τραπέζης Δαυιδ, tēs trapezēs Dauid); the Syriac Peshitta has “the table of the king” (patureh demalkaʾ); the Vulgate has “your table” (mensam tuam). The present translation follows the LXX.
  18. 2 Samuel 10:1 tn Heb “reigned in his place.”
  19. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “do loyalty.”
  20. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “did loyalty.”
  21. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “and David sent to console him by the hand of his servants concerning his father.”
  22. 2 Samuel 10:3 tn Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”
  23. 2 Samuel 10:3 tn Heb “Is it not to explore the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it [that] David has sent his servants to you?”
  24. 2 Samuel 10:4 tn Heb “and he cut their robes in the middle unto their buttocks.”
  25. 2 Samuel 10:5 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. 2 Samuel 10:5 tn The words “what had happened” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  27. 2 Samuel 10:6 tn Heb “that they were a stench [i.e., disgusting] with David.”
  28. 2 Samuel 10:6 tn Heb “the Ammonites.”
  29. 2 Samuel 10:6 tn Or “Arameans of Beth Rehob and Arameans of Zobah.”
  30. 2 Samuel 10:6 tn Or perhaps “the men of Tob.” The ancient versions (the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate) understand the name to be “Ish Tob.” It is possible that “Ish” is dittographic and that we should read simply “Tob,” a reading adopted by a number of recent English versions.
  31. 2 Samuel 10:7 tn The words “the news” and “to meet them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
  32. 2 Samuel 10:9 tn Heb “and Joab saw that the face of the battle was to him before and behind and he chose from all the best in Israel and arranged to meet Aram.”
  33. 2 Samuel 10:10 tn Heb “people.”
  34. 2 Samuel 10:10 tn Heb “he arranged.”
  35. 2 Samuel 10:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  36. 2 Samuel 10:11 tn Heb “if Aram is stronger than me.”
  37. 2 Samuel 10:11 tn Heb “if the sons of Ammon are stronger than you.”
  38. 2 Samuel 10:12 tn Heb “and the Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”
  39. 2 Samuel 10:13 tn Heb “and the army which was with him.”
  40. 2 Samuel 10:14 tn Heb “and Joab returned from against the sons of Ammon and entered.”
  41. 2 Samuel 10:15 tn Heb “were gathered together.”
  42. 2 Samuel 10:16 tn Heb “and Hadadezer sent and brought out Aram which is.”
  43. 2 Samuel 10:16 tn Heb “from beyond the River.” The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  44. 2 Samuel 10:16 tn Heb “was before them.”
  45. 2 Samuel 10:17 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  46. 2 Samuel 10:18 tn Heb “horsemen” (so KJV, NASB, NCV, NRSV, NLT) but the Lucianic recension of the LXX reads “foot soldiers,” as does the parallel text in 1 Chr 19:18. Cf. NAB, NIV.
  47. 2 Samuel 10:19 tn Heb “the servants of Hadadezer.”
  48. 2 Samuel 10:19 tn Heb “and they served them.”
  49. 2 Samuel 11:1 tc Codex Leningrad (B19A), on which BHS is based, has here “messengers” (הַמַּלְאָכִים, hammalʾakhim), probably as the result of contamination from the occurrence of that word in v. 4. The present translation follows most Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, which read “kings” (הַמֶּלָאכִים, hammelakhim).
  50. 2 Samuel 11:1 tn Heb “go out.”
  51. 2 Samuel 11:1 tn Heb “and his servants with him.”
  52. 2 Samuel 11:1 tn Heb “all Israel.”
  53. 2 Samuel 11:1 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts David’s inactivity with the army’s activity.
  54. 2 Samuel 11:2 tn Heb “on the roof of the house of the king.” So also in vv. 8, 9.
  55. 2 Samuel 11:2 tn The disjunctive clause highlights this observation and builds the tension of the story.
  56. 2 Samuel 11:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the messenger) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  57. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn Heb “and David sent messengers and he took her.”
  58. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn The expression בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations, the implied purpose for approaching someone. Here it refers only to the stage of approaching while the next verb describes the result. That she is the subject of this verb (while David is the subject of the next verb) probably indicates that the act was consensual.
  59. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn Heb “he lay down with her.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
  60. 2 Samuel 11:4 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause further heightens the tension by letting the reader know that Bathsheba, having just completed her menstrual cycle, is ripe for conception. See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 286. Since she just had her period, it will also be obvious to those close to the scene that Uriah, who has been away fighting, cannot be the father of the child.
  61. 2 Samuel 11:7 tn Heb “concerning the peace of Joab and concerning the peace of the people and concerning the peace of the battle.”
  62. 2 Samuel 11:8 tn Heb “and wash your feet.”
  63. 2 Samuel 11:8 tn Heb “and there went out after him the gift of the king.”
  64. 2 Samuel 11:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation lacks the word “all.”
  65. 2 Samuel 11:11 tn Heb “lie with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
  66. 2 Samuel 11:11 tn Heb “as you live and as your soul lives.”
  67. 2 Samuel 11:12 tn On the chronology involved here see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 287.
  68. 2 Samuel 11:16 tn Heb “the valiant men.” This refers in context to the strongest or most valiant defenders of the city Joab and the Israelite army were besieging, so the present translation uses “the best enemy soldiers” for clarity.
  69. 2 Samuel 11:17 tn Heb “some of the people from the servants of David.”
  70. 2 Samuel 11:18 tn Heb “Joab sent and related to David all the matters of the battle.”
  71. 2 Samuel 11:21 sn The upper millstone (Heb “millstone of riding”) refers to the heavy circular stone that was commonly rolled over a circular base in order to crush and grind such things as olives.
  72. 2 Samuel 11:23 tn Heb “and came out to us.”
  73. 2 Samuel 11:23 tn Heb “but we were on them.”
  74. 2 Samuel 11:24 tc The translation follows the Qere (“your servants”) rather than the Kethib (“your servant”).
  75. 2 Samuel 11:25 tn Heb “let not this matter be evil in your eyes.”
  76. 2 Samuel 11:25 tn Heb “according to this and according to this the sword devours.”
  77. 2 Samuel 11:25 tn Heb “overthrow.”
  78. 2 Samuel 11:25 tn The Hebrew text does not have “with these words.” They are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  79. 2 Samuel 11:26 tn Heb “for her lord.”
  80. 2 Samuel 11:27 tn Heb “David sent and gathered her to his house.”
  81. 2 Samuel 11:27 tn Heb “and the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Note the verbal connection with v. 25. Though David did not regard the matter as evil, the Lord certainly did.
  82. 2 Samuel 12:1 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta add “the prophet.” The words are included in a few modern English version (e.g., TEV, CEV, NLT).
  83. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  84. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Nathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  85. 2 Samuel 12:1 tn The Hebrew text repeats “to him.”
  86. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “his sons.”
  87. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn The three Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this sentence have a customary nuance; they describe past actions that were repeated or typical.
  88. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “from his morsel.”
  89. 2 Samuel 12:3 tn Heb “and on his chest [or perhaps, “lap”] it would lie.”
  90. 2 Samuel 12:4 tn Heb “came to the rich man.” In the translation “arrived at the rich man’s home” has been used for stylistic reasons.
  91. 2 Samuel 12:4 tn Heb “and he refused to take from his flock and from his herd to prepare [a meal] for.”
  92. 2 Samuel 12:4 tn Heb “who had come to him” (also a second time later in this verse). The word “visit” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarity.
  93. 2 Samuel 12:4 tn Heb “and prepared.”
  94. 2 Samuel 12:5 tn Heb “the man doing this [is] a son of death.” See 1 Sam 20:31 for another use of this expression, which must mean “he is as good as dead” or “he deserves to die,” as 1 Sam 20:32 makes clear.
  95. 2 Samuel 12:6 tc With the exception of the Lucianic recension, the Old Greek translation has here “sevenfold” rather than “fourfold,” a reading that S. R. Driver thought probably to be the original reading (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 291). However, Exod 22:1 [21:37 HT] specifies fourfold repayment for a stolen sheep, which is consistent with 2 Sam 12:6. Some mss of the Targum and the Syriac Peshitta exaggerate the idea to “fortyfold.”tn Heb “the lamb he must repay fourfold because he did this thing and because he did not have compassion.”
  96. 2 Samuel 12:7 tn Heb “anointed.”
  97. 2 Samuel 12:8 tn Heb “and the wives of your lord into your chest [or “lap”].” The words “I put” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
  98. 2 Samuel 12:9 tn Or “word, message.” The “word of the Lord” sometimes refers to a prophetic message from God and sometimes to his past revelation. Here it refers to the Lord’s laws which David has violated.
  99. 2 Samuel 12:9 tc So the Qere; the Kethib has “his.”
  100. 2 Samuel 12:11 tn Heb “raise up against you disaster.”
  101. 2 Samuel 12:11 tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NRSV); NCV, TEV, CEV “family.”
  102. 2 Samuel 12:11 tn Or “friend.”
  103. 2 Samuel 12:11 tn Heb “will lie down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) “to lie down” can be a euphemism for going to bed for sexual relations.
  104. 2 Samuel 12:11 tn Heb “in the eyes of this sun.”
  105. 2 Samuel 12:12 tn Heb “and before the sun.”
  106. 2 Samuel 12:13 tn Heb “removed.”
  107. 2 Samuel 12:14 tc The MT has here “because you have caused the enemies of the Lord to treat the Lord with such contempt.” This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” According to this ancient tradition, the scribes changed the text in order to soften somewhat the negative light in which David was presented. If that is the case, the MT reflects the altered text. The present translation departs from the MT here. Elsewhere the Piel stem of this verb means “treat with contempt,” but never “cause someone to treat with contempt.”
  108. 2 Samuel 12:15 tn Heb “and the Lord struck the child…and he was ill.” It is necessary to repeat “the child” in the translation to make clear who became ill, since “the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and he became very ill” could be understood to mean that David himself became ill.
  109. 2 Samuel 12:16 tn Heb “sought” or “searched for.”
  110. 2 Samuel 12:16 tn Heb “and David fasted.”
  111. 2 Samuel 12:16 tn The three Hebrew verbs that follow in this verse are perfects with prefixed vav. They may describe repeated past actions or actions which accompanied David’s praying and fasting.
  112. 2 Samuel 12:18 tn Heb “to our voice.”
  113. 2 Samuel 12:18 tn Heb “he will do harm.” The object is not stated in the Hebrew text. The statement may be intentionally vague, meaning that he might harm himself or them!
  114. 2 Samuel 12:19 tn Heb “David.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
  115. 2 Samuel 12:21 tc For the MT בַּעֲבוּר (baʿavur, “for the sake of”) we should probably read בְּעוֹד (beʿod, “while”). See the Lucianic Greek recension, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum.
  116. 2 Samuel 12:22 tn Heb “said.”
  117. 2 Samuel 12:22 tn Heb “Who knows?”
  118. 2 Samuel 12:24 tn The combination of the verb בּוֹא (boʾ; “to come, enter”) and the preposition אֶל (ʾel; “to”) means “to approach, to come to” (HALOT 1:113). This common expression is also used as a euphemism for coming together for sexual relations. Although some take the phrase to be a graphic depiction of a man actions in sexual relations with a woman, certain factors clarify that it is a euphemism. First, the phrase also describes a woman approaching a man for sexual relations (2 Sam 11:4), a situation where this phrase cannot be explicitly descriptive. Second, the phrase is paired here with שָׁכַב (shakhav), “to lie down,” which only makes sense if the two are complementary (compare also Gen 19:33-34 which uses both verbs of Lot’s daughters, but without the preposition). The verb שָׁכַב can imply lying down for sleep or for sexual relations. When בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) is used with שָׁכַב (shakhav), they state the natural progression of approaching and then lying with. Hebrew can use the two together, or either separately, as a euphemism for sexual relations. But if the phrase בּוֹא אֶל were already an explicit depiction of sex, then the latter phrase with שָׁכַב, “to lie with,” would be pointless. So 2 Sam 11:4 and 2 Sam 12:24 are important evidence for how this phrase really works, and it is appropriate to also use euphemisms in translation.
  119. 2 Samuel 12:24 tn Heb “and he lay with her.” The phrase is a euphemism for sexual relations.
  120. 2 Samuel 12:24 tc The Kethiv reads “he named” while the Qere reads “she named.”tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. While some translations render the pronoun as third person plural (“they”), implying that both David and Bathsheba together named the child, it is likely that the name “Solomon,” which is related to the Hebrew word for “peace” (and may be derived from it) had special significance for David, who would have regarded the birth of a second child to Bathsheba as a confirming sign that God had forgiven his sin and was at peace with him.
  121. 2 Samuel 12:24 tn Heb “him,” referring to the child.
  122. 2 Samuel 12:25 sn The name Jedidiah means “loved by the Lord.”
  123. 2 Samuel 12:26 sn Here the narrative resumes the battle story that began in 11:1 (see 11:25). The author has interrupted that story to give the related account of David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. He now returns to the earlier story and brings it to a conclusion.
  124. 2 Samuel 12:27 sn The expression translated the water supply of the city (Heb “the city of the waters”) apparently refers to that part of the fortified city that guarded the water supply of the entire city. Joab had already captured this part of the city, but he now defers to King David for the capture of the rest of the city. In this way the king will receive the credit for this achievement.
  125. 2 Samuel 12:28 tn Heb “people.” So also in vv. 29, 31.
  126. 2 Samuel 12:30 tn Part of the Greek tradition wrongly understands Hebrew מַלְכָּם (malkam, “their king”) as a proper name (“Milcom”). Some English versions follow the Greek here, rendering the phrase “the crown of Milcom” (so NRSV; cf. also NAB, CEV). TEV takes this as a reference not to the Ammonite king but to “the idol of the Ammonite god Molech.”
  127. 2 Samuel 12:30 tn Heb “and its weight [was] a talent of gold.” The weight of this ornamental crown was approximately 75 lbs (34 kg). See P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 313.
  128. 2 Samuel 12:31 tn Heb “brought out.”
  129. 2 Samuel 12:31 tnHeb “to pass through.”
  130. 2 Samuel 12:31 tn Heb “and so he would do.”
  131. 2 Samuel 13:1 tn Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here.sn Amnon was the half-brother of Tamar; Absalom was her full blood-brother.
  132. 2 Samuel 13:2 tn Heb “and there was distress to Amnon so that he made himself sick.”
  133. 2 Samuel 13:4 tn Heb “and he said to him.”
  134. 2 Samuel 13:4 tn A more idiomatic translation might be “Why are you of all people…?”
  135. 2 Samuel 13:5 tn This verb is used in the Hitpael stem only in this chapter of the Hebrew Bible. With the exception of v. 2 it describes not a real sickness but one pretended in order to entrap Tamar. The Hitpael sometimes, as here, describes the subject making oneself appear to be of a certain character. On this use of the stem, see GKC 149-50 §54.e.
  136. 2 Samuel 13:8 tn Heb “in his sight.”
  137. 2 Samuel 13:8 tn Heb “the cakes.”
  138. 2 Samuel 13:9 tn Heb “from upon me.”
  139. 2 Samuel 13:9 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss supported by the LXX and Vulgate read the Hiphil וַיּוֹצִיאוּ (vayyotsiʾu) “and they removed everyone,” rather than the MT’s Qal וַיֵּצְאוּ (vayyetseʾu, “they left”). This verb would then match the instructions more closely.
  140. 2 Samuel 13:11 tn Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”
  141. 2 Samuel 13:13 tn Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”
  142. 2 Samuel 13:13 tn Heb “Now.”
  143. 2 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “to her voice.”
  144. 2 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “and he humiliated her and lay with her.”
  145. 2 Samuel 13:15 tn Heb “and Amnon hated her with very great hatred.”
  146. 2 Samuel 13:15 tn Heb “for greater was the hatred with which he hated her than the love with which he loved her.”
  147. 2 Samuel 13:16 tn Heb “No, because this great evil is [worse] than the other which you did with me, by sending me away.” Perhaps the broken syntax reflects her hysteria and outrage.
  148. 2 Samuel 13:17 tn Heb “send this [one] from upon me to the outside.”
  149. 2 Samuel 13:18 tn The Hebrew expression used here (כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים, ketonet passim) is found only here and in Gen 37:3, 23, 32. Hebrew פַּס (pas) can refer to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot; here the idea is probably that of a long robe reaching to the feet and having sleeves reaching to the wrists. The notion of a “coat of many colors” (KJV, ASV “garment of divers colors”), a familiar translation for the phrase in Genesis, is based primarily on the translation adopted in the LXX χιτῶνα ποικίλον (chitōna poikilon) and does not have a great deal of support.
  150. 2 Samuel 13:18 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  151. 2 Samuel 13:18 tn The Hebrew verb is a perfect with nonconsecutive vav, probably indicating an action (locking the door) that complements the preceding one (pushing her out the door).
  152. 2 Samuel 13:20 tn Heb “Don’t set your heart to this thing!” Elsewhere this phrase means to disregard or not pay attention to something (e.g. Exod 7:23). It is a callous thing to say to Tamar, but to the degree that what he said becomes known, it misleads people from understanding that he is personally plotting revenge (13:22, 28).
  153. 2 Samuel 13:21 tc The LXX and part of the Old Latin tradition include the following addition to v. 21, also included in some English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, CEV): “But he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.” Note David’s attitude toward his son Adonijah in 1 Kgs 1:6.
  154. 2 Samuel 13:24 tn Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse and is translated as "me".
  155. 2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  156. 2 Samuel 13:25 tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSama ויפצר (vayyiftsar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyifrats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (weʾalseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).
  157. 2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  158. 2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  159. 2 Samuel 13:26 tn Heb “and not.”
  160. 2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”
  161. 2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “and become sons of valor.”
  162. 2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”
  163. 2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  164. 2 Samuel 13:34 tn Heb “behind him.”
  165. 2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “and they lifted their voice and wept.”
  166. 2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “with a great weeping.”
  167. 2 Samuel 13:37 tc The Hebrew text leaves the word “David” to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word “David.” Most of the Greek tradition includes the words “King David” here.
  168. 2 Samuel 13:39 tc The translation follows 4QSama in reading רוּחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ (ruakh hammelekh, “the spirit of the king”) rather than the MT דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ (david hammelekh, “David the king”). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David’s interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David’s advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 344, and cf. CEV.
  169. 2 Samuel 13:39 tn Heb “was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead.”
  170. 2 Samuel 14:1 tn Heb “the heart of the king was upon.” The Syriac Peshitta adds the verb ʾethreʿi (“was reconciled”).
  171. 2 Samuel 14:2 tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.
  172. 2 Samuel 14:2 tn Heb “these many days.”
  173. 2 Samuel 14:3 tn Heb “put the words in her mouth” (so NASB, NIV).
  174. 2 Samuel 14:4 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַתַּבֹא (vattavoʾ, “and she went”) rather than the MT וַתֹּאמֶר (vattoʾmer, “and she said”). The MT reading shows confusion with וַתֹּאמֶר later in the verse. The emendation suggested here is supported by the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, some mss of the Targum, and Vulgate.
  175. 2 Samuel 14:4 tn The word “me” is left to be inferred in the Hebrew text; it is present in the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate.
  176. 2 Samuel 14:5 tn Heb “What to you?”
  177. 2 Samuel 14:6 tn Here and elsewhere (vv. 7, 12, 15a, 17, 19) the woman uses a term which suggests a lower level female servant. She uses the term to express her humility before the king. However, she uses a different term in vv. 15b-16. See the note at v. 15 for a discussion of the rhetorical purpose of this switch in terminology.
  178. 2 Samuel 14:7 tn Heb “in exchange for the life.” The Hebrew preposition ב (bet, “in”) here is the so-called bet pretii, or bet (ב) of price, defining the value attached to someone or something.
  179. 2 Samuel 14:7 sn My remaining coal is here metaphorical language, describing the one remaining son as her only source of lingering hope for continuing the family line.
  180. 2 Samuel 14:8 tn Heb “concerning you.”
  181. 2 Samuel 14:11 tn The words “in that case” are not in the Hebrew text, but may be inferred from the context. They are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.
  182. 2 Samuel 14:11 tn Heb “let the king remember.”
  183. 2 Samuel 14:11 tn Heb “of your son.”
  184. 2 Samuel 14:14 tn Heb “he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished.”
  185. 2 Samuel 14:15 tc The LXX (ὄψεταί με, opsetai me) has misunderstood the Hebrew יֵרְאֻנִי (yereʾuni, Piel perfect, “they have made me fearful”), taking the verb to be a form of the verb רָאָה (raʾah, “to see”) rather than the verb יָרֵא (yareʾ, “to fear”). The fact that the Greek translators were working with an unvocalized Hebrew text (i.e., consonants only) made them very susceptible to this type of error.
  186. 2 Samuel 14:15 tn Here and in v. 16 the woman refers to herself as the king’s אָמָה (ʾamah), a term that refers to a higher level female servant toward whom the master might have some obligation. Like the other term, this word expresses her humility, but it also suggests that the king might have some obligation to treat her in accordance with the principles of justice.
  187. 2 Samuel 14:16 tn Or “for.”
  188. 2 Samuel 14:16 tn Or “will.” The imperfect verbal form can have either an indicative or modal nuance. The use of “perhaps” in v. 15b suggests the latter here.
  189. 2 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “in order to deliver his maid.”
  190. 2 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “destroy.”
  191. 2 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “from the inheritance of God.” The expression refers to the property that was granted to her family line in the division of the land authorized by God.
  192. 2 Samuel 14:19 tn Heb “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”
  193. 2 Samuel 14:20 tn Heb “to know all that is in the land.”
  194. 2 Samuel 14:21 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have “you” rather than “I.”
  195. 2 Samuel 14:22 tn Heb “blessed.”
  196. 2 Samuel 14:22 tc The present translation reads with the Qere “your” rather than the MT “his.”
  197. 2 Samuel 14:24 tn Heb “turn aside.”
  198. 2 Samuel 14:24 tn Heb “turned aside.”
  199. 2 Samuel 14:25 tn Heb “Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly.”
  200. 2 Samuel 14:25 tn Heb “there was not in him a blemish.”
  201. 2 Samuel 14:26 tn Heb “for it was heavy upon him.”
  202. 2 Samuel 14:26 tn Heb “two hundred shekels.” The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).
  203. 2 Samuel 14:27 tn Heb “and there were born.”
  204. 2 Samuel 14:27 tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And she became a wife to Rehoboam the son of Solomon and bore to him Abia.”
  205. 2 Samuel 14:29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  206. 2 Samuel 14:30 tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And the servants of Absalom burned them up. And the servants of Joab came to him, rending their garments. They said….”
  207. 2 Samuel 14:30 tn The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  208. 2 Samuel 14:32 tn Heb “saying.”
  209. 2 Samuel 14:33 tn Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.
  210. 2 Samuel 14:33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  211. 2 Samuel 14:33 tn Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.
  212. 2 Samuel 15:1 tn Heb “acquired for himself.”
  213. 2 Samuel 15:1 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
  214. 2 Samuel 15:2 tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.
  215. 2 Samuel 15:3 tn Heb “good and straight.”
  216. 2 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “Who will make me?”
  217. 2 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.
  218. 2 Samuel 15:5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  219. 2 Samuel 15:6 tn Heb “stole the heart.”
  220. 2 Samuel 15:6 tn Heb “the men.”
  221. 2 Samuel 15:7 tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara etē), the Syriac Peshitta (ʾarbaʿ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”
  222. 2 Samuel 15:8 tn Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.
  223. 2 Samuel 15:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  224. 2 Samuel 15:10 tn Heb “say.”
  225. 2 Samuel 15:11 tn Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”
  226. 2 Samuel 15:12 tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.
  227. 2 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.
  228. 2 Samuel 15:13 tn Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”
  229. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “Arise!”
  230. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “let’s flee.”
  231. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “thrust.”
  232. 2 Samuel 15:14 tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
  233. 2 Samuel 15:15 tn Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”
  234. 2 Samuel 15:16 tn Heb “and all his house.”
  235. 2 Samuel 15:16 tn Heb “women, concubines.”
  236. 2 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “and they stood.”
  237. 2 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “house.”
  238. 2 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “crossing over near his hand.”
  239. 2 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “crossing over near the face of.”
  240. 2 Samuel 15:19 tn The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.
  241. 2 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “place.”
  242. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
  243. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
  244. 2 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “be with.”
  245. 2 Samuel 15:21 tn Heb “your servant.”
  246. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “Come and cross over.”
  247. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “crossed over.”
  248. 2 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “all the little ones.”
  249. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
  250. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “crossing over.”
  251. 2 Samuel 15:23 tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”
  252. 2 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “crossing from.”
  253. 2 Samuel 15:26 tn Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”
  254. 2 Samuel 15:27 tn The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek mss have ἴδετε (idete); the Lucianic recension has βλέπε (blepe). It could just as well be taken as a question: “Don’t you see what is happening?” The present translation takes the word as a question, with the implication that Zadok is a priest and not a prophet (i.e., “seer”) and therefore unable to know what the future holds.
  255. 2 Samuel 15:27 tn Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
  256. 2 Samuel 15:28 tn The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
  257. 2 Samuel 15:31 tc The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד (vedavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).
  258. 2 Samuel 15:31 tn Heb “said.”
  259. 2 Samuel 15:33 tn Heb “cross over.”
  260. 2 Samuel 15:35 tn Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
  261. 2 Samuel 15:35 tn Heb “from the house of the king.”
  262. 2 Samuel 15:36 tn Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
  263. 2 Samuel 16:1 tn Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”
  264. 2 Samuel 16:2 tn Heb “What are these to you?”
  265. 2 Samuel 16:2 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְהַלֶּחֶם (vehallekhem, “and the bread”) rather than וּלְהַלֶּחֶם (ulehallekhem, “and to the bread”) of the Kethib. The syntax of the MT is confused here by the needless repetition of the preposition, probably taken from the preceding word.
  266. 2 Samuel 16:2 tn The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”
  267. 2 Samuel 16:3 tn Heb “son.”
  268. 2 Samuel 16:3 tn Heb “my father’s.”
  269. 2 Samuel 16:5 tn Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא (vayyavoʾ, preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא (uvaʾ, apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline veqatal construction introduces a new scene.
  270. 2 Samuel 16:5 tn Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”
  271. 2 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “man of worthlessness.”
  272. 2 Samuel 16:8 tn Heb “has brought back upon you.”
  273. 2 Samuel 16:10 tn Heb “What to me and to you?”
  274. 2 Samuel 16:11 tn Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.
  275. 2 Samuel 16:12 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate בְּעוֹנִי (beʿonyi, “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the MT בָּעַוֹנִי (baʿavoni, “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the MT בְּעֵינֵי (beʿeni, “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.”
  276. 2 Samuel 16:12 tn Heb “and the Lord will restore to me good in place of his curse this day.”
  277. 2 Samuel 16:13 tn Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline veqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.
  278. 2 Samuel 16:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  279. 2 Samuel 16:15 tn Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”
  280. 2 Samuel 16:16 tn Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  281. 2 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “No for with the one whom the Lord has chosen, and this people, and all the men of Israel, I will be and with him I will stay.” The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוֹ (lo, “[I will be] to him”) rather than the MT לֹא (loʾ, “[I will] not be”), which makes very little sense here.
  282. 2 Samuel 16:19 tn Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”
  283. 2 Samuel 16:21 tn Heb “approach,” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  284. 2 Samuel 16:21 tn Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
  285. 2 Samuel 16:22 sn That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.
  286. 2 Samuel 16:22 tn Heb “approached.” See note at v. 21.
  287. 2 Samuel 16:23 tn Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”
  288. 2 Samuel 16:23 tn Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”
  289. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
  290. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
  291. 2 Samuel 17:3 tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.
  292. 2 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
  293. 2 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “elders.”
  294. 2 Samuel 17:5 tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
  295. 2 Samuel 17:5 tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
  296. 2 Samuel 17:7 tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
  297. 2 Samuel 17:8 tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
  298. 2 Samuel 17:9 tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
  299. 2 Samuel 17:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
  300. 2 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “elders.”
  301. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
  302. 2 Samuel 17:16 tc The MT reads “the rift valleys (עֲרָבוֹת, ʿaravot) of the wilderness.” The plural form typically refers to the gently sloping plains at the basin of the rift valley just north of the Dead Sea (while the larger rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba). Many translations render as the “fords” (NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV) assuming the reversal of two letters as עֲבָרוֹת (ʿavarot, “fords, crossing”).
  303. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
  304. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
  305. 2 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  306. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  307. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “the water.”
  308. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
  309. 2 Samuel 17:22 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  310. 2 Samuel 17:23 tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
  311. 2 Samuel 17:25 tn Heb “come to.”
  312. 2 Samuel 17:26 tn Heb “and Israel.”
  313. 2 Samuel 17:28 tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (veqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin ms the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.
  314. 2 Samuel 17:29 tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
  315. 2 Samuel 17:29 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
  316. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “the people said.”
  317. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “march out.”
  318. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”
  319. 2 Samuel 18:3 tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (ʾattah, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (ʿattah, “now”).
  320. 2 Samuel 18:7 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 9).
  321. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the.”
  322. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the donkey.”
  323. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”
  324. 2 Samuel 18:10 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
  325. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”
  326. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
  327. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”
  328. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (velu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (velo’, “and not”).
  329. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”
  330. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
  331. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “extend my hand against.”
  332. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “in our ears.”
  333. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
  334. 2 Samuel 18:13 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (venafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (venafsho, “against his life”).
  335. 2 Samuel 18:13 tn Heb “stood aloof.”
  336. 2 Samuel 18:14 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor-bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
  337. 2 Samuel 18:16 tn Heb “the shofar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
  338. 2 Samuel 18:17 tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
  339. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “and in his life.”
  340. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
  341. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “a pillar.”
  342. 2 Samuel 18:19 tn Heb “that the Lord has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.”
  343. 2 Samuel 18:20 tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”
  344. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  345. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  346. 2 Samuel 18:24 tn Heb “the two gates.”
  347. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “good news is in his mouth.”
  348. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  349. 2 Samuel 18:27 tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”
  350. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “Peace.”
  351. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “delivered over.”
  352. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “lifted their hand against.”
  353. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”
  354. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “for the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you.”
  355. 2 Samuel 18:32 tn Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”
  356. 2 Samuel 18:33 sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.
  357. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
  358. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
  359. 2 Samuel 19:4 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
  360. 2 Samuel 19:5 tn Heb “came to.”
  361. 2 Samuel 19:6 tn Heb “today.”
  362. 2 Samuel 19:6 tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSama, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ (lu, “if”) rather than MT לֹא (loʾ, “not”).
  363. 2 Samuel 19:6 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”
  364. 2 Samuel 19:7 tn Heb “and speak to the heart of.”
  365. 2 Samuel 19:8 tn Heb “all the people.”
  366. 2 Samuel 19:8 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17).
  367. 2 Samuel 19:8 tn Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”
  368. 2 Samuel 19:10 tn Heb “over us.”
  369. 2 Samuel 19:10 tc The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11: “And what all Israel was saying came to the king’s attention.” The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).
  370. 2 Samuel 19:11 tn Heb “his house.”
  371. 2 Samuel 19:11 tc The Hebrew text adds “to his house” (= palace), but the phrase, which also appears earlier in the verse, is probably accidentally repeated here.
  372. 2 Samuel 19:12 tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”
  373. 2 Samuel 19:13 tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”
  374. 2 Samuel 19:13 tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”
  375. 2 Samuel 19:14 tn The referent of “he” is not entirely clear: cf. NCV “David”; TEV “David’s words”; NRSV, NLT “Amasa.”
  376. 2 Samuel 19:15 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  377. 2 Samuel 19:15 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Judah.”
  378. 2 Samuel 19:15 tn Heb “the king.” The pronoun (“him”) has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
  379. 2 Samuel 19:17 tn Heb “youth.”
  380. 2 Samuel 19:17 tn Heb “rushed into.”
  381. 2 Samuel 19:19 tn Though this verb in the MT is third person masculine singular, it should probably be read as second person masculine singular. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria, or “extraordinary points.”
  382. 2 Samuel 19:20 tn The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.” The word "I" has been supplied for English style.
  383. 2 Samuel 19:22 tn Heb “what to me and to you.”
  384. 2 Samuel 19:23 tn Heb “swore to him.”
  385. 2 Samuel 19:24 tn Heb “son.”
  386. 2 Samuel 19:24 tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.
  387. 2 Samuel 19:24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  388. 2 Samuel 19:24 tn Heb “done his feet.”
  389. 2 Samuel 19:24 tn Heb “done.”
  390. 2 Samuel 19:26 tn Heb “your servant.”
  391. 2 Samuel 19:26 tn Heb “your servant.”
  392. 2 Samuel 19:27 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  393. 2 Samuel 19:27 tn Heb “your servant.”
  394. 2 Samuel 19:28 tn Heb “father.”
  395. 2 Samuel 19:28 tn Heb “and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table.”
  396. 2 Samuel 19:28 tn Heb “to cry out to.”
  397. 2 Samuel 19:30 tn Heb “take.”
  398. 2 Samuel 19:30 tn Heb “in peace.”
  399. 2 Samuel 19:31 tc The MT reading אֶת־בַיַּרְדֵּן (ʾet vayyarden, “in the Jordan”) is odd syntactically. The use of the preposition after the object marker אֶת (ʾet) is difficult to explain. Graphic confusion is likely in the MT; the translation assumes the reading מִיַּרְדֵּן (miyyarden, “from the Jordan”). Another possibility is to read the definite article on the front of “Jordan” (הַיַּרְדֵּן, hayyarden; “the Jordan”).
  400. 2 Samuel 19:32 tn Heb “great.”
  401. 2 Samuel 19:35 tn Heb “your servant.”
  402. 2 Samuel 19:35 tn Heb “your servant.”
  403. 2 Samuel 19:36 tn Heb “Like a little your servant will cross the Jordan with the king.”
  404. 2 Samuel 19:37 tn Heb “your servant.”
  405. 2 Samuel 19:39 tn Heb “to his place.”
  406. 2 Samuel 19:40 tn The MT in this instance alone spells the name with final ן (nun, “Kimhan”) rather than as elsewhere with final ם (mem, “Kimham”). As in most other translations, the conventional spelling (with ם) has been used here to avoid confusion.
  407. 2 Samuel 19:40 tn Heb “people.”
  408. 2 Samuel 19:40 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the Hiphil verb הֶעֱבִירוּ (heʿeviru, “they caused to pass over”) rather than the Qal verb וַיְעֱבִרוּ (vayeʿeviru, “they crossed over”) of the MT.
  409. 2 Samuel 19:41 tn Heb “sneak you.”
  410. 2 Samuel 19:42 tn Heb “from the king.”
  411. 2 Samuel 19:43 tn The translation understands the verb in a desiderative sense, indicating the desire but not necessarily the completed action of the party in question. It is possible, however, that the verb should be given the more common sense of accomplished action, in which case it means here “Why have you cursed us?”
  412. 2 Samuel 20:1 tn Heb “a man of worthlessness.”
  413. 2 Samuel 20:1 tn The expression used here יְמִינִי (yemini) is a short form of the more common “Benjamin.” It appears elsewhere in 1 Sam 9:4 and Esth 2:5. Cf. 1 Sam 9:1.
  414. 2 Samuel 20:1 tn Heb “the shofar” (the ram’s horn trumpet). So also v. 22.
  415. 2 Samuel 20:1 tc The MT reads לְאֹהָלָיו (leʾohalayv, “to his tents”). For a similar idiom, see 19:9. An ancient scribal tradition understands the reading to be לֵאלֹהָיו (leʾlohav, “to his gods”). The word is a tiqqun sopherim, and the scribes indicate that they changed the word from “gods” to “tents” so as to soften its theological implications. In a consonantal Hebrew text the change involved only the metathesis of two letters.
  416. 2 Samuel 20:2 tn Heb “went up from after.”
  417. 2 Samuel 20:2 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  418. 2 Samuel 20:3 tn Heb “house.”
  419. 2 Samuel 20:3 tn Heb “and he placed them in a guarded house.”
  420. 2 Samuel 20:3 tn Heb “come to them.” The expression בּוֹא אֶל (boʾ ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  421. 2 Samuel 20:4 tn The present translation follows the Masoretic accentuation, with the major mark of disjunction (i.e., the ’atnakh) placed at the word “days.” However, some scholars have suggested moving the ’atnakh to “Judah” a couple of words earlier. This would yield the following sense: “Three days, and you be present here with them.” The difference in meaning is slight, and the MT is acceptable as it stands.
  422. 2 Samuel 20:6 tn Heb “find.” The perfect verbal form is unexpected with the preceding word “otherwise.” We should probably read instead the imperfect. Although it is possible to understand the perfect here as indicating that the feared result is thought of as already having taken place (cf. BDB 814 s.v. פֶּן 2), it is more likely that the perfect is simply the result of scribal error. In this context the imperfect would be more consistent with the following verb וְהִצִּיל (vehitsil, “and he will get away”).
  423. 2 Samuel 20:8 sn The significance of the statement it fell out here is unclear. If the dagger fell out of its sheath before Joab got to Amasa, how then did he kill him? Josephus, Ant. 7.11.7 (7.284), suggested that as Joab approached Amasa he deliberately caused the dagger to fall to the ground at an opportune moment as though by accident. When he bent over and picked it up, he then stabbed Amasa with it. Others have tried to make a case for thinking that two swords are referred to—the one that fell out and another that Joab kept concealed until the last moment. But nothing in the text clearly supports this view. Perhaps Josephus’ understanding is best, but it is by no means obvious in the text either.
  424. 2 Samuel 20:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  425. 2 Samuel 20:10 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  426. 2 Samuel 20:10 tn Heb “and he did not repeat concerning him, and he died.”
  427. 2 Samuel 20:11 tn Heb “takes delight in.”
  428. 2 Samuel 20:12 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  429. 2 Samuel 20:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who spoke up in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  430. 2 Samuel 20:12 tn Heb “Amasa.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.
  431. 2 Samuel 20:13 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Amasa) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  432. 2 Samuel 20:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sheba) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  433. 2 Samuel 20:14 tc In keeping with the form of the name in v. 15, the translation deletes the “and” found in the MT.
  434. 2 Samuel 20:14 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading וַיִּקָּהֲלוּ (vayyiqqahalu, “and they were gathered together”) rather than the Kethib of the MT וַיִּקְלֻהוּ (vayyiqluhu, “and they cursed him”). The Kethib is the result of metathesis.
  435. 2 Samuel 20:15 tn Heb “they.” The following context makes it clear that this refers to Joab and his army.
  436. 2 Samuel 20:15 tc The LXX has here ἐνοοῦσαν (enoousan, “were devising”), which apparently presupposes the Hebrew word מַחֲשָׁבִים (makhashavim) rather than the MT מַשְׁחִיתִם (mashkhitim, “were destroying”). With a number of other scholars Driver thinks that the Greek variant may preserve the original reading, but this seems to be an unnecessary conclusion (but see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 346).
  437. 2 Samuel 20:19 tn Heb “a city and a mother.” The expression is a hendiadys, meaning that this city was an important one in Israel and had smaller cities dependent on it.
  438. 2 Samuel 20:20 tn Heb “Far be it, far be it from me.” The expression is clearly emphatic, as may be seen in part by the repetition. P. K. McCarter, however, understands it to be coarser than the translation adopted here. He renders it as “I’ll be damned if…” (II Samuel [AB], 426, 429), which (while it is not a literal translation) may not be too far removed from the way a soldier might have expressed himself.
  439. 2 Samuel 20:21 tn Heb “lifted his hand.”
  440. 2 Samuel 20:21 tn Heb “Look!”
  441. 2 Samuel 20:22 tn Heb “the head of Sheba son of Bikri.”
  442. 2 Samuel 20:22 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  443. 2 Samuel 20:22 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Joab’s men) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  444. 2 Samuel 20:22 tn Heb “his tents.”
  445. 2 Samuel 20:24 tn Heb “Adoram” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV, CEV), but see 1 Kgs 4:6; 5:14.
  446. 2 Samuel 20:24 tn Heb “was over the forced labor.”
  447. 2 Samuel 20:26 tn Heb “priest for David.” KJV (“a chief ruler about David”) and ASV (“chief minister unto David”) regarded this office as political.
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