2 Samuel 18

Absalom Killedⓘ

David organizes the army and asks mercy for Absalom¹Then David reviewed his troops and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds. ²He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joabʼs brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”

³But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will pay no attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not care; but you are worth ten thousand of us.^a It is better for now if you support us from the city.”

⁴“I will do whatever seems best to you,” the king replied. So he stood beside the gate, while all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.

⁵Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the kingʼs orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.

Battle in the forest and Absalom's death⁶So Davidʼs army marched into the field to engage Israel in the battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷There the people of Israel were defeated by Davidʼs servants, and the slaughter was great that day—twenty thousand men. ⁸The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword.

⁹Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak,^b Absalomʼs head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended in midair. ¹⁰When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

¹¹“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver^c and a warriorʼs belt!”

¹²The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silver^d were weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.^e’ ¹³If I had jeopardized my own life^f—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”

¹⁴But Joab declared, “I am not going to wait like this with you!” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree. ¹⁵And ten young men who carried Joabʼs armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶Then Joab blew the ramʼs horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had restrained them. ¹⁷They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.

¹⁸During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the Kingʼs Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalomʼs Monument.

David Mourns for Absalomⓘ

Two runners bring the news¹⁹Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.”

²⁰But Joab replied, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but you must not do so today, because the kingʼs son is dead.”

²¹So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

²²Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however, persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”

“My son,” Joab replied, “why do you want to run, since you will not receive a reward?”

²³“No matter what, I want to run!” he replied.

“Then run!” Joab told him.

So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain^g and outran the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone. ²⁵So he called out and told the king.

“If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.”

As the first runner drew near, ²⁶the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”

“This one also brings good news,” said the king.

²⁷The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”

²⁸Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king.

He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”

²⁹The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

And Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the kingʼs servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.”

³⁰“Move aside,” said the king, “and stand here.”

So he stepped aside.

³¹Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the Lord has avenged you of all who rose up against you!”

³²The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

And the Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you be like that young man.”

David's grief for Absalom³³The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”