| Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of thousands and of hundreds over them. | 1David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. |
| 2He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai of Gath. The king said to the troops, "I must also march out with you." | 2David 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"You must not go!" the people pleaded. "If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city." | 3But the soldiers replied, "You should not do this! For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won't be too concerned about us. Even if half of us should die, they won't be too concerned about us. But you are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support." |
| 4"I will do whatever you think is best," the king replied to them. So he stood beside the city gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. | 4Then 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. |
| 5The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake." All the people heard the king's orders to all the commanders about Absalom. | 5The 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. |
| 6Then David's forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. | 6Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. |
| 7Israel's army was defeated by David's soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day--twenty thousand dead. | 7The army of Israel was defeated there by David's men. The slaughter there was great that day--20,000 soldiers were killed. |
| 8The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword. | 8The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day. |
| 9Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David's soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair. | 9Then Absalom happened to come across David's men. Now as Absalom was riding on his mule, it went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, while the mule he had been riding kept going. |
| 10One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!" | 10When one of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, "I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree. |
| 11"You just saw him!" Joab exclaimed. "Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces and a belt!" | 11Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, "What! You saw this? Why didn't you strike him down right on the spot? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a commemorative belt!" |
| 12The man replied to Joab, "Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for me.' | 12The man replied to Joab, "Even if I were receiving a thousand pieces of silver, I would not strike the king's son! In our very presence the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' |
| 13If I had jeopardized my own life--and nothing is hidden from the king--you would have abandoned me." | 13If I had acted at risk of my own life--and nothing is hidden from the king!--you would have abandoned me." |
| 14Joab said, "I'm not going to waste time with you!" He then took three spears in his hand and thrust them into Absalom's chest. While Absalom was still alive in the oak tree, | 14Joab 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. |
| 15ten young men who were Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him. | 15Then ten soldiers who were Joab's armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off. |
| 16Joab blew the ram's horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. | 16Then Joab blew the trumpet and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. |
| 17They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each to his tent. | 17They 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. |
| 18When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up for himself in the King's Valley, since he thought, "I have no son to preserve the memory of my name." So he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom's Monument today. | 18Prior to this Absalom had set up a monument 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. |
| 19Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has vindicated him by freeing him from his enemies." | 19Then 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." |
| 20Joab replied to him, "You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren't taking good news, because the king's son is dead." | 20But 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, for the king's son is dead." |
| 21Joab then said to a Cushite, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running. | 21Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go and tell the king what you have seen." After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. |
| 22However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, "No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!" Joab replied, "My son, why do you want to run since you won't get a reward?" | 22Ahimaaz 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"No matter what, I want to run!" "Then run!" Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite. | 23But he said, "Whatever happens, I want to go!" So Joab said to him, "Then go!" So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite. |
| 24David was sitting between the city gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall. The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. | 24Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. |
| 25He called out and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, he bears good news." As the first runner came closer, | 25So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, "If he is by himself, he brings good news." The runner came ever closer. |
| 26the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, "Look! Another man is running alone!" "This one is also bringing good news," said the king. | 26Then 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." |
| 27The watchman said, "The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs." "This is a good man; he comes with good news," the king commented. | 27The watchman said, "It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz son of Zadok." The king said, "He is a good man, and he comes with good news." |
| 28Ahimaaz called out to the king, "All is well," and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, "Blessed be the LORD your God! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king." | 28Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Greetings!" 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 the men who opposed my lord the king!" |
| 29The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz replied, "When Joab sent the king's servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don't know what it was." | 29The 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." |
| 30The king said, "Move aside and stand here." So he stood to one side. | 30The king said, "Turn aside and take your place here." So he turned aside and waited. |
| 31Just then the Cushite came and said, "May my lord the king hear the good news: The LORD has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!" | 31Then the Cushite arrived and said, "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!" |
| 32The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom all right?" The Cushite replied, "I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man." | 32The 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 be like that young man!" |
| 33The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, "My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!" | 33The 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, Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!" |
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