2 Samuel 18

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 David reviewed the troops who were with him and appointed commanders of thousands andcommanders of hundreds to lead them.	1 And David having reviewed his people, appointed over them captains of thousands and of hundreds,
2 David divided the army into three groups, one under the command of Joab, another under thecommand of Abishai son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and the third under the command of Ittai the Gittite.David then said to the troops, 'I shal take the field in person with you.'	2 And sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abisai the son of Sarvia Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ethai, who was of Geth: and the king said to the people: I also will go forth with you.
3 But the troops replied, 'You are not to take the field. No one wil bother about us if we run away, theywil not even bother about us if half of us are kil ed, but you are ten thousand times more valuable. So it is betterif you stay inside the town, in case we need reinforcements.'	3 And the people answered: Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not much mind us: or if half of us should fall, they will not greatly care: for thou alone art accounted for ten thousand: it is better therefore that thou shouldst be in the city to succour us.
4 David said, 'I will do what you think best.' And the king stood beside the gate as the troops marchedout by their hundreds and their thousands.	4 And the king said to them: What seemeth good to you, that will I do. And the king stood by the gate: and all the people went forth by their troops, by hundreds and by thousands.
5 The king gave orders to Joab, Abishai and Ittai, 'For my sake, treat young Absalom gently!' And thetroops all heard the king give al the commanders these orders about Absalom.	5 And the king commanded Joab, and Abisai, and Ethai, saying: Save me the boy Absalom. And all the people heard the king giving charge to all the princes concerning Absalom.
6 So the troops marched out into the open to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the Forest ofEphraim.	6 So the people went out into the field against Israel and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 There, the army of Israel was beaten by David's retainers; it was a great defeat that day, with twentythousand casualties.	7 And the people of Israel were defeated there by David's army, and a great slaughter was made that day of twenty thousand men.
8 The fighting spread throughout the region and that day the forest claimed more victims than the sword.	8 And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the country, and there were many more of the people whom the forest consumed, than whom the sword devoured that day.
9 Absalom happened to run into some of David's guards. Absalom was riding his mule and the mulepassed under the thick branches of a great oak. Absalom's head got caught in the oak and he was left hangingbetween heaven and earth, while the mule he was riding went on.	9 And it happened that Absalom met he servants of David, riding on a mule: and as the mule went under a thick and large oak, his head stuck in the oak: and while he hung between the heaven and he earth, the mule on which he rode passed on.
10 Someone saw this and reported to Joab, 'I have just seen Absalom hanging from an oak.'	10 And one saw this and told Joab, saying: I saw Absalom hanging upon an oak.
11 Joab said to the man who had informed him, 'If you saw him, why did you not strike him to theground then and there? I would have made it my business to give you ten silver shekels and a belt!'	11 And Joab said to the man that told him: If thou sawest him, why didst thou not stab him to the ground, and I would have given thee ten sicles of silver, and belt?
12 The man replied to Joab, 'Even if I could feel the weight of a thousand silver shekels in my hand, Iwould not lift my hand against the king's son. In our own hearing, the king gave you and Abishai and Ittai theseorders, "For my sake, spare young Absalom."	12 And he said to Joab: If thou wouldst have paid down in my hands a thousand pieces of silver, I would not lay my hands upon the king's son: for in our hearing he king charged thee, and Abisai, and Ethai, saying: Save me the boy Absalom.
13 Even if I had deceived myself, nothing stays hidden from the king and you would have dissociatedyourself from me.'	13 Yea and if I should have acted boldly against my own life, this could not have been hid from the king, and wouldst thou have stood by me?
14 Joab then said, 'I cannot waste time arguing with you!' And, taking three darts in his hand, he plantedthem in Absalom's heart, while he was stil alive, deep in the oak-tree.	14 And Joab said: Not as thou wilt, but will set upon him in thy sight. So he took three lances in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom: and whilst he yet panted for life, sticking on the oak,
15 Ten soldiers, Joab's armour-bearers, then came in close, struck Absalom and kil ed him.	15 Ten young men, armourbearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him slew him.
16 Joab then had the trumpet sounded, and the troops left off pursuing Israel, since Joab held thetroops back.	16 And Joab sounded the trumpet, and kept back the people from pursuing after Israel in their flight, being willing to spare he multitude.
17 They took Absalom, flung him into a deep pit in the forest and raised a huge cairn over him. Al theIsraelites had fled, dispersing to their homes.	17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and they laid an exceeding great heap of stories upon him: but all Israel fled to their own dwellings.
18 Now, during his lifetime, Absalom had made and erected a pillar to himself, which is in the Val ey ofthe King. 'I have no son', he said, 'to preserve the memory of my name.' He gave his own name to the pil ar, andtoday it is still cal ed Absalom's Monument.	18 Now Absalom had reared up for himself, in his lifetime, a pillar, which is in the king's valley: for he said: I have no son, and this shall be the monument of my name. And he called the pillar by is own name, and it is called the hand of Absalom, to this day.
19 Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, 'Let me run and tel the king the good news that Yahweh has vindicatedhis cause by ridding him of his enemies.'	19 And Achimaas the son of Sadoc said: I will run and tell the king, that the Lord hath done judgment for him from the hand of his enemies.
20 But Joab said, 'Today you would be no bearer of good news, some other day you may be; but todayyou would not be bringing good news, since the king's son is dead.'	20 And Joab said to him: Thou shalt not be the messenger this day, but shalt bear tidings another day: this day I will not have thee bear tidings, because the king's son is dead.
21 Joab then said to the Cushite, 'Go and tel the king what you have seen.' The Cushite prostratedhimself to Joab and ran off.	21 And Joab said to Chusai: Go, and tell the king what thou hast seen. Chusai bowed down to Joab, and ran.
22 But Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted. 'Come what may,' he said to Joab, 'please let me run after theCushite.' 'My son,' Joab said, 'why run? You wil get no reward for your news.'	22 Then Achimaas the son of Sadoc said to Joab again: Why might not I also run after Chusai? And Joab said to him: Why wilt thou run, my son? thou wilt not be the bearer of good tidings.
23 But he replied, 'Come what may, let me run!' and Joab said 'Run, then!' So Ahimaaz ran off along theroad through the Plain, outrunning the Cushite.	23 He answered: But what if I run? And he said to him: Run. Then Achimaas running by a nearer way passed Chusai.
24 David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry, having gone up to the roof of the gate, lookedout from the ramparts and saw a man running alone.	24 And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman that was on the top of the gate upon the wall, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running alone.
25 The sentry cal ed down to the king and told him. The king said, 'If he is alone, he is bringing goodnews.'	25 And crying out he told the king: and the king said: If he be alone, there are good tidings in his mouth. And as he was coming apace, and drawing nearer,
26 As the man drew steadily nearer, the lookout man saw another man running, and the sentry abovethe gate shouted, 'Here comes another man, running alone!' David said, 'He too is a bearer of good news.'	26 The watchman saw another man running, and crying aloud from above, he said: I see another man running alone. And the king said: He also is a good messenger.
27 The sentry said, 'I recognise the way the first man runs; Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs like that.' 'He is agood man', said the king, 'and comes with good news.'	27 And the watchman said: The running of the foremost seemeth to me like the running of Achimaas the son of Sadoc. And the king said: He is a good man: and cometh with good news.
28 Ahimaaz went up to the king. 'All hail!' he said, prostrating himself on the ground before the king.'Blessed be Yahweh your God', he said, 'who has handed over the men who rebel ed against my lord the king!'	28 And Achimaas crying out, said to the king: God save thee, O king. And falling down before the king with his face to the ground, he said: Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath shut up the men that have lifted up their hands against the lord my king.
29 'Is al wel with young Absalom?' the king asked. Ahimaaz replied, 'I saw a great commotion whenJoab, the king's servant, sent your servant off, but I do not know what it was.'	29 And the king said: Is the young man Absalom safe? And Achimaas said: I saw a great tumult, O king, when thy servant Joab sent me thy servant: I know nothing else.
30 The king said, 'Go and stand over there.' He stood to one side and waited.	30 And the king said to him: Pass, and stand here.
31 Then the Cushite arrived. 'Good news for my lord the king!' the Cushite shouted. 'Today Yahweh hasvindicated your cause, by ridding you of al who had risen up against you.'	31 And when he bad passed, and stood still, Chusai appeared: and coming up he said: I bring good tidings, my lord, the king, for the Lord hath judged for thee this day from the hand of all that have risen up against thee.
32 'Is al wel with young Absalom?' the king asked the Cushite. 'May the enemies of my lord the king',the Cushite answered, 'and al who rise up to harm you, share the fate of that young man!'	32 And the king said to Chusai: Is the young man Absalom safe? And Chusai answering him, said: Let the enemies of my lord, the king, and all that rise against him unto evil, be as the young man is.
	33 The king therefore being much moved, went up to the high chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went he spoke in this manner: My son Absalom, Absalom my son: would to God that I might die for thee, Absalom my son, my son Absalom.