2 Samuel 18

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 David reviewed the troops who were with him and appointed commanders of thousands andcommanders of hundreds to lead them.	1 After mustering the troops he had with him, David placed officers in command of groups of a thousand and groups of a hundred.
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 David then put a third part of the soldiers under Joab's command, a third under command of Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and a third under command of Ittai the Gittite. The king then said to the soldiers, "I intend to go out with you myself."
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 But they replied: "You must not come out with us. For if we should flee, we shall not count; even if half of us should die, we shall not count. You are equal to ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that we have you to help us from the city."
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 So the king said to them, "I will do what you think best"; and he stood by the gate as all the soldiers marched out in units of a hundred and of a thousand.
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 But the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai and Ittai: "Be gentle with young Absalom for my sake." All the soldiers heard the king instruct the various leaders with regard to Absalom.
6 So the troops marched out into the open to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the Forest ofEphraim.	6 David's army then took the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim.
7 There, the army of Israel was beaten by David's retainers; it was a great defeat that day, with twentythousand casualties.	7 The forces of Israel were defeated by David's servants, and the casualties there that day were heavy--twenty thousand men.
8 The fighting spread throughout the region and that day the forest claimed more victims than the sword.	8 The battle spread out over that entire region, and the thickets consumed more combatants that day than did the sword.
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 Absalom unexpectedly came up against David's servants. He was mounted on a mule, and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth, his hair caught fast in the tree. He hung between heaven and earth while the mule he had been riding ran off.
10 Someone saw this and reported to Joab, 'I have just seen Absalom hanging from an oak.'	10 Someone saw this and reported to Joab that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
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 Joab said to his informant: "If you saw him, why did you not strike him to the ground on the spot? Then it would have been my duty to give you fifty pieces of silver and a 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 But the man replied to Joab: "Even if I already held a thousand pieces of silver in my two hands, I would not harm the king's son, for the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai in our hearing to protect the youth Absalom for his sake.
13 Even if I had deceived myself, nothing stays hidden from the king and you would have dissociatedyourself from me.'	13 Had I been disloyal and killed him, the whole matter would have come to the attention of the king, and you would stand aloof."
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 Joab replied, "I will not waste time with you in this way." And taking three pikes in hand, he thrust for the heart of Absalom, still hanging from the tree alive.
15 Ten soldiers, Joab's armour-bearers, then came in close, struck Absalom and kil ed him.	15 Next, ten of Joab's young armor-bearers closed in on Absalom, and killed him with further blows.
16 Joab then had the trumpet sounded, and the troops left off pursuing Israel, since Joab held thetroops back.	16 Joab then sounded the horn, and the soldiers turned back from the pursuit of the Israelites, because Joab called on them to halt.
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 Absalom was taken up and cast into a deep pit in the forest, and a very large mound of stones was erected over him. And all the Israelites fled to their own tents.
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 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it for himself in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to perpetuate my name." The pillar which he named for himself is called Yadabshalom to the present 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 Then Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, "Let me run to take the good news to the king that the LORD has set him free from the grasp 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 But Joab said to him: "You are not the man to bring the news today. On some other day you may take the good news, but today you would not be bringing good news, for in fact 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 Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed to Joab and sped away.
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 But Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said to Joab again, "Come what may, permit me also to run after the Cushite." Joab replied: "Why do you want to run, my son? You will receive no reward."
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 But he insisted, "Come what may, I want to run." Joab said to him, "Very well." Ahimaaz sped off by way of the Jordan plain and outran the Cushite.
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 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and a lookout mounted to the roof of the gate above the city wall, where he looked about and saw a man running all 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 The lookout shouted to inform the king, who said, "If he is alone, he has good news to report." As he kept coming 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 lookout spied another runner. From his place atop the gate he cried out, "There is another man running by himself." And the king responded, "He, too, is bringing good news."
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 Then the lookout said, "I notice that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok." The king replied, "He is a good man; he comes 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 Then Ahimaaz called out and greeted the king. With face to the ground he paid homage to the king and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the 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 But the king asked, "Is the youth Absalom safe?" And Ahimaaz replied, "I saw a great disturbance when the king's servant Joab sent your servant on, but I do not know what it was."
30 The king said, 'Go and stand over there.' He stood to one side and waited.	30 The king said, "Step aside and remain in attendance here." So he stepped aside and remained there.
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 When the Cushite came in, he said, "Let my lord the king receive the good news that this day the LORD has taken your part, freeing you from the grasp of all who rebelled against you."
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 But the king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom safe?" The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you with evil intent be as that young man!"