2 Samuel 18

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 David reviewed the troops who were with him and appointed commanders of thousands andcommanders of hundreds to lead them.	1 And so David, having reviewed his people, appointed over them tribunes and centurions.
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 he placed a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Ittai, who was from Gath. And the king said to the people, “I, too, 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 responded: “You shall not go out. For if we flee, there will not be great concern in them for us. Or if one half part of us will fall, they will not care much. For you are considered as one for ten thousand. Therefore, it is better that you should be in the city to strengthen 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, “I will do whatever seems good to you.” Therefore, the king stood beside the gate. And the people went out 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 ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Preserve for me the boy Absalom.” And all the people heard the king commanding all the leaders on behalf of Absalom.
6 So the troops marched out into the open to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the Forest ofEphraim.	6 And so, the people departed into the field against Israel. And the battle took place 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 cut down in that place by the army of David. And a great slaughter occurred on that day: twenty thousand men.
8 The fighting spread throughout the region and that day the forest claimed more victims than the sword.	8 Now the battle in that place was dispersed over the face of all the land. And there were many more of the people whom the forest had consumed, than the sword had devoured, on 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 Then it happened that Absalom, riding on a mule, met the servants of David. And when the mule had entered under a thick and large oak tree, his head became trapped in the oak. And while he was suspended between heaven and earth, the mule on which he had been sitting continued on.
10 Someone saw this and reported to Joab, 'I have just seen Absalom hanging from an oak.'	10 Then a certain one saw this and reported it to Joab, saying, “I saw Absalom hanging from 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 who had reported it to him, “If you saw him, why did you not stab him to the ground, and I would have given you ten shekels 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 And he said to Joab: “Even if you weighed out to my hands one thousand silver coins, I would never lay my hands on the son of the king. For in our hearing the king ordered you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Keep for 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 Then too, if I had acted with such audacity, against my own life, this would never have been able to be hidden from the king. And would you then have stood by my side?”
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, “It will not be as you wish. Instead, I will be assailing him in your sight.” Then he took three lances in his hand, and he fixed them in the heart of Absalom. And while he was still clinging to life upon the oak,
15 Ten soldiers, Joab's armour-bearers, then came in close, struck Absalom and kil ed him.	15 ten young men, armor bearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him, they killed him.
16 Joab then had the trumpet sounded, and the troops left off pursuing Israel, since Joab held thetroops back.	16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and he held back the people, lest they pursue Israel in their flight, for he was willing to spare the 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 they threw him into a great pit in the forest. And they piled an exceedingly great heap of stones over him. But all of Israel 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 Now Absalom had raised up for himself, when he was still alive, a monument, which is in the Valley of the King. For he said, “I have no son, and so this shall be the memorial to my name.” And he called the monument by his own name. And it is called the Hand of Absalom, even 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 Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, “I will run and report to the king that the Lord has accomplished 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: “You shall not be the messenger on this day. Instead, you shall report on another day. I am not willing for you to give the report today, because the son of the king 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 Hushai, “Go, and report to the king what you have seen.” Hushai reverenced Joab, and he 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 And Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab again, “What prevents me from running after Hushai also?” And Joab said to him: “Why do you want to run, my son? You would not be the bearer of good news.”
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 And he responded, “But what if I do run?” And he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz, running along a shorter way, passed Hushai.
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. Truly, the watchman, who was at the summit 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 is alone, there is good news in his mouth.” But as he was advancing 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 so, crying out from the height, he said: “Another man has appeared, running alone.” And the king said, “This one 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 Then the watchman said, “The running of the closest one seems like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and he arrives bearing 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, crying out, said to the king, “Be well, O king.” And reverencing the king prone on the ground before him, he said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has enclosed the men who had lifted up their hands 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 And the king said, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said: “I saw a great tumult, O king, when your servant Joab sent me, your 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.” And when he had passed and stood still,
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 Hushai appeared. And approaching, he said: “I bear good news, my lord the king. For today the Lord has judged for you, from the hand of all who had risen up 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 said to Hushai, “Is there peace for the boy Absalom?” And responding, Hushai said to him, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against him for evil, be as the boy is.”
	33 And so the king, being greatly saddened, ascended to the upper room of the gate, and he wept. And as he went, he was speaking in this manner: “My son Absalom! Absalom my son! Who can grant to me that I may die on your behalf? Absalom, my son! My son, Absalom!”