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¹ And David mustered the people who were with him, and he set over them commanders of hundreds.² And David sent one third of the people by the hand of Joab, and one third by the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third by Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people. Going out I will go with you, I also.³ And the people said, You shall not go out, for if we flee they will not set their heart on us even if half of us die; for now you are like ten thousand to us. And now it is good that you be a helper for us from the city.⁴ And the king said to them, I will do that which is good in your eyes. And the king stood at the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.⁵ And the king commanded Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, For my sake deal gently with the young man, with Absalom. And all the people heard as the king commanded the commanders concerning Absalom.⁶ And the people went into the field to meet Israel. And the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.⁷ And the people of Israel were stricken before David's servants. And there was a great destruction on that day of twenty thousand.⁸ And the battle was scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured among the people more than the sword had devoured in that day.

⁹ And Absalom came before David's servants. And Absalom was riding on a mule, and the mule came in under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught hold in the oak, and he was lifted up between the heavens and the earth. And the muleunder him passed on.¹⁰ And a man saw and told Joab, and said, Behold! I saw Absalom hanging in the oak;¹¹ and Joab said to the man who told him, And behold, you have seen. And why did you not strike him to the earth there and call on me to give you ten silverlings and a girdle?¹² And the man said to Joab, Yes, though I weighed a thousand silverlings in my hand, I would not put forth my hand to the king's son. For in our ears the king commanded you, and Abishai, and Ittai saying, Take heed, whoever goes against theyoung man, against Absalom.¹³ Or I would have dealt falsely against my soul. For no matter is hidden from the king, and you, you yourself would have set against me.¹⁴ And Joab said, I will not wait this wait before you. And he took three darts in his hand and struck them into Absalom's heart while he was alive, in the midst of the oak.¹⁵ And they went around, ten young men bearing Joab's weapons, and struck Absalom, and killed him.¹⁶ And Joab blew the ram's horn, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab had held the people back.¹⁷ And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and set up a very great heap of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each one to his tent.¹⁸ And during his lifetime Absalom had taken and set up for himself a standing-pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to cause my name to be remembered. And he called the standing pillar by his name and it is calledAbsalom's Monument to this day.

¹⁹ And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Please let me run, and I will bear news to the king. For Jehovah has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.²⁰ And Joab said to him, You are not a man of tidings today. But you shall bear tidings another day. And today you shall not bear tidings, because the king's son is dead.²¹ And Joab said to Cushi, Go, tell the king that which you have seen. And Cushi bowed to Joab, and ran.²² And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, Yet whatever may be, please let me run after the Cushite, I also. And Joab said, Why is this that you are running, my son? Also for you there are no tidings found.²³ And he said, Yet whatever it may be, let me run. And he said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran the way of the circuit and passed by the Cushite.²⁴ And David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went to the roof of the gate and lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a man running by himself!²⁵ And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, If he is by himself, tidings are in his mouth. And he came, coming on, and drawing near.²⁶ And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, Behold, a man running by himself! And the king said, Also this one is bearing tidings.²⁷ And the watchman said, I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, This is a good man and he comes with good news.²⁸ And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, Peace! And he bowed on his face to the earth to the king and said, Blessed be Jehovah your God who has shut up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.²⁹ And the king said, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And Ahimaaz said, I saw the great tumult, at the sending away of the servant of the king, even your servant sent by Joab, but I do not know what.³⁰ And the king said, Turn aside, stand here. And he turned aside and stood.³¹ And, behold, the Cushite had come. And the Cushite said, News is borne, my lord, O king! For Jehovah has vindicated you today out of the hand of those rising up against you.³² And the king said to the Cushite, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And the Cushite said, Let them be as the young man, the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against you for evil.³³ And the king trembled. And he went up to the upper room of the gate and wept. And he said this as he went, My son! My son Absalom! My son Absalom! Oh that I had died instead of you, my son Absalom, my son!