2 Samuel 18

1And David, having reviewed his people, appointed over them captains of thousands and of hundreds,

1And David inspecteth the people who <FI>are<Fi> with him, and setteth over them heads of thousands and heads of hundreds,

2And 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.

2and David sendeth the third of the people by the hand of Joab, and the third by the hand of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and the third by the hand of Ittai the Gittite, and the king saith unto the people, `I certainly go out--I also--with you.'

3And 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.

3And the people say, `Thou dost not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set <FI>their<Fi> heart upon us; and if half of us die, they do not set <FI>their<Fi> heart unto us--for now like us <FI>are<Fi> ten thousand; and now, better that thou be to us from the city for an helper.'

4And 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.

4And the king saith unto them, `That which is good in your eyes I do;' and the king standeth at the side of the gate, and all the people have gone out by hundreds and by thousands,

5And 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.

5and the king chargeth Joab, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, `Gently--for me, for the youth, for Absalom;' and all the people heard in the king's charging all the heads concerning Absalom.

6So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.

6And the people goeth out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle is in a forest of Ephraim;

7And the people of Israel were defeated there by David's army, and a great slaughter was made that day of twenty thousand men.

7and smitten there are the people of Israel before the servants of David, and the smiting there is great on that day--twenty thousand;

8And 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.

8and the battle is there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest multiplieth to devour among the people more than those whom the sword hath devoured in that day.

9And it happened that Absalom met the 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 the earth, the mule on which he rode passed on.

9And Absalom meeteth before the servants of David, and Absalom is riding on the mule, and the mule cometh in under an entangled bough of the great oak, and his head taketh hold on the oak, and he is placed between the heavens and the earth, and the mule that <FI>is<Fi> under him hath passed on.

10And one saw this and told Joab, saying: I saw Absalom hanging upon an oak.

10And one man seeth, and declareth to Joab, and saith, `Lo, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.'

11And 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 a belt?

11And Joab saith to the man who is declaring <FI>it<Fi> to him, `And lo, thou hast seen--and wherefore didst thou not smite him there to the earth--and on me to give to thee ten silverlings and one girdle?'

12And 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 the king charged thee, and Abisai, and Ethai, saying: Save me the boy Absalom.

12And the man saith unto Joab, `Yea, though I am weighing on my hand a thousand silverlings, I do not put forth my hand unto the son of the king; for in our ears hath the king charged thee, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Observe ye who <FI>is<Fi> against the youth--against Absalom;

13Yea 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?

13or I had done against my soul a vain thing, and no matter is hid from the king, and thou--thou dost station thyself over-against.'

14And Joab said: Not as thou wilt, but I 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,

14And Joab saith, `Not right--I tarry before thee;' and he taketh three darts in his hand, and striketh them into the heart of Absalom, while he <FI>is<Fi> alive, in the midst of the oak.

15Ten young men, armourbearers of Joab, ran up, and striking him slew him.

15And they go round--ten youths bearing weapons of Joab--and smite Absalom, and put him to death.

16And Joab sounded the trumpet, and kept back the people from pursuing after Israel in their flight, being willing to spare the multitude.

16And Joab bloweth with a trumpet, and the people turneth back from pursuing after Israel, for Joab hath kept back the people;

17And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the forest, and they laid an exceeding great heap of stones upon him: but all Israel fled to their own dwellings.

17and they take Absalom and cast him in the forest unto the great pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones, and all Israel have fled--each to his tent.

18Now 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 his own name, and it is called the hand of Absalom, to this day.

18And Absalom hath taken, and setteth up for himself in his life, the standing-pillar that <FI>is<Fi> in the king's valley, for he said, `I have no son to cause my name to be remembered;' and he calleth the standing-pillar by his own name, and it is called `The monument of Absalom' unto this day.

19And 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.

19And Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, `Let me run, I pray thee, and I bear the king tidings, for Jehovah hath delivered him out of the hand of his enemies;'

20And 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.

20and Joab saith to him, `Thou art not a man of tidings this day, but thou hast borne tidings on another day, and this day thou dost not bear tidings, because the king's son <FI>is<Fi> dead.'

21And Joab said to Chusai: Go, and tell the king what thou hast seen. Chusai bowed down to Joab, and ran.

21And Joab saith to Cushi, `Go, declare to the king that which thou hast seen;' and Cushi boweth himself to Joab, and runneth.

22Then 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.

22And Ahimaaz son of Zadok addeth again, and saith unto Joab, `And whatever it be, let me run, I pray thee, I also, after the Cushite.' And Joab saith, `Why <FI>is<Fi> this--thou art running, my son, and for thee there are no tidings found?' --

23He answered: But what if I run? And he said to him: Run. Then Achimaas running by a nearer way passed Chusai.

23`And, whatever it be, <FI>said he,<Fi> let me run.' And he saith to him, `Run;' and Ahimaaz runneth the way of the circuit, and passeth by the Cushite.

24And 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.

24And David is sitting between the two gates, and the watchman goeth unto the roof of the gate, unto the wall, and lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, a man running by himself.

25And 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,

25And the watchman calleth, and declareth to the king, and the king saith, `If by himself, tidings <FI>are<Fi> in his mouth;' and he cometh, coming on and drawing near.

26The 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.

26And the watchman seeth another man running, and the watchman calleth unto the gatekeeper, and saith, `Lo, a man running by himself;' and the king saith, `Also this one is bearing tidings.'

27And 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.

27And the watchman saith, `I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.' And the king saith, `This <FI>is<Fi> a good man, and with good tidings he cometh.'

28And 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.

28And Ahimaaz calleth and saith unto the king, `Peace;' and he boweth himself to the king, on his face, to the earth, and saith, `Blessed <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah thy God who hath shut up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king.'

29And 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.

29And the king saith, `Peace to the youth--to Absalom?' And Ahimaaz saith, `I saw the great multitude, at the sending away of the servant of the king, even thy servant <FI>by<Fi> Joab, and I have not known what <FI>it is<Fi> .'

30And the king said to him: Pass, and stand here.

30And the king saith, `Turn round, station thyself here;' and he turneth round and standeth still.

31And when he had 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.

31And lo, the Cushite hath come, and the Cushite saith, `Let tidings be proclaimed, my lord, O king; for Jehovah hath delivered thee to-day out of the hand of all those rising up against thee.'

32And 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.

32And the king saith unto the Cushite, `Peace to the youth--to Absalom?' And the Cushite saith, `Let them be--as the youth--the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against thee for evil.'

33The 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.

33And the king trembleth, and goeth up on the upper chamber of the gate, and weepeth, and thus he hath said in his going, `My son! Absalom my son; my son Absalom; oh that I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, my son.'