| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of hundreds and of thousands over them. | 1David mustered his forces and appointed officers in charge of regiments and companies. |
| 2He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, "I will also march out with you."" | 2Dividing his forces into three groups, he set Joab as commander of one third of his army, Zeruiah's son Abishai, Joab's brother, as commander of another third, and Ittai from Gath as commander of another third. The king informed the army, "I'm going out to battle with you, too." |
| 3You must not go!" the people pleaded. "If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city."" | 3"No way!" his army responded. "If we have to retreat from the battle, Absalom's men won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about us. But you are worth 10,000 of us. The best thing you can do for us is to remain in the city." |
| 4I will do whatever you think is best," the king replied to them. So he stood beside the gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. | 4So David responded, "I'll do what you think best." Then he stood alongside the city gate as the army went out in battle array by hundreds and thousands. |
| 5The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake." All the people heard the king's orders to all the commanders about Absalom. | 5As they were going out, the king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat young Absalom gently for my sake." Everyone heard what the king had ordered his commanders about Absalom. |
| 6Then David's forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. | 6David's army left for the battlefield to fight Absalom and his Israeli followers, and they also fought in the Ephraim forest, |
| 7The people of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day--20,000 casualties. | 7where David's army of servants defeated the Israelis. Many died that day—20,000 men. |
| 8The battle spread over the entire region, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword. | 8The battle spread throughout the entire countryside, and the forest claimed more casualties that day than did the sword fighting. |
| 9Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David's soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair. | 9Absalom happened to run into David's soldiers. While Absalom was trying to get away on his mule, it ran under the thick branches of a giant oak tree, and Absalom's head got caught in the tree! As his mule ran out from under him, Absalom was left hanging above the ground. |
| 10One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!"" | 10When one of the soldiers saw what had happened, he told Joab, "I saw Absalom stuck in an oak tree!" |
| 11You just saw him!" Joab exclaimed. "Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you 10 silver pieces and a belt!" | 11Joab asked the man who was reporting to him, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would've given you ten pieces of silver and a warrior's sash!" |
| 12The man replied to Joab, "Even if I had the weight of 1,000 pieces of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for me.' | 12But the soldier replied to Joab, "I wouldn't have touched the king's son even if you dropped 1,000 pieces of silver right into my hands, because we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, 'Watch how you treat the young man Absalom!' |
| 13If I had jeopardized my own life--and nothing is hidden from the king--you would have abandoned me." | 13If I had taken his life, the king would have uncovered everything about it, and you would never have protected me!" |
| 14Joab said, "I'm not going to waste time with you!" He then took three spears in his hand and thrust them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive in the oak tree, | 14"There's no reason to wait for you!" Joab retorted. Then he took three spears in his hand and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive, dangling from the branches of the oak tree. |
| 15and 10 young men who were Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him. | 15Ten young men who served as Joab's personal assistants then surrounded Absalom, striking him repeatedly and killing him. |
| 16Afterward, Joab blew the ram's horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. | 16At this, Joab sounded his battle trumpet and his troops stopped pursuing the other Israelis. |
| 17They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each to his tent. | 17Meanwhile, Joab's army grabbed Absalom's body, tossed it into a large pit in the forest, and filled it up with a huge pile of rocks. Then the Israelis ran away back to their homes. |
| 18When he was alive, Absalom had set up a pillar for himself in the King's Valley, for he had said, "I have no son to preserve the memory of my name." So he gave the pillar his name. It is still called Absalom's Monument today. | 18While Absalom had been living, he had erected a pillar as a monument to himself in King's Valley because he had been telling himself, "I don't have a son to carry on my family name." So he named the pillar after himself—it's called Absalom's Monument even today. |
| 19Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has delivered him from his enemies." | 19Zadok's son Ahimaaz told Joab, "Let me run over to King David and take him the news. I'll mention that the LORD has delivered him from his enemies." |
| 20Joab replied to him, "You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren't taking good news, because the king's son is dead." | 20But Joab answered Ahimaaz, "You're not the man to deliver news today. Do it any other time, but not today, because the king's son is dead." |
| 21Joab then said to the Cushite, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running. | 21So Joab ordered a man from Ethiopia, "Go tell the king what you've seen." So the Ethiopian saluted Joab and then ran to tell David. |
| 22However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, "No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!" Joab replied, "My son, why do you want to run since you won't get a reward?"" | 22"Please," Zadok's son Ahimaaz continued, "No matter what happens, let me follow the Ethiopian!" Joab asked him, "Why this request to run, my son? There's no reward in it for you." |
| 23No matter what, I want to run!"" Then run!" Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite. | 23"No matter what, I'm running," Ahimaaz replied. So Joab told Ahimaaz, "Run!" And Ahimaaz ran, taking the Jordan Valley road, passing the Ethiopian. |
| 24David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gate and over to the wall. The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. | 24Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman was up on the roof of the gateway near the walls, looking around, and there was a man running by himself! |
| 25He called out and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, he bears good news." As the first runner came closer, | 25So the watchman called out his news to the king. The king responded, "If he's alone, he's bringing some news to report." As the man continued to draw near and approach the palace, |
| 26the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, "Look! Another man is running alone!"" This one is also bringing good news," said the king. | 26the watchman observed another man running. So he called out to the gatekeeper, "There's another man running by himself!" The king replied, "He's also bringing some news to report!" |
| 27The watchman said, "The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs."" This is a good man; he comes with good news," the king commented. | 27Then the watchman observed, "It looks to me that the runner out in front is running like Zadok's son Ahimaaz!" The king replied, "This is a good man bearing good news!" |
| 28Ahimaaz called out to the king, "All is well," and then bowed down to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, "May the LORD your God be praised! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king." | 28"Everything's fine!" Ahimaaz announced to the king. He bowed low with his face to the ground before the king and said, "Praise be to the LORD your God! He has handed over the men who rebelled against your majesty the king." |
| 29The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz replied, "When Joab sent the king's servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don't know what it was." | 29"Are things fine with respect to the young man Absalom?" the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, "I saw a lot of confusion about the time Joab was getting ready to send the king's courier and me, your servant, but I'm not sure what was going on." |
| 30The king said, "Move aside and stand here." So he stood to one side. | 30The king replied, "Stand here at attention and wait." So he stepped to the side and stood there waiting. |
| 31Just then the Cushite came and said, "May my lord the king hear the good news: today the LORD has delivered you from all those rising up against you!" | 31Just then the Ethiopian arrived. He reported, "Good news, your majesty the king! The LORD has delivered you from the control of everyone who rebelled against you!" |
| 32The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom all right?" The Cushite replied, "May what has become of the young man happen to the enemies of my lord the king and to all who rise up against you with evil intent." | 32The king asked the Ethiopian, "Is the young man safe?" The Ethiopian answered, "May the enemies of your majesty the king—including everyone who rebels and tries to harm you—become like that young man…." |
| 33The king was deeply moved and went up to the gate chamber and wept. As he walked, he cried, "My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!" | 33 Deeply shaken, the king went up to the chamber overlooking the city gate, weeping bitterly and crying out as he went along, "My son Absalom! My son! My son Absalom! I wish I had died instead of you, Absalom my son, my son!" |
|
