The King James Version of the Bible
Part 110
2260 words | Chapter 110
lace where he shall be found,
and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of
him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so
much as one.
17:13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel
bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until
there be not one small stone found there.
17:14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of
Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the
LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the
intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
17:15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus
and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and
thus and thus have I counselled.
17:16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not
this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over;
lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.
17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not
be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and
they went and told king David.
17:18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went
both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which
had a well in his court; whither they went down.
17:19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth,
and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
17:20 And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they
said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them,
They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and
could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
17:21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up
out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David,
Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel
counselled against you.
17:22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and
they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of
them that was not gone over Jordan.
17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he
saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his
city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died,
and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
17:24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he
and all the men of Israel with him.
17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab:
which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that
went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s
mother.
17:26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
17:27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi
the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the
son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
17:28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and
barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and
parched pulse, 17:29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of
kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for
they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the
wilderness.
18:1 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set
captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds over them.
18:2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of
Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite.
And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you
myself also.
18:3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee
away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they
care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now
it is better that thou succour us out of the city.
18:4 And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And
the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by
hundreds and by thousands.
18:5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal
gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the
people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom.
18:6 So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the
battle was in the wood of Ephraim; 18:7 Where the people of Israel
were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great
slaughter that day of twenty thousand men.
18:8 For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the
country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword
devoured.
18:9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a
mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his
head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven
and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
18:10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw
Absalom hanged in an oak.
18:11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou
sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and
I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
18:12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand
shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand
against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and
Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man
Absalom.
18:13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life:
for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest
have set thyself against me.
18:14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took
three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom,
while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
18:15 And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and
smote Absalom, and slew him.
18:16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing
after Israel: for Joab held back the people.
18:17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the
wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel
fled every one to his tent.
18:18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself
a pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to
keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own
name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.
18:19 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the
king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies.
18:20 And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day,
but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear
no tidings, because the king’s son is dead.
18:21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen.
And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.
18:22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But
howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said,
Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings
ready? 18:23 But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto
him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi.
18:24 And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to
the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and
looked, and behold a man running alone.
18:25 And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If
he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and
drew near.
18:26 And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman
called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone.
And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.
18:27 And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost
is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He
is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.
18:28 And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he
fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said,
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that
lifted up their hand against my lord the king.
18:29 And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz
answered, When Joab sent the king’s servant, and me thy servant, I saw
a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.
18:30 And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he
turned aside, and stood still.
18:31 And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the
king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up
against thee.
18:32 And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And
Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise
against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
18:33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the
gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my
son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son,
my son! 19:1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and
mourneth for Absalom.
19:2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the
people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for
his son.
19:3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as
people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
19:4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud
voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 19:5 And Joab
came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day
the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and
the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy
wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 19:6 In that thou lovest thine
enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that
thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive,
that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had
pleased thee well.
19:7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy
servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will
not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee
than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.
19:8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all
the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the
people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his
tent.
19:9 And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of
Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and
he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled
out of the land for Absalom.
19:10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now
therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? 19:11
And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying,
Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring
the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to
the king, even to his house.
19:12 Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then
are ye the last to bring back the king? 19:13 And say ye to Amasa,
Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more
also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the
room of Joab.
19:14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the
heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return
thou, and all thy servants.
19:15 So the king returned, and came to Jorda
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