1 ARST Someone told Joab that the king was crying and mourning because Absalom had died. BSB BSB: Then it was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”
2 ARST All of David’s soldiers heard that the king was mourning because Absalom was dead. So they became sad that they had defeated Absalom’s men. BSB BSB: And that day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the people, because on that day they were told, “The king is grieving over his son.”
3 ARST The soldiers returned to the city quietly and ashamed, as if they had lost the battle instead of winning it. BSB BSB: So they returned to the city quietly that day, as people steal away in humiliation after fleeing a battle.
4 ARST The king covered his face with his hands and kept crying loudly, “O, my son Absalom! O, Absalom, my son! My son!” BSB BSB: But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 ARST Joab entered the room where the king was, and said to the king, “Today you have caused your soldiers to be ashamed! You have humiliated the men who saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and your ordinary wives and your slave wives! BSB BSB: Then Joab went into the house and said to the king, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, of your wives, and of your concubines.
6 ARST It seems that you love those who hate you and that you hate those who love you. Everyone realizes now that your commanders and your officers are not at all important to you. If Absalom were still alive and we were all dead today, you would actually be happy. BSB BSB: You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased you!
7 ARST So now go and thank your soldiers for what they did. Because I solemnly declare that if you do not do that, none of them will still be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that you have experienced since you were a boy.” BSB BSB: Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!”
8 ARST So the king got up and went and sat at the city gate. And all the people were told, “The king is sitting at the gate!” So they all came and gathered around him. Meanwhile, all of Absalom’s men had gone home. BSB BSB: So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So they all came before the king. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled, each man to his home.
9 ARST Then all the people throughout the tribes of Israel started to quarrel among themselves. They said to each other, “The king rescued us from the people of Philistia and from our other enemies. But now he has fled from Absalom and left Israel! BSB BSB: And all the people throughout the tribes of Israel were arguing, “The king rescued us from the hand of our enemies and delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled the land because of Absalom.
10 ARST We appointed Absalom to be our king, but he died in the battle against David’s soldiers. So why does someone not try to bring King David back?” BSB BSB: But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”
11 ARST King David found out what the people were saying. So he sent the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to say to the leaders of Judah, “The king says that he has heard that all the Israelite people want him to be king again. And he says, ‘Why should you be the last ones to bring me back to my palace? BSB BSB: Then King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to restore the king to his palace, since the talk of all Israel has reached the king at his quarters?
12 ARST You are my relatives. We have the same ancestor. So why should you be the last ones to bring me back?’” BSB BSB: You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to restore the king?’
13 ARST And say to Amasa, “You are one of my relatives. I hope that God will kill me if I do not appoint you to be, from now on, the commander of my army instead of Joab.” BSB BSB: And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
14 ARST By sending that message to them, David convinced all the people of Judah that they should be loyal to him. So they sent a message to the king, saying, “We want you and all your officials to return here.” BSB BSB: So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man, and they sent word to the king: “Return, you and all your servants.”
15 ARST So the king and his officials started back toward Jerusalem. When they reached the Jordan River, the people of Judah came there to Gilgal to meet the king, and to escort him across the river. BSB BSB: So the king returned, and when he arrived at the Jordan, the men of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the Jordan.
16 ARST Shimei, the man from the tribe of Benjamin, also came down quickly to the river with the people of Judah to meet King David. BSB BSB: Then Shimei son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David,
17 ARST There were a thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin who came with him. Ziba, who had been the servant of Saul, also hurried down to the Jordan River, bringing twenty of his servants with him. They all came to the king. BSB BSB: along with a thousand men of Benjamin, as well as Ziba the steward of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan before the king
18 ARST They all prepared to take the king and all his family across the river, at the place where they could walk across it. They wanted to do whatever the king wanted. As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei came to him and prostrated himself in front of the king. BSB BSB: and crossed at the ford to carry over the king’s household and to do what was good in his sight. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king
19 ARST He said to the king, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Please do not keep thinking about the terrible thing that I did on the day that you left Jerusalem. Do not think about it anymore. BSB BSB: and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.
20 ARST I know that I have sinned. Look, I have come today, the first one from the northern tribes to come here to greet you today, Your Majesty.” BSB BSB: For your servant knows that I have sinned, so here I am today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
21 ARST But Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to David, “He cursed the one whom Yahweh appointed to be the king! So should he not be executed for doing that?” BSB BSB: But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”
22 ARST But David said, “You sons of Zeruiah, what am I going to do with you? It is as though you had become my enemies today. I know that I am still king of Israel, so I say that certainly no one in Israel should be executed today.” BSB BSB: And David replied, “Sons of Zeruiah, what have I to do with you, that you should be my adversaries today? Should any man be put to death in Israel today? Am I not indeed aware that today I am king over Israel?”
23 ARST Then the king said to Shimei, “I solemnly promise that I will not execute you.” BSB BSB: So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore an oath to him.
24 ARST Then Miphibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down to the river to greet the king. He had not washed his feet or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the time that the king left Jerusalem until the day that he returned. BSB BSB: Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely.
25 ARST When he arrived from Jerusalem to greet the king, the king said to him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?” BSB BSB: And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”
26 ARST He replied, “Your Majesty, you know that I am crippled. When I heard that you were leaving Jerusalem, I said to my servant Ziba, ‘Put a saddle on my donkey in order that I can ride on it and go with the king.’ But he deceived me and left without me. BSB BSB: “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,
27 ARST He lied to you about me. But your Majesty, you are as wise as God’s angel. So do whatever seems right to you. BSB BSB: and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.
28 ARST All of my grandfather’s family expected that we would be executed. But you did not execute me. You allowed me to eat food with you at your table! So I certainly do not have the right to request from you anything more.” BSB BSB: For all the house of my grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”
29 ARST The king replied, “You certainly do not need to say any more. I have decided that you and Ziba will divide equally the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul.” BSB BSB: The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”
30 ARST Mephibosheth replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I am content that you have returned safely. So allow him to take all the land.” BSB BSB: And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has safely come to his own house, let Ziba take it all!”
31 ARST Barzillai, the man from the region of Gilead, had come down to the Jordan River from his town of Rogelim to escort the king across the river. BSB BSB: Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and send him on his way from there.
32 ARST Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He was a very wealthy man, and he had provided food for the king and his soldiers while they were at Mahanaim. BSB BSB: Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.
33 ARST The king said to Barzillai, “Come with me to Jerusalem, and I will take care of you.” BSB BSB: The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in Jerusalem.”
34 ARST But Barzillai replied, “I certainly do not have many more years to live. So why should I go with you to Jerusalem? BSB BSB: But Barzillai replied, “How many years of my life remain, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?
35 ARST I am eighty years old. I do not know what is enjoyable and what is not enjoyable. I cannot enjoy what I eat and what I drink. I cannot hear the voices of men and women as they sing. So why should I be another burden to you? BSB BSB: I am now eighty years old. Can I discern what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or drinks? Can I still hear the voice of singing men and women? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?
36 ARST I will cross the Jordan River with you and go a little further, and that will be all the reward that I need for helping you. BSB BSB: Your servant will go with the king only a short distance past the Jordan; why should the king repay me with such a reward?
37 ARST Then please allow me to return to my home, because that is where I want to die, near my parents’ grave. But here is my son Kimham. Your Majesty, allow him to go with you and serve you, and do for him whatever seems good to you!” BSB BSB: Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what is good in your sight.”
38 ARST The king replied, “Very well, he will cross the river with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. And I will do for you whatever you want me to do.” BSB BSB: The king replied, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight, and I will do for you whatever you desire of me.”
39 ARST Then King David and all the others crossed the Jordan River. He kissed Barzillai and asked God to bless him. Then Barzillai returned to his home. BSB BSB: So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.
40 ARST After they crossed the river, Kimham went with the king, and all the army of Judah and half the army of the other Israelite tribes escorted the king to Gilgal. BSB BSB: Then the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Chimham crossed over with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the king.
41 ARST Then all the Israelite soldiers from the other Israelite tribes came to the king and said, “Why is it that our relatives, the men from Judah, took you away from us and wanted to be the only ones to escort you and your family across the river, along with all your men? Why did you not request us to do that?” BSB BSB: Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”
42 ARST The soldiers from Judah replied, “We did it because the king is from Judah. Why are you angry about this? The king has never paid for our food, and he has never given us any gifts.” BSB BSB: And all the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is our relative. Why does this anger you? Have we ever eaten at the king’s expense or received anything for ourselves?”
43 ARST The men of the other Israelite tribes replied, “There are ten tribes in Israel, and only one in Judah. So it is ten times more right for us to say that David is our king than it is for you to say that. So why are you despising us? We were certainly the first ones to talk about bringing David back to Jerusalem to be our king again.” But the men of Judah spoke more harshly than the men from the other tribes of Israel did. BSB BSB: “We have ten shares in the king,” answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the men of Judah spoke more fiercely than the men of Israel.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.