1 GLT And it was declared to Joab,“Look, the king is weeping, and he is morning for Absalom.” BSB BSB: Then it was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.”
2 GLT And the victory on that day became mourning for all the people, for the people heard on that day, saying,“The king grieves for his son.” 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 GLT And the people stole away on that day to enter the city, like people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in war. BSB BSB: So they returned to the city quietly that day, as people steal away in humiliation after fleeing a battle.
4 GLT And the king covered his face, and the king cried out{ with} a loud voice,“My son Absalom! 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 GLT And Joab came to the king,{ to} the house, and he said,“You have shamed today the faces of all your servants, the ones who have saved your spirit today and the spirit of your sons and your daughters and the spirit of your wives and the spirit of your concubines 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 GLT by loving those who hate you and by hating those who love you, for you have declared today that{ the} captains and servants are nothing to you, for I know today that if only Absalom{ were} living and all of us today were dead, that then{ it would be} upright in your eyes. 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 GLT But now, get up, go out and speak to the heart of your servants, for I swear by Yahweh that{ if} you are not going out, a man will not remain with you tonight, and this{ will be} more trouble for you than all the trouble which has come on you from your youth until now.” 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 GLT And the king got up and sat in the gate. And all the people declared, saying,“Look, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came to the face of the king. And Israel fled, each to his tent. 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 GLT And it happened, all the people were arguing in all the tribes of Israel, saying,“The king delivered us from the palm of our enemies, and he himself saved us from the palm of the Philistines. But now he has fled from the land away from Absalom. 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 GLT And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in the war. And now, why are you being silent about returning the king?” 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 GLT And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying,“Speak to the elders of Judah, saying,‘Why are you the last to return the king to his house? And the word of all Israel has come to the king, to his house. 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 GLT You{ are} my brothers; you{ are} my bone and my flesh. And why are you last to return the king?’ BSB BSB: You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to restore the king?’
13 GLT And to Amasa you will say,‘{ Are} you not my bone and my flesh? Thus may God do to me, and thus may he continue if you are not{ the} captain of{ the} army to the face of all the years in the place 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 GLT And he stretched out the heart of all the men of Judah as one man. And they sent to the king,“Return, you yourself, and all your servants.” 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 GLT And the king returned, and he came up to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to bring the king across the Jordan. 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 GLT And Shimei the son of Gera the Benjaminite who{ was} from Bahurim hurried. And he went down with the men 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 GLT And 1, 000 men{ were} with him from Benjamin, and Ziba the young man of the house of Saul and 15 of his sons and 20 of his servants{ were} with him. And they rushed{ into} the Jordan to the face of 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 GLT And they crossed the ford to bring over the house of the king and to do what was good in his eyes. And Shimei the son of Gera fell to the face of the king when he crossed in the Jordan. 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 GLT And he said to the king,“May my lord not reckon to me iniquity, and may you not remember that your servant committed iniquity on the day that my lord the king went out from Jerusalem by the king putting{ it} to his heart. 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 GLT For your servant knows that I myself have sinned, and look— I have come today first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord, the king.” 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 GLT And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, and he said,“Instead of this, will Shimei not be killed? For he belittled the anointed one of Yahweh.” 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 GLT And David said,“What{ is} to me and to you, sons of Zeruiah, that you have become to me today an accuser? Will today a person in Israel be killed? Indeed, do I not know that today I{ am} king over Israel?” 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 GLT And the king said to Shimei,“You will not die.” And the king swore to him. BSB BSB: So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore an oath to him.
24 GLT And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he did not do his feet, nor did he do his moustache, and his clothes he did not wash from the day the king went until the day that he came back in peace. 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 GLT And it happened that he went{ to} Jerusalem to meet the king. And the king said to him,“Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” BSB BSB: And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”
26 GLT And he said,“My lord the king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said,‘Let me saddle the donkey for myself, and let me ride on it, and let me go with the king.’ For your servant{ is} lame. 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 GLT And he slandered your servant to my lord the king. And my lord the king{ is} like an angel of God. So do what is good in your eyes. 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 GLT For all the house of my father was not except men of death to my lord the king, and you set your servant among those who ate{ at} your table. And what more righteousness is there for me still to cry out to the king?” 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 GLT And the king said to him,“Why do you speak still your words? I have said,‘You and Ziba— you will divide the field.’” BSB BSB: The king replied, “Why say any more? I hereby declare that you and Ziba are to divide the land.”
30 GLT And Mephibosheth said to the king,“Also let him take everything, after which my lord the king has come in peace to his house.” 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 GLT And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim. And he crossed the Jordan with the king to send him{ to} the Jordan. 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 GLT And Barzillai was very old— a son of 80 years. And he himself sustained the king in his stay in Mahanaim, for he{ was} a very great man. 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 GLT And the king said to Barzillai,“You, cross over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” BSB BSB: The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in Jerusalem.”
34 GLT And Barzillai said to the king,“How many{ are} the days of the years of my life, that I may go up with the king{ 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 GLT A son of 80 years{ am} I today. Do I know between good and evil, or can your servant taste that which he eats and that which I drink, or can I still hear the voice of the singing men and the singing women? And why will your servant further become a burden to my lord the king?” 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 GLT Like a little{ thing}, your servant will cross the Jordan with the king. And why will the king reward me{ with} this reward? 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 GLT Please, let your servant return, and let me die in my city with the grave of my father and my mother. And look, your servant Kimham— let him cross over with my lord the king. And do to him that which{ is} good in your eyes.” 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 GLT And the king said,“Kimham will cross over with me, and I myself will do for him that which is good in your eyes. And everything that you choose concerning me, I will do for you.” 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 GLT And all the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed. And the king kissed Barzillai, and he blessed him, and he returned to his place. 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 GLT And the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed over with him. And all the people of Judah brought the king over and also half the people of Israel. 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 GLT And look— all the men of Israel were coming to the king. And they said to the king,“Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal you away? And they brought the king and his house over the Jordan, and all the men of David with him.” 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 GLT And all the men of Judah answered to the men of Israel,“Because the king{ is} near to me. And why does this burn to you concerning this matter? Have we surely eaten from the king? Or has he certainly lifted for us?” 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 GLT And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and he said,“Ten hands{ belong} to me in the king, and also in David— I more than you. And why have you belittled me? Was not my word first to me to bring back my king?” But the word of the men of Judah was harsher than the word of the men of Israel. 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.