18
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself
1the pillar that is in
2the King's Valley, for he said,
3"I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's monument to this day.
David Hears of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said,
4"Let me run and carry news to the king that
5the LORD has delivered him from the hand of his enemies."
20
And Joab said to him, "You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead."
21
Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran.
22
Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?"
23
"Come what may," he said, "I will run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of
6the plain, and outran the Cushite.
24
Now David
7was sitting between the two gates, and
8the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone.
25
The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he drew nearer and nearer.
26
The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, "See, another man running alone!" The king said, "He also brings news."
27
The watchman said, "I think the running of the first is
9like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said,
10"He is a good man and comes with good news."
28
Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well." And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said,
11"Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king."