15
Then ten of Joab's armorbearers surrounded Absalom, attacked him, and killed him.
16
Joab blew the ram's horn to stop their [fighting], and the troops returned from pursuing Israel.
17
They took Absalom, threw him into a huge pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. Meanwhile, all Israel fled and went back to their homes.
18
([While he was still living,] Absalom had taken a rock and set it up for himself in the king's valley. He said, "I have no son to keep the memory of my name alive." He called the rock by his name, and it is still called Absalom's Monument today.)
19
Then Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run and bring the king the good news that the LORD has freed him from his enemies."
20
But Joab told him, "You won't be the man carrying good news today. You can carry the news some other day. You must not deliver the news today because the king's son is dead."
21
Then Joab said to a man from Sudan, "Go, tell the king what you saw." The messenger bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of Joab and then ran off.
22
Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, spoke to Joab again, "Whatever may happen, I also want to run after the Sudanese messenger." "Now, son, why should you deliver the message?" Joab asked. "You won't be rewarded for this news."
23
"Whatever happens, I'd like to run," [replied Ahimaaz.] "Run," Joab told him. So Ahimaaz ran along the valley road and got ahead of the Sudanese messenger.
24
David was sitting between the two gates while the watchman walked along the roof of the gate by the wall. As he looked, he saw a man running alone.
25
The watchman called and alerted the king. "If he's alone," the king said, "he has good news to tell." The runner continued to come closer.