English Standard Version ESV
The Message Bible MSG
1 After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
1
As time went on, Absalom took to riding in a horse-drawn chariot, with fifty men running in front of him.
2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And when he said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,"
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Early each morning he would take up his post beside the road at the city gate. When anyone showed up with a case to bring to the king for a decision, Absalom would call him over and say, "Where do you hail from?" And the answer would come, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."
3 Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you."
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Then Absalom would say, "Look, you've got a strong case; but the king isn't going to listen to you."
4 Then Absalom would say, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice."
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Then he'd say, "Why doesn't someone make me a judge for this country? Anybody with a case could bring it to me and I'd settle things fair and square."
5 And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
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Whenever someone would treat him with special honor, he'd shrug it off and treat him like an equal, making him feel important.
6 Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
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Absalom did this to everyone who came to do business with the king and stole the hearts of everyone in Israel.
7 And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron.
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After four years of this, Absalom spoke to the king, "Let me go to Hebron to pay a vow that I made to God.
8 For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, 'If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.'"
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Your servant made a vow when I was living in Geshur in Aram saying, 'If God will bring me back to Jerusalem, I'll serve him with my life.'"
9 The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron.
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The king said, "Go with my blessing." And he got up and set off for Hebron.
10 But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, 'Absalom is king at Hebron!'"
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Then Absalom sent undercover agents to all the tribes of Israel with the message, "When you hear the blast of the ram's horn trumpet, that's your signal: Shout, 'Absalom is king in Hebron!'"
11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
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Two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem. But they had been called together knowing nothing of the plot and made the trip innocently.
12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent forAhithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
12
While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he managed also to involve Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's advisor, calling him away from his hometown of Giloh. The conspiracy grew powerful and Absalom's supporters multiplied.
13 And a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom."
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Someone came to David with the report, "The whole country has taken up with Absalom!"
14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."
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"Up and out of here!" called David to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem. "We've got to run for our lives or none of us will escape Absalom! Hurry, he's about to pull the city down around our ears and slaughter us all!"
15 And the king's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides."
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The king's servants said, "Whatever our master, the king, says, we'll do; we're with you all the way!"
16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
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So the king and his entire household escaped on foot. The king left ten concubines behind to tend to the palace.
17 And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.
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And so they left, step by step by step, and then paused at the last house
18 And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
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as the whole army passed by him - all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and the six hundred Gittites who had marched with him from Gath, went past.
19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home.
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The king called out to Ittai the Gittite, "What are you doing here? Go back with King Absalom. You're a stranger here and freshly uprooted from your own country.
20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you."
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You arrived only yesterday, and am I going to let you take your chances with us as I live on the road like a gypsy? Go back, and take your family with you. And God's grace and truth go with you!"
21 But Ittai answered the king, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be."
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But Ittai answered, "As God lives and my master the king lives, where my master is, that's where I'll be - whether it means life or death."
22 And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
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"All right," said David, "go ahead." And they went on, Ittai the Gittite with all his men and all the children he had with him.
23 And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
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The whole country was weeping in loud lament as all the people passed by. As the king crossed the Brook Kidron, the army headed for the road to the wilderness.
24 And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.
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Zadok was also there, the Levites with him, carrying God's Chest of the Covenant. They set the Chest of God down, Abiathar standing by, until all the people had evacuated the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
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Then the king ordered Zadok, "Take the Chest back to the city. If I get back in God's good graces, he'll bring me back and show me where the Chest has been set down.
26 But if he says, 'I have no pleasure in you,' behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him."
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But if he says, 'I'm not pleased with you' - well, he can then do with me whatever he pleases."
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
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The king directed Zadok the priest, "Here's the plan: Return to the city peacefully, with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, with you.
28 See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."
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I'll wait at a spot in the wilderness across the river, until I get word from you telling us what's up."
29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
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So Zadok and Abiathar took the Chest of God back to Jerusalem and placed it there,
30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
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while David went up the Mount of Olives weeping, head covered but barefooted, and the whole army was with him, heads covered and weeping as they ascended.
31 And it was told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."
31
David was told, "Ahithophel has joined the conspirators with Absalom." He prayed, "Oh, God - turn Ahithophel's counsel to foolishness."
32 While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
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As David approached the top of the hill where God was worshiped, Hushai the Arkite, clothes ripped to shreds and dirt on his head, was there waiting for him.
33 David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
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David said, "If you come with me, you'll be just one more piece of luggage.
34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,' then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
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Go back to the city and say to Absalom, 'I'm ready to be your servant, O King; I used to be your father's servant, now I'm your servant.' Do that and you'll be able to confuse Ahithophel's counsel for me.
35 Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
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The priests Zadok and Abiathar are already there; whatever information you pick up in the palace, tell them.
36 Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear."
36
Their two sons - Zadok's son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan - are there with them - anything you pick up can be sent to me by them."
37 So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
37
Hushai, David's friend, arrived at the same time Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.