Parallel Bible results for "2 samuel 18"

2 Samuel 18

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 David took a census of the people who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds.

2 Then David dispatched the people, a third of them under the command of Yo'av, a third under Avishai the son of Tz'ruyah, Yo'av's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gitti; and the king said to the people, "I will also go out with you, myself."

3 But the people replied, "Don't go out; because if we flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; so it is better now that you stay in the city and be ready if we need help."

4 The king answered them, "I will do whatever you think best." So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

5 The king gave orders to Yo'av, Avishai and Ittai, "For my sake, deal gently with young Avshalom."All the people were listening when the king gave all the commanders this order concerning Avshalom.

6 So the people went out into the field against Isra'el; the battle took place in the forest of Efrayim.

7 The people of Isra'el were defeated there by David's servants; there was a terrible slaughter that day of 20,000 men.

8 For the battle there was spread all over the countryside; the forest devoured more people that day than did the sword.

9 Avshalom happened to meet some of David's servants. Avshalom was riding his mule, and as the mule walked under the thick branches of a big terebinth tree, his head got caught in the terebinth, so that he was left hanging between earth and sky, as the mule went on from under him.

10 Someone saw it and told Yo'av, "I saw Avshalom hanging in a terebinth."

11 Yo'av asked the man who told him, "Here now, you saw it; so why didn't you strike him to the ground then and there? I would have had to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt besides."

12 The man replied to Yo'av, "Even if I were to get a thousand pieces of silver, I still wouldn't raise my hand against the son of the king! After all, while we were listening, the king ordered you, Avishai and Ittai, 'Be careful that no one touches young Avshalom.'

13 Or, if I had pretended that I didn't know, the king would have known otherwise anyway; and you wouldn't have interceded for me either."

14 Yo'av said, "I can't waste time arguing with you!" He took three darts in his hand and rammed them through Avshalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the terebinth.

15 Then Yo'av's ten young armor-bearers surrounded Avshalom, struck him and killed him.

16 Yo'av sounded the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing Isra'el, because Yo'av held back the troops.

17 They took Avshalom and threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled a big heap of stones over him. All Isra'el fled, each one to his tent.

18 In his own lifetime Avshalom had taken and raised for himself the pillar which stands in the King's Valley; because he said, "I don't have a son to preserve the memory of my name." So he named the pillar after himself, and it's called Avshalom's Monument to this day.

19 Then Achima'atz the son of Tzadok said, "Let me run now and bring news to the king that ADONAI has judged in his favor by releasing him from his enemies."

20 Yo'av said to him, "You are not to be the one to bring the news today; you can convey news another day; but today you will not bring news, because the king's son is dead."

21 Then Yo'av said to the Ethiopian, "Go, tell the king what you saw."The Ethiopian bowed to Yo'av, then ran off.

22 But Achima'atz the son of Tzadok said again to Yo'av, "Come what may, please let me also run after the Ethiopian." Yo'av answered, "Why do you want to run, my son? You won't receive any reward for bringing the news."

23 "I don't care - whatever happens, I want to run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Achima'atz ran by the road through the desert flats and outran the Ethiopian.

24 David was sitting between the two gates. A watchman went up to the roof of the gate and out onto the wall, raised his eyes, looked, and saw there a man running by himself.

25 The watchman cried out and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, he has good news to tell."As he ran along and came close,

26 the watchman saw another man running and called to the gatekeeper, "There's another man running by himself."The king said, "He too must have good news."

27 The watchman said, "The first one runs like Achima'atz the son of Tzadok."The king said, "He's a good man, he comes with good news."

28 Achima'atz called to the king, "Shalom," prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be ADONAI your God, who has handed over the men who rebelled against my lord the king."

29 The king asked, "Is everything all right with young Avshalom?" Achima'atz answered, "When Yo'av sent the king's servant and me your servant, I saw a big commotion; but I didn't know what it was."

30 The king said, "Go, and stand over there." So he went and stood there.

31 Then up came the Ethiopian, and the Ethiopian said, "There's good news for my lord the king, for ADONAI has judged in your favor and rid you of all those who rebelled against you."

32 The king asked the Ethiopian, "Is everything all right with young Avshalom?"The Ethiopian answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you in order to harm you be as that young man is."

33 Trembling, the king went up to the room over the gate, weeping and crying, "Oh, my son Avshalom! My son! My son Avshalom! If only I had died instead of you! Oh, Avshalom, my son, my son!"

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 David called together the troops that were with him. He appointed commanders in charge of regiments and battalions.

2 David put a third of the troops under Joab's command, another third under Joab's brother Abishai (Zeruiah's son), and the last third under Ittai from Gath. "I am going [into battle] with you," the king said to the troops.

3 "You're not going [with us]," the troops said. "If we flee, they won't care about us, and if half of us die, they won't care either. But you're worth 10,000 of us. It's better for you to be ready to send us help from the city."

4 "I'll do what you think best," the king responded. So the king stood by the gate while all the troops marched out by battalions and regiments.

5 The king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake." All the troops heard him give all the commanders this order regarding Absalom.

6 So the troops went out to the country to fight Israel in the forest of Ephraim.

7 There David's men defeated Israel's army, and the massacre was sizable that day--20,000 men.

8 The fighting spread over the whole country. That day the woods devoured more people than the battle.

9 Absalom happened to come face to face with some of David's men. He was riding on a mule, and the mule went under the tangled branches of a large tree. Absalom's head became caught in the tree. So he was left hanging in midair when the mule that was under him ran away.

10 A man who saw this told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree."

11 "What! You saw that!" Joab said to the man who told him. "Why didn't you strike him to the ground? Then I would have felt obligated to give you four ounces of silver and a belt."

12 But the man told Joab, "Even if I felt the weight of 25 pounds of silver in my hand, I wouldn't raise my hand against the king's son. We heard the order the king gave you, Abishai, and Ittai: 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.'

13 If I had done something treacherous to him, would you have stood by me? Like everything else, it wouldn't stay hidden from the king."

14 Then Joab said, "I shouldn't waste time with you like this." He took three sharp sticks and plunged them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive in the tree.

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.

26 When the watchman saw another man running, the watchman called, "There's [another] man running alone." The king said, "This one is also bringing good news."

27 The watchman said, "It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, Zadok's son." "He's a good man," the king said. "He must be coming with good news."

28 Then Ahimaaz came up to the king, greeted him, and bowed down in front of him. Ahimaaz said, "May the LORD your God be praised. He has handed over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty."

29 "Is the young man Absalom alright?" the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, "I saw a lot of confusion when Joab sent me away, but I didn't know what it meant."

30 "Step aside, and stand here," the king said. He stepped aside and stood there.

31 Then the Sudanese messenger came. "Good news for Your Majesty!" he said. "Today the LORD has freed you from all who turned against you."

32 "Is the young man Absalom alright?" the king asked. The Sudanese messenger answered, "May your enemies and all who turned against you be like that young man!"

33 The king was shaken [by the news]. He went to the room above the gate and cried. "My son Absalom!" he said as he went. "My son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!"