1
And Daviyd numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2
And Daviyd sent out the people: one third under the hand of Yoav, one third under the hand of Avishai son of Tzeruyah, brother of Yoav, and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gitti. And the king said to the people, “Going out, I myself will surely go out with you.”
3
But the people said, “You shall not go out. For if fleeing, we should surely flee, they will not set their heart upon us; and if half of us die, they will not set their heart upon us. For now you are like ten thousand of us. And now it is better that you be for us from the city for help.”
4
And the king said to them, “What is good in your eyes, I will do.” And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
5
And the king commanded Yoav, and Avishai, and Ittai, saying: “Deal gently, for my sake, with the young man Avshalom.” And all the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders concerning Avshalom.
6
And the people went out into the field to meet Yisra’el, and the battle was in the forest of Efrayim.
7
And the people of Yisra’el were struck there before the servants of Daviyd, and the slaughter there was great on that day: twenty thousand.
8
And the battle spread there over the face of all the land, and the forest consumed more among the people on that day than the sword consumed.
9
And Avshalom happened to meet the servants of Daviyd. And Avshalom was riding upon the mule, and the mule came beneath the thick branches of a great terebinth. And his head caught firmly in the terebinth, and he was left hanging between the heavens and the earth, while the mule that was beneath him passed on.
10
And one ish saw and declared to Yoav and said, “See, I saw Avshalom hanging in a terebinth.”
11
And Yoav said to the ish who declared it to him, “And see, you saw him. Why then did you not strike him there to the earth? And it would have been upon me to give you ten pieces of silver and one belt.”
12
And the ish said to Yoav, “Even if I were weighing upon my palms one thousand pieces of silver, I would not stretch out my hand against the son of the king. For in our ears the king commanded you, and Avishai, and Ittai, saying, ‘Guard for me the young man Avshalom.’
13
Or I would have acted falsely against my own being, and no matter is hidden from the king; and you yourself would have stood aloof.”
14
And Yoav said, “I will not wait thus before your face.” And he took three staffs in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Avshalom while he was still alive in the heart of the terebinth.
15
And ten young men, bearers of the weapons of Yoav, surrounded and struck Avshalom and put him to death.
16
And Yoav blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Yisra’el, for Yoav restrained the people.
17
And they took Avshalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him an exceedingly great heap of stones. And all Yisra’el fled, each ish to his tent.
18
And Avshalom, while he was alive, had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to cause my Name to be remembered.” And he called the pillar according to his own Name. And it is called the Memorial of Avshalom to this day.
19
And Achimaatz son of Tzadoq said, “Please let me run and bring good news to the king that Yahuah has judged him from the hand of his enemies.”
20
And Yoav said to him, “You shall not be an ish of good news this day. You shall bring good news on another day, but this day you shall not bring good news, because the son of the king is dead.”
21
And Yoav said to the Kushi, “Go; declare to the king what you have seen.” And the Kushi bowed himself to Yoav and ran.
22
And Achimaatz son of Tzadoq again said to Yoav, “Whatever may be, please let me also run after the Kushi.” And Yoav said, “Why should you run, my son, when there is no good-news reward for you?”
23
“Whatever may be, I will run.” And he said to him, “Run.” And Achimaatz ran by the way of the plain and passed the Kushi.
24
And Daviyd was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and see, an ish running alone.
25
And the watchman called and declared to the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is good news in his mouth.” And he came, going and drawing near.
26
And the watchman saw another ish running, and the watchman called toward the gatekeeper and said, “See, another ish running alone.” And the king said, “This one also brings good news.”
27
And the watchman said, “I see the running of the first as the running of Achimaatz son of Tzadoq.” And the king said, “He is a good ish, and he comes with good news.”
28
And Achimaatz called and said to the king, “Shalom.” And he bowed himself to the king with his face to the earth and said: “Blessed be Yahuah your Elohim, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hand against my master the king.”
29
And the king said, “Is there shalom for the young man Avshalom?” And Achimaatz said, “I saw a great tumult when Yoav sent the servant of the king and me your servant, but I did not know what it was.”
30
And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” And he turned aside and stood.
31
And see, the Kushi came. And the Kushi said, “Let my master the king receive good news, for Yahuah has judged you this day from the hand of all those who rose against you.”
32
And the king said to the Kushi, “Is there shalom for the young man Avshalom?” And the Kushi said, “May the enemies of my master the king, and all who rise against you for evil, be as the young man.”
33
And the king trembled and went up to the upper room above the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked: “My son Avshalom! My son, my son Avshalom! Who would give that I had died in your place— Avshalom, my son, my son!”