1
And it was declared to Yoav, “See, the king is weeping and mourning over Avshalom.”
2
And the salvation on that day became mourning for all the people, for the people heard on that day, saying, “The king is grieved concerning his son.”
3
And the people stole themselves away on that day to enter the city, as a people ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
4
And the king covered his face. And the king cried with a great voice: “My son Avshalom! Avshalom, my son, my son!”
5
And Yoav came to the king at the house and said: “You have put to shame this day the faces of all your servants, who saved your being this day, and the beings of your sons and your daughters, and the beings of your wives, and the beings of your concubines,
6
by loving those who hate you and hating those who love you. For you have declared this day that commanders and servants are nothing to you. For I know this day that if Avshalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right in your eyes.
7
And now rise. Go out and speak to the heart of your servants. For by Yahuah I swear: if you do not go out, not one ish will lodge with you this night. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
8
And the king rose and sat in the gate. And they declared to all the people, saying, “See, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the face of the king. But Yisra’el had fled, each ish to his tent.
9
And all the people were contending throughout all the tribes of Yisra’el, saying: “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of the Pelishtim; and now he has fled from the land because of Avshalom.
10
And Avshalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. And now, why are you silent concerning bringing back the king?”
11
And King Daviyd sent to Tzadoq and to Evyatar the kohenim, saying: “Speak to the elders of Yehudah, saying: ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his House, when the word of all Yisra’el has come to the king, to his House?
12
You are my brothers. You are my bone and my flesh. And why should you be the last to bring back the king?’
13
And to Amasa you shall say: ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? Thus may Elohim do to me, and thus may He add, if you are not commander of the host before my face continually in place of Yoav.’”
14
And he turned the heart of every ish of Yehudah as one ish. And they sent to the king, saying: “Return, you and all your servants.”
15
And the king returned and came as far as the Yarden. And Yehudah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to cause the king to cross the Yarden.
16
And Shimi son of Gera, the Binyamini who was from Bachurim, hurried and came down with the ish of Yehudah to meet King Daviyd.
17
And one thousand ish from Binyamin were with him, and Tziva servant of the House of Shaul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him. And they rushed to the Yarden before the face of the king.
18
And the crossing-service crossed over to bring across the House of the king and to do what was good in his eyes. And Shimi son of Gera fell before the king as he crossed the Yarden.
19
And he said to the king: “Let not my master reckon crookedness to me, and do not remember what your servant did perversely on the day my master the king went out from Yerushalayim. Let not the king set it upon his heart.
20
For your servant knows that I have sinned. And see, I have come today, first from all the House of Yosef, to come down to meet my master the king.”
21
And Avishai son of Tzeruyah answered and said: “Shall Shimi not be put to death for this, because he cursed the Anointed of Yahuah?”
22
And Daviyd said: “What is there to me and to you, sons of Tzeruyah, that you should become an adversary to me this day? Shall any ish be put to death this day in Yisra’el? For do I not know that this day I am king over Yisra’el?”
23
And the king said to Shimi, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.
24
And Mefivoshet son of Shaul came down to meet the king. And he had not attended to his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his garments, from the day the king departed until the day he came in shalom.
25
And it came to pass, when he came to Yerushalayim to meet the king, that the king said to him: “Why did you not go with me, Mefivoshet?”
26
And he said: “My master the king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle the donkey for myself, and I will ride upon it and go with the king,’ for your servant is lame.
27
And he slandered your servant to my master the king. But my master the king is as a messenger of Elohim. Therefore do what is good in your eyes.
28
For all the House of my father were nothing but men of death before my master the king, yet you set your servant among those who eat at your table. And what Right do I still have, that I should cry out further to the king?”
29
And the king said to him: “Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say: you and Tziva shall divide the field.”
30
And Mefivoshet said to the king: “Let him take even all of it, after my master the king has come in shalom to his House.”
31
And Barzillai the Giladi came down from Rogelim and crossed the Yarden with the king, to send him onward from the Yarden.
32
And Barzillai was exceedingly old, a son of eighty years. And he had sustained the king while he dwelt in Machanayim, for he was an exceedingly great ish.
33
And the king said to Barzillai: “Cross over with me, and I will sustain you with me in Yerushalayim.”
34
And Barzillai said to the king: “How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Yerushalayim?
35
I am today a son of eighty years. Can I discern between good and evil? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I still hear the voice of singing men and singing women? And why should your servant be yet a burden to my master the king?
36
Your servant will cross the Yarden with the king only a little way. And why should the king repay me with this reward?
37
Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city, beside the tomb of my father and my mother. But see, your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my master the king, and do for him what is good in your eyes.”
38
And the king said: “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your eyes. And whatever you choose from me, I will do for you.”
39
And all the people crossed the Yarden, and the king crossed. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his place.
40
And the king crossed to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed with him. And all the people of Yehudah caused the king to cross, and also half the people of Yisra’el.
41
And see, all the ish of Yisra’el came to the king and said to the king: “Why have our brothers, the ish of Yehudah, stolen you away and caused the king and his House to cross the Yarden, and all the men of Daviyd with him?”
42
And every ish of Yehudah answered the ish of Yisra’el: “Because the king is near to us. And why does this matter burn against you? Eating, have we eaten at the king’s expense? Or has a gift been lifted to us?”
43
And the ish of Yisra’el answered the ish of Yehudah and said: “We have ten portions in the king, and even in Daviyd we have more than you. And why did you treat us with contempt? Was not our word first in bringing back our king?” And the word of the ish of Yehudah was harder than the word of the ish of Yisra’el.