2Sa 1, 2Sa 15 | ESV | STEP | After the death of Saul , when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites , David remained two days in Ziklag .

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned ^afrom striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, ^ba man came from Saul’s camp, ^cwith his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, ^dhe fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, ^e“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, ^f“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, ^g‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. ^hAnd I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

11 Then David took hold of his clothes and ⁱtore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept ^jand fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not ^kafraid to put out your hand to destroy ^lthe Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then ^mDavid called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, ⁿ“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed ^othe Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

17 And David ^plamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament’s tune} should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in ^rthe Book of Jashar. ^{▼▼Or of the upright} He said:

19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
^tHow the mighty have fallen!
20 ^uTell it not in Gath,
^vpublish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
^wlest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of ^xthe uncircumcised exult.
21 ^y“You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fields of offerings! ^{▼▼Septuagint firstfruits}
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not ^aaanointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
^abthe bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were ^acswifter than eagles;
they were ^adstronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
^aewho put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 ^af“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
^agyour love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
27 ^ah“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”

2 Samuel 15

Absalom’s Conspiracy

1 After this Absalom ^aigot himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside ^ajthe 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,” 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.” 4 Then Absalom would say, ^ak“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.” 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. 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.

7 And at the end of four ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew forty} years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron. 8 For your servant ^amvowed a vow ^anwhile I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to ^{▼▼Or will serve} the Lord.’” 9 The king said to him, ^ap“Go in peace.” So he arose and went to 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!’” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem ^aqwho were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. 12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for ^{▼▼Or sent} ^asAhithophel the Gilonite, ^atDavid’s counselor, from his city ^auGiloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom ^avkept increasing.

David Flees Jerusalem

13 And a messenger came to David, saying, ^aw“The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us ^axflee, 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.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ^ayten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.

18 And ^azall his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from ^baGath, passed on before the king. 19 Then the king said to ^bbIttai 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. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go ^bcI know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks may the Lord show} steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” 21 But Ittai answered the king, ^be“As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, ^bfwherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” 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. 23 And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed ^bgthe brook ^bhKidron, and all the people passed on toward ^bithe wilderness.

24 And ^bjAbiathar came up, and behold, ^bkZadok came also with all the Levites, ^blbearing 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. 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 ^bmbring me back and let me see both it and his ^bndwelling place. 26 But if he says, ‘I have no ^bopleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, ^bplet him do to me what seems good to him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a ^bqseer? Go back ^{▼▼Septuagint The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Look, go back} to the city in peace, with ^bsyour two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait at ^btthe fords of ^buthe wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, ^bvbarefoot and ^bwwith his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, ^bxweeping as they went. 31 And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please ^byturn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

32 While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai ^bzthe Archite came to meet him ^cawith his coat torn and ^cbdirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be ^cca burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ^cd‘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. 35 Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, ^cetell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Behold, ^cftheir two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, ^cgand by them you shall send to me everything you hear.” 37 So Hushai, ^chDavid’s friend, came into the city, ^cijust as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.