2Sa 8, 2Sa 14 | ESV | STEP | After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines .

1 ^aAfter this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took ^bMetheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 ^cAnd he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites ^dbecame servants to David and ^ebrought tribute.

3 David also defeated ^fHadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^gZobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 ^hAnd David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David ⁱhamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 ^jAnd when the ^kSyrians of Damascus came to help ^lHadadezer king of ^mZobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians ⁿbecame servants to David and brought tribute. ^oAnd the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took ^pthe shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Toi king of ^qHamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 ^rThese also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, ^sMoab, ^tthe Ammonites, ^uthe Philistines, ^vAmalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^wZobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in ^xthe Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, ^yand all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Officials

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 ^zJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and ^aaJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and ^abZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and ^acSeraiah was secretary, 18 and ^adBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over ^{▼▼Compare 20:23, 1 Chronicles 18:17, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks was over} the ^afCherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

2 Samuel 14

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew ^agthat the king’s heart went out to Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to ^ahTekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. ^aiDo not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab ^ajput the words in her mouth.

4 When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, ^akshe fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, ^al“Save me, O king.” 5 And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, ^am“Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would ^andestroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor ^aoremnant on the face of the earth.”

8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” 9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, ^ap“On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” 10 The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” 11 Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that ^aqthe avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, ^ar“As the Lord lives, ^asnot one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

12 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” 13 And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against ^atthe people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring ^auhis banished one home again. 14 We must all die; we are ^avlike water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means ^awso that the banished one will not remain an outcast. 15 Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from ^axthe heritage of God.’ 17 And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is ^aylike the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

18 Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” 19 The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, ^az“As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; ^bait was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. 20 In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of ^bbthe angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”

21 Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage ^bcand blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose and went to ^bdGeshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.

25 Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. ^beFrom the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he ^bfcut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels ^{▼▼A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams} by the king’s weight. 27 There were born ^bhto Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

28 So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. ^{▼▼Septuagint, Dead Sea Scroll add So Joab’s servants came to him with their clothes torn, and they said to him, “The servants of Absalom have set your field on fire.”} 31 Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from ^bjGeshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, ^bkand if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’” 33 Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.