2Sa 8, 2Sa 18 | 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 18

Absalom Killed

1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of ^agIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3 ^ahBut the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” ^aiAnd all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

6 So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the ^ajforest of Ephraim. 7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, ^{▼▼Or terebinth; also verses 10, 14} ^aland his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for ^amin our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life ^{▼▼Or at the risk of my life} (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him ^aoa very great heap of stones. And all Israel ^apfled every one to his own home. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself ^aqthe pillar that is in ^arthe King’s Valley, for he said, ^as“I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument ^{▼▼Or Absalom’s hand} to this day.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, ^au“Let me run and carry news to the king that ^avthe Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of ^awthe plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David ^axwas sitting between the two gates, and ^aythe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is ^azlike the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, ^ba“He is a good man and comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, ^bb“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, ^bc“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

David’s Grief

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For ^bdthe Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, ^be“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, ^bf“May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33 ^{▼▼Ch 19:1 in Hebrew} And the king was deeply moved and went up ^bhto the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, ^bi“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”