2 SamuelChapter 15

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¹Some time later, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses. He also got 50 men to run ahead of him. ²He would get up early and stand beside the road to the city gate. Sometimes a person had a complaint to bring to the king to be settled. Absalom would call out to him and ask, "What town are you from?" The man might answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." ³Then Absalom would say, "Look, your case is good and right. But the king has no one to listen to you." ⁴Then he would add, "I wish someone would make me judge in the land! Then anyone with a complaint or a case could come to me. And I would make sure he got justice." ⁵And when someone came near to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand. He would take hold of the person and kiss him. ⁶Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. ⁷After four years, Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hebron. I want to keep a promise I made to the LORD. ⁸While your servant was living in Geshur in Aram, I made a promise. I said, 'If the LORD really brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.'" ⁹"Go in peace," the king said. So Absalom got up and went to Hebron. ¹⁰Then Absalom sent secret messengers through all the tribes of Israel. They said, "When you hear the sound of the horn, say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron!'" ¹¹Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited as guests. They went along with no idea of what was going on. They knew nothing about the plan. ¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel from Giloh. Ahithophel was David's adviser. Absalom called him from his hometown of Giloh. So the plot grew stronger. More and more people followed Absalom. ¹³Then a messenger came to David. He said, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." ¹⁴Then David spoke to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem. "Get up! We must run away, or none of us will escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly. If we don't, he will soon catch us. He will bring disaster on us and kill the people of the city with the sword." ¹⁵The king's servants answered, "We are your servants. We will do whatever our lord the king decides." ¹⁶So the king set out, and his whole household followed him. But he left ten concubines behind to take care of the palace. ¹⁷So the king set out, and all the people followed him. He stopped at the last house. ¹⁸All his servants marched past him. All the Cherethites and Pelethites went by. So did 600 men from Gath who had followed him from there. ¹⁹Then the king said to Ittai from Gath, "Why should you come with us too? Go back and stay with the new king. You are a foreigner. You are far from your homeland. ²⁰You came only yesterday. Should I make you wander around with us today? I don't even know where I am going. Go back, and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you faithful love and be true to you." ²¹But Ittai answered the king, "As surely as the LORD lives, and as surely as my lord the king lives, I will go wherever my lord the king goes. Whether I live or die, your servant will be there!" ²²David said to Ittai, "Go on, then. March ahead." So Ittai from Gath marched past with all his men and all the children who were with him. ²³All the people of the land cried loudly as all the people passed by. The king crossed the Kidron Valley. And all the people moved on toward the wilderness. ²⁴Zadok was there too. All the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God. Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had left the city. ²⁵Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back to the city. If the LORD is pleased with me, he will bring me back. He will let me see the ark and the place where he lives again. ²⁶But he may say, 'I am not pleased with you.' If so, then here I am. Let him do to me whatever he thinks is good." ²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Aren't you a seer? Go back to the city in peace. Take your son Ahimaaz with you. And let Abiathar take his son Jonathan. ²⁸Look, I will wait at the river crossings near the wilderness. I will stay there until I get word from you." ²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they stayed there. ³⁰But David kept going up the Mount of Olives. He cried as he went up. His head was covered, and he walked with bare feet. All the people with him covered their heads too. They cried as they went up. ³¹Someone told David, "Ahithophel is one of the men plotting with Absalom." So David prayed, "LORD, please turn Ahithophel's advice into foolishness!" ³²David came to the top of the hill, where people used to worship God. Hushai the Archite was there to meet him. His robe was torn, and he had dust on his head. ³³David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will just be a burden to me. ³⁴But you can go back to the city. Then you can ruin Ahithophel's advice for me. Say to Absalom, 'My king, I will be your servant. In the past I was your father's servant. But now I will be your servant.' ³⁵Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. Tell them everything you hear in the king's palace. ³⁶Their two sons are there with them too. They are Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar. Send them to me with everything you hear." ³⁷So David's friend Hushai came to Jerusalem just as Absalom was coming into the city.