2 Samuel 16

• 1. David was just past the top of the hill when Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, caught up with him. He was leading two donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruit, and a skin of wine.
• 2. "What are these for?" the king asked Ziba. And Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for your people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is to be taken with you into the wilderness for those who become faint."
• 3. "And where is Mephibosheth?" the king asked him. "He stayed in Jerusalem," Ziba replied. "He said, `Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.'"
• 4. "In that case," the king told Ziba, "I give you everything Mephibosheth owns.Thank you, sir," Ziba replied. "I will always do whatever you want me to do."
• 5. As David and his party passed Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, a member of Saul's family.
• 6. He threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded them.
• 7. "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!" he shouted at David.
• 8. "The LORD is paying you back for murdering Saul and his family. You stole his throne, and now the LORD has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, you murderer!"
• 9. "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?" Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. "Let me go over and cut off his head!"
• 10. "No!" the king said. "What am I going to do with you sons of Zeruiah! If the LORD has told him to curse me, who am I to stop him?"
• 11. Then David said to Abishai and the other officers, "My own son is trying to kill me. Shouldn't this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to do it.
• 12. And perhaps the LORD will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses."
• 13. So David and his men continued on, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust into the air.
• 14. The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.
• 15. Meanwhile, Absalom and his men arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel.
• 16. When David's friend Hushai the Arkite arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. "Long live the king!" he exclaimed. "Long live the king!"
• 17. "Is this the way you treat your friend David?" Absalom asked him. "Why aren't you with him?"
• 18. "I'm here because I work for the man who is chosen by the LORD and by Israel," Hushai replied.
• 19. "And anyway, why shouldn't I serve you? I helped your father, and now I will help you!"
• 20. Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, "What should I do next?"
• 21. Ahithophel told him, "Go and sleep with your father's concubines, for he has left them here to keep the house. Then all Israel will know that you have insulted him beyond hope of reconciliation, and they will give you their support."
• 22. So they set up a tent on the palace roof where everyone could see it, and Absalom went into the tent to sleep with his father's concubines.
• 23. Absalom followed Ahithophel's advice, just as David had done. For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God.

2 Samuel 17

• 1. Now Ahithophel urged Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men to start out after David tonight.
• 2. I will catch up to him while he is weary and discouraged. He and his troops will panic, and everyone will run away. Then I will kill only the king,
• 3. and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride returns to her husband. After all, it is only this man's life that you seek. Then all the people will remain unharmed and peaceful."
• 4. This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the other leaders of Israel.
• 5. But then Absalom said, "Bring in Hushai the Arkite. Let's see what he thinks about this."
• 6. When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had said. Then he asked, "What is your opinion? Should we follow Ahithophel's advice? If not, speak up."
• 7. "Well," Hushai replied, "this time I think Ahithophel has made a mistake.
• 8. You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors. Right now they are probably as enraged as a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs. And remember that your father is an experienced soldier. He won't be spending the night among the troops.
• 9. He has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. And when he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there will be panic among your troops, and everyone will start shouting that your men are being slaughtered.
• 10. Then even the bravest of them, though they have the heart of a lion, will be paralyzed with fear. For all Israel knows what a mighty man your father is and how courageous his warriors are.
• 11. "I suggest that you mobilize the entire army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan and Beersheba. That way you will have an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. And I think that you should personally lead the troops.
• 12. When we find David, we can descend on him like the dew that falls to the ground, so that not one of his men is left alive.
• 13. And if David has escaped into some city, you will have the entire army of Israel there at your command. Then we can take ropes and drag the walls of the city into the nearest valley until every stone is torn down."
• 14. Then Absalom and all the leaders of Israel said, "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." For the LORD had arranged to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster upon Absalom!
• 15. Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had said and what he himself had suggested instead.
• 16. "Quick!" he told them. "Find David and urge him not to stay at the shallows of the Jordan River tonight. He must go across at once into the wilderness beyond. Otherwise he will die and his entire army with him."
• 17. Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been staying at En-rogel so as not to be seen entering and leaving the city. Arrangements had been made for a servant girl to bring them the message they were to take to King David.
• 18. But a boy saw them leaving En-rogel to go to David, and he told Absalom about it. Meanwhile, they escaped to Bahurim, where a man hid them inside a well in his courtyard.
• 19. The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well with grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.
• 20. When Absalom's men arrived, they asked her, "Have you seen Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" She replied, "They were here, but they crossed the brook." Absalom's men looked for them without success and returned to Jerusalem.
• 21. Then the two men crawled out of the well and hurried on to King David. "Quick!" they told him, "cross the Jordan tonight!" And they told him how Ahithophel had advised that he be captured and killed.
• 22. So David and all the people with him went across the Jordan River during the night, and they were all on the other bank before dawn.
• 23. Meanwhile, Ahithophel was publicly disgraced when Absalom refused his advice. So he saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. He died there and was buried beside his father.
• 24. David soon arrived at Mahanaim. By now, Absalom had mobilized the entire army of Israel and was leading his troops across the Jordan River.
• 25. Absalom had appointed Amasa as commander of his army, replacing Joab, who had been commander under David. (Amasa was Joab's cousin. His father was Jether, an Ishmaelite. His mother, Abigail daughter of Nahash, was the sister of Joab's mother, Zeruiah.)
• 26. Absalom and the Israelite army set up camp in the land of Gilead.
• 27. When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was warmly greeted by Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah, an Ammonite, and by Makir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and by Barzillai of Gilead from Rogelim.
• 28. They brought sleeping mats, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,
• 29. honey, butter, sheep, and cheese for David and those who were with him. For they said, "You must all be very tired and hungry and thirsty after your long march through the wilderness."

2 Samuel 18

• 1. David now appointed generals and captains to lead his troops.
• 2. One-third were placed under Joab, one-third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one-third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told his troops, "I am going out with you."
• 3. But his men objected strongly. "You must not go," they urged. "If we have to turn and run--and even if half of us die--it will make no difference to Absalom's troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of us, and it is better that you stay here in the city and send us help if we need it."
• 4. "If you think that's the best plan, I'll do it," the king finally agreed. So he stood at the gate of the city as all the divisions of troops passed by.
• 5. And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: "For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom." And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.
• 6. So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,
• 7. and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David's men. There was a great slaughter, and twenty thousand men laid down their lives that day.
• 8. The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
• 9. During the battle, Absalom came unexpectedly upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great oak, his head got caught. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.
• 10. One of David's men saw what had happened and told Joab, "I saw Absalom dangling in a tree."
• 11. "What?" Joab demanded. "You saw him there and didn't kill him? I would have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a hero's belt!"
• 12. "I wouldn't do it for a thousand pieces of silver, "the man replied. "We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, `For my sake, please don't harm young Absalom.'
• 13. And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son--and the king would certainly find out who did it--you yourself would be the first to abandon me."
• 14. "Enough of this nonsense," Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom's heart as he dangled from the oak still alive.
• 15. Ten of Joab's young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.
• 16. Then Joab blew the trumpet, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel.
• 17. They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And the army of Israel fled to their homes.
• 18. During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King's Valley, for he had said, "I have no son to carry on my name." He named the monument after himself, and it is known as Absalom's Monument to this day.
• 19. Then Zadok's son Ahimaaz said, "Let me run to the king with the good news that the LORD has saved him from his enemy Absalom."
• 20. "No," Joab told him, "it wouldn't be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger some other time, but not today."
• 21. Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The man bowed and ran off.
• 22. But Ahimaaz continued to plead with Joab, "Whatever happens, please let me go, too.Why should you go, my son?" Joab replied. "There will be no reward for you."
• 23. "Yes, but let me go anyway," he begged. Joab finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then Ahimaaz took a shortcut across the plain of the Jordan and got to Mahanaim ahead of the man from Cush.
• 24. While David was sitting at the city gate, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them.
• 25. He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, "If he is alone, he has news." As the messenger came closer,
• 26. the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, "Here comes another one!" The king replied, "He also will have news."
• 27. "The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok," the watchman said. "He is a good man and comes with good news," the king replied.
• 28. Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed low with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against you."
• 29. "What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" Ahimaaz replied, "When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn't know what was happening."
• 30. "Wait here," the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.
• 31. Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today the LORD has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."
• 32. "What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" And the Cushite replied, "May all of your enemies, both now and in the future, be as that young man is!"
• 33. The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to his room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I could have died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son."

New Living Translation: 98 of 324 days.