2 Samuel 14:1--19:43
Konteks14:1 Now Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king longed to see 1 Absalom. 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning 2 and put on garments for mourning. Don’t anoint yourself with oil. Instead, act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for some time. 3 14:3 Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.” Then Joab told her what to say. 4
14:4 So the Tekoan woman went 5 to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me, 6 O king!” 14:5 The king replied to her, “What do you want?” 7 She answered, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 14:6 Your servant 8 has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and killed him. 14:7 Now the entire family has risen up against your servant, saying, ‘Turn over the one who struck down his brother, so that we can execute him and avenge the death 9 of his brother whom he killed. In so doing we will also destroy the heir.’ They want to extinguish my remaining coal, 10 leaving no one on the face of the earth to carry on the name of my husband.”
14:8 Then the king told the woman, “Go to your home. I will give instructions concerning your situation.” 11 14:9 The Tekoan woman said to the king, “My lord the king, let any blame fall on me and on the house of my father. But let the king and his throne be innocent!”
14:10 The king said, “Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won’t bother you again!” 14:11 She replied, “In that case, 12 let the king invoke the name of 13 the Lord your God so that the avenger of blood may not kill! Then they will not destroy my son!” He replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of your son’s head 14 will fall to the ground.”
14:12 Then the woman said, “Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter.” He replied, “Tell me.” 14:13 The woman said, “Why have you devised something like this against God’s people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the king has not brought back the one he has banished. 14:14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. 15 14:15 I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful. 16 But your servant said, ‘I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant 17 asks. 14:16 Yes! 18 The king may 19 listen and deliver his female servant 20 from the hand of the man who seeks to remove 21 both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’ 22 14:17 So your servant said, ‘May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the Lord your God be with you!’”
14:18 Then the king replied to the woman, “Don’t hide any information from me when I question you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak!” 14:19 The king said, “Did Joab put you up to all of this?” 23 The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant’s mouth. 14:20 Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.” 24
14:21 Then the king said to Joab, “All right! I 25 will do this thing! Go and bring back the young man Absalom! 14:22 Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked 26 the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your 27 servant!”
14:23 So Joab got up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 28 14:24 But the king said, “Let him go over 29 to his own house. He may not see my face.” So Absalom went over 30 to his own house; he did not see the king’s face.
14:25 Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom. 31 From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance. 32 14:26 When he would shave his head – at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long 33 and he would shave it – he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds 34 according to the king’s weight. 14:27 Absalom had 35 three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very attractive woman. 36
14:28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king’s face. 14:29 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come. 14:30 So he said to his servants, “Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.” 37 So Absalom’s servants set Joab’s 38 portion of the field on fire.
14:31 Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?” 14:32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent a message to you saying, ‘Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: 39 “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”
14:33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king 40 summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom 41 bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. 42
15:1 Some time later Absalom managed to acquire 43 a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. 44 15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, 45 am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 15:3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate. 46 But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 15:4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me 47 a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint 48 could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”
15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom 49 would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty 50 of the citizens 51 of Israel.
15:7 After four 52 years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron. 15:8 For I made this vow 53 when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, 54 I will serve the Lord.’” 15:9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom 55 got up and went to Hebron.
15:10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume 56 that Absalom rules in Hebron.” 15:11 Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning. 57 15:12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser, 58 to come from his city, Giloh. 59 The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.
15:13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!” 60 15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, 61 “Come on! 62 Let’s escape! 63 Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring 64 disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” 65 15:15 The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.” 66
15:16 So the king and all the members of his royal court 67 set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines 68 to attend to the palace. 15:17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing 69 at a spot 70 some distance away. 15:18 All his servants were leaving with him, 71 along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites – some six hundred men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with 72 the king.
15:19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new 73 king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country. 74 15:20 It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men 75 with you. May genuine loyal love 76 protect 77 you!”
15:21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether dead or alive, 78 there I 79 will be as well!” 15:22 So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.” 80 So Ittai the Gittite went along, 81 accompanied by all his men and all the dependents 82 who were with him.
15:23 All the land was weeping loudly 83 as all these people were leaving. 84 As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving 85 on the road that leads to the desert. 15:24 Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving 86 the city.
15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. 15:26 However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.” 87
15:27 The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? 88 Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar. 89 15:28 Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you 90 reaches me.” 15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
15:30 As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. 15:31 Now David 91 had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed, 92 “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord!”
15:32 When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 15:33 David said to him, “If you leave 93 with me you will be a burden to me. 15:34 But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ 15:35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. 94 Everything you hear in the king’s palace 95 you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 15:36 Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.” 96
15:37 So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
16:1 When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit, 97 and a container of wine.
16:2 The king asked Ziba, “Why did you bring these things?” 98 Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the loaves of bread 99 and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert.” 100 16:3 The king asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” 101 Ziba replied to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem, 102 for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather’s 103 kingdom.’” 16:4 The king said to Ziba, “Everything that was Mephibosheth’s now belongs to you.” Ziba replied, “I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
16:5 Then King David reached 104 Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached. 105 16:6 He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left. 16:7 As he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Leave! Leave! You man of bloodshed, you wicked man! 106 16:8 The Lord has punished you for 107 all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” 16:10 But the king said, “What do we have in common, 108 you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!’, who can say to him, ‘Why have you done this?’” 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood, 109 is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him. 16:12 Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction 110 and this day grant me good in place of his curse.” 111
16:13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them. 112 16:14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at their destination, where David 113 refreshed himself.
16:15 Now when Absalom and all the men 114 of Israel arrived in Jerusalem, 115 Ahithophel was with him. 16:16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him, 116 “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
16:17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” 16:18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. 117 16:19 Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.” 118
16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 16:21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Have sex with 119 your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.” 120 16:22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, 121 and Absalom had sex with 122 his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
16:23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation. 123 Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel. 124
17:1 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 17:2 When I catch up with 125 him he will be exhausted and worn out. 126 I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 17:3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. 127 The entire army will return unharmed.” 128
17:4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders 129 of Israel. 17:5 But Absalom said, “Call for 130 Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.” 131 17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”
17:7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.” 132 17:8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men – they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. 133 Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. 17:9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first, 134 whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ 17:10 If that happens even the bravest soldier – one who is lion-hearted – will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. 17:11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba – in number like the sand by the sea! – be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. 17:12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive – not one of them! 17:13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”
17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided 135 to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.
17:15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders 136 of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised. 17:16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him, 137 “Don’t spend the night at the fords of the desert 138 tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over, 139 or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.” 140
17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. 17:18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. 17:19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.
17:20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men 141 searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. 142
17:21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan 143 climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream 144 quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.” 145 17:22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River. 146 By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.
17:23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave 147 of his father.
17:24 Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River. 17:25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married 148 Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.) 17:26 The army of Israel 149 and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
17:27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 17:28 brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, 150 17:29 honey, curds, flocks, and cheese. 151 For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.” 152
18:1 David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. 18:2 David then sent out the army – a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”
18:3 But the soldiers replied, 153 “You should not do this! 154 For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be too concerned about us. 155 Even if half of us should die, they won’t be too concerned about us. But you 156 are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.” 18:4 Then the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”
So the king stayed beside the city gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 18:5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.
18:6 Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 18:7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David’s men. 157 The slaughter there was great that day – 20,000 soldiers were killed. 18:8 The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.
18:9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his 158 mule, it 159 went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, 160 while the mule he had been riding kept going.
18:10 When one 161 of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree. 18:11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? 162 I would have given you ten pieces of silver 163 and a commemorative belt!” 164
18:12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if 165 I were receiving 166 a thousand pieces of silver, 167 I would not strike 168 the king’s son! In our very presence 169 the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ 170 18:13 If I had acted at risk of my own life 171 – and nothing is hidden from the king! – you would have abandoned me.” 172
18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. 173 18:15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.
18:16 Then Joab blew the trumpet 174 and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 18:17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes. 175
18:18 Prior to this 176 Absalom had set up a monument 177 and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.
18:19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.” 178 18:20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today, 179 for the king’s son is dead.”
18:21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. 18:22 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.” But Joab said, “Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.” 18:23 But he said, 180 “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab 181 said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.
18:24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, 182 and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. 18:25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.” 183 The runner 184 came ever closer.
18:26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 18:27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz 185 son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”
18:28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Greetings!” 186 He bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and said, “May the Lord your God be praised because he has defeated 187 the men who opposed 188 my lord the king!”
18:29 The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.” 18:30 The king said, “Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside and waited.
18:31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, 189 “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!” 190 18:32 The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you 191 be like that young man!”
18:33 (19:1) 192 The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son, 193 Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!” 194
19:1 (19:2) Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.” 19:2 So the victory of that day was turned to mourning as far as all the people were concerned. For the people heard on that day, “The king is grieved over his son.” 19:3 That day the people stole away to go to the city the way people who are embarrassed steal away in fleeing from battle. 19:4 The king covered his face and cried out loudly, 195 “My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”
19:5 So Joab visited 196 the king at his home. He said, “Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. 19:6 You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now 197 that if 198 Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, 199 it would be all right with you. 19:7 So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to 200 your servants. For I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!”
19:8 So the king got up and sat at the city gate. When all the people were informed that the king was sitting at the city gate, they 201 all came before him.
But the Israelite soldiers 202 had all fled to their own homes. 203 19:9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. 19:10 But Absalom, whom we anointed as our king, 204 has died in battle. So now why do you hesitate to bring the king back?” 205
19:11 Then King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests saying, “Tell the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back to his palace, 206 when everything Israel is saying has come to the king’s attention. 207 19:12 You are my brothers – my very own flesh and blood! 208 Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back?’ 19:13 Say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my flesh and blood? 209 God will punish me severely, 210 if from this time on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
19:14 He 211 won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. Then they sent word to the king saying, “Return, you and all your servants as well.” 19:15 So the king returned and came to the Jordan River. 212
Now the people of Judah 213 had come to Gilgal to meet the king and to help him 214 cross the Jordan. 19:16 Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim came down quickly with the men of Judah to meet King David. 19:17 There were a thousand men from Benjamin with him, along with Ziba the servant 215 of Saul’s household, and with him his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They hurriedly crossed 216 the Jordan within sight of the king. 19:18 They crossed at the ford in order to help the king’s household cross and to do whatever he thought appropriate.
Now after he had crossed the Jordan, Shimei son of Gera threw himself down before the king. 19:19 He said to the king, “Don’t think badly of me, my lord, and don’t recall the sin of your servant on the day when you, my lord the king, left 217 Jerusalem! 218 Please don’t call it to mind! 19:20 For I, your servant, 219 know that I sinned, and I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
19:21 Abishai son of Zeruiah replied, “For this should not Shimei be put to death? After all, he cursed the Lord’s anointed!” 19:22 But David said, “What do we have in common, 220 you sons of Zeruiah? You are like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t you realize that today I am king over Israel?” 19:23 The king said to Shimei, “You won’t die.” The king vowed an oath 221 concerning this.
19:24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, 222 came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely 223 returned, Mephibosheth 224 had not cared for his feet 225 nor trimmed 226 his mustache nor washed his clothes.
19:25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?” 19:26 He replied, “My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I 227 said, ‘Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,’ for I 228 am lame. 19:27 But my servant 229 has slandered me 230 to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you. 19:28 After all, there was no one in the entire house of my grandfather 231 who did not deserve death from my lord the king. But instead you allowed me to eat at your own table! 232 What further claim do I have to ask 233 the king for anything?”
19:29 Then the king replied to him, “Why should you continue speaking like this? You and Ziba will inherit the field together.” 19:30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him have 234 the whole thing! My lord the king has returned safely 235 to his house!”
19:31 Now when Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, he crossed the Jordan with the king so he could send him on his way from there. 236 19:32 But Barzillai was very old – eighty years old, in fact – and he had taken care of the king when he stayed in Mahanaim, for he was a very rich 237 man. 19:33 So the king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will take care of you while you are with me in Jerusalem.”
19:34 Barzillai replied to the king, “How many days do I have left to my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 19:35 I am presently eighty years old. Am I able to discern good and bad? Can I 238 taste what I eat and drink? Am I still able to hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should I 239 continue to be a burden to my lord the king? 19:36 I will cross the Jordan with the king and go a short distance. 240 Why should the king reward me in this way? 19:37 Let me 241 return so that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But look, here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever seems appropriate to you.”
19:38 The king replied, “Kimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever I deem appropriate. And whatever you choose, I will do for you.”
19:39 So all the people crossed the Jordan, as did the king. After the king had kissed him and blessed him, Barzillai returned to his home. 242 19:40 When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham 243 crossed over with him. Now all the soldiers 244 of Judah along with half of the soldiers of Israel had helped the king cross over. 245
19:41 Then all the men of Israel began coming to the king. They asked the king, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, sneak the king away and help the king and his household cross the Jordan – and not only him but all of David’s men as well?”
19:42 All the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative! Why are you so upset about this? Have we eaten at the king’s expense? 246 Or have we misappropriated anything for our own use?” 19:43 The men of Israel replied to the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and we have a greater claim on David than you do! Why do you want 247 to curse us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing back our king?” But the comments of the men of Judah were more severe than those of the men of Israel.
[14:1] 1 tn Heb “the heart of the king was upon.” The Syriac Peshitta adds the verb ’ethre’i (“was reconciled”).
[14:2] 2 tn The Hebrew Hitpael verbal form here indicates pretended rather than genuine action.
[14:2] 3 tn Heb “these many days.”
[14:3] 4 tn Heb “put the words in her mouth” (so NASB, NIV).
[14:4] 5 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew
[14:4] 6 tn The word “me” is left to be inferred in the Hebrew text; it is present in the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate.
[14:5] 7 tn Heb “What to you?”
[14:6] 8 tn Here and elsewhere (vv. 7, 12, 15a, 17, 19) the woman uses a term which suggests a lower level female servant. She uses the term to express her humility before the king. However, she uses a different term in vv. 15b-16. See the note at v. 15 for a discussion of the rhetorical purpose of this switch in terminology.
[14:7] 9 tn Heb “in exchange for the life.” The Hebrew preposition בְּ (bÿ, “in”) here is the so-called bet pretii, or bet (בְּ) of price, defining the value attached to someone or something.
[14:7] 10 sn My remaining coal is here metaphorical language, describing the one remaining son as her only source of lingering hope for continuing the family line.
[14:8] 11 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:11] 12 tn The words “in that case” are not in the Hebrew text, but may be inferred from the context. They are supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.
[14:11] 13 tn Heb “let the king remember.”
[14:11] 14 tn Heb “of your son.”
[14:14] 15 tn Heb “he devises plans for the one banished from him not to be banished.”
[14:15] 16 tc The LXX (ὄψεταί με, opsetai me) has misunderstood the Hebrew יֵרְאֻנִי (yerÿ’uni, Piel perfect, “they have made me fearful”), taking the verb to be a form of the verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) rather than the verb יָרֵא (yare’, “to fear”). The fact that the Greek translators were working with an unvocalized Hebrew text (i.e., consonants only) made them very susceptible to this type of error.
[14:15] 17 tn Here and in v. 16 the woman refers to herself as the king’s אָמָה (’amah), a term that refers to a higher level female servant toward whom the master might have some obligation. Like the other term, this word expresses her humility, but it also suggests that the king might have some obligation to treat her in accordance with the principles of justice.
[14:16] 19 tn Or “will.” The imperfect verbal form can have either an indicative or modal nuance. The use of “perhaps” in v. 15b suggests the latter here.
[14:16] 20 tn Heb “in order to deliver his maid.”
[14:16] 22 tn Heb “from the inheritance of God.” The expression refers to the property that was granted to her family line in the division of the land authorized by God.
[14:19] 23 tn Heb “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”
[14:20] 24 tn Heb “to know all that is in the land.”
[14:21] 25 tc Many medieval Hebrew
[14:22] 27 tc The present translation reads with the Qere “your” rather than the MT “his.”
[14:23] 28 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:24] 29 tn Heb “turn aside.”
[14:24] 30 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[14:25] 31 tn Heb “Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly.”
[14:25] 32 tn Heb “there was not in him a blemish.”
[14:26] 33 tn Heb “for it was heavy upon him.”
[14:26] 34 tn Heb “two hundred shekels.” The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).
[14:27] 35 tn Heb “and there were born.”
[14:27] 36 tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And she became a wife to Rehoboam the son of Solomon and bore to him Abia.”
[14:30] 37 tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And the servants of Absalom burned them up. And the servants of Joab came to him, rending their garments. They said….”
[14:30] 38 tn The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:33] 40 tn Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.
[14:33] 41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:33] 42 tn Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.
[15:1] 43 tn Heb “acquired for himself.”
[15:1] 44 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
[15:2] 45 tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.
[15:3] 46 tn Heb “good and straight.”
[15:4] 47 tn Heb “Who will make me?”
[15:4] 48 tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[15:5] 49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:6] 50 tn Heb “stole the heart.”
[15:7] 52 tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara ete), the Syriac Peshitta (’arba’ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”
[15:8] 53 tn Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.
[15:8] 54 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:9] 55 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:11] 57 tn Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”
[15:12] 58 tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.
[15:12] 59 tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.
[15:13] 60 tn Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”
[15:14] 61 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:14] 63 tn Heb “let’s flee.”
[15:14] 65 tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
[15:15] 66 tn Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”
[15:16] 67 tn Heb “and all his house.”
[15:16] 68 tn Heb “women, concubines.”
[15:17] 69 tn Heb “and they stood.”
[15:18] 71 tn Heb “crossing over near his hand.”
[15:18] 72 tn Heb “crossing over near the face of.”
[15:19] 73 tn The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.
[15:20] 75 tn Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
[15:20] 76 tn Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[15:21] 78 tn Heb “whether for death or for life.”
[15:21] 79 tn Heb “your servant.”
[15:22] 80 tn Heb “Come and cross over.”
[15:22] 81 tn Heb “crossed over.”
[15:22] 82 tn Heb “all the little ones.”
[15:23] 83 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
[15:23] 84 tn Heb “crossing over.”
[15:23] 85 tn Heb “crossing near the face of.”
[15:24] 86 tn Heb “crossing from.”
[15:26] 87 tn Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”
[15:27] 88 tn The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek
[15:27] 89 tn Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
[15:28] 90 tn The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
[15:31] 91 tc The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate uldavid in reading “and to David,” rather than MT וְדָוִד (vÿdavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 316).
[15:33] 93 tn Heb “cross over.”
[15:35] 94 tn Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
[15:35] 95 tn Heb “from the house of the king.”
[15:36] 96 tn Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
[16:1] 97 tn Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”
[16:2] 98 tn Heb “What are these to you?”
[16:2] 99 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[16:2] 100 tn The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”
[16:3] 102 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:3] 103 tn Heb “my father’s.”
[16:5] 104 tn Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא (vayyavo’), preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא (uva’), apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline vÿqatal construction introduces a new scene.
[16:5] 105 tn Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”
[16:7] 106 tn Heb “man of worthlessness.”
[16:8] 107 tn Heb “has brought back upon you.”
[16:10] 108 tn Heb “What to me and to you?”
[16:11] 109 tn Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.
[16:12] 110 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate בְּעוֹנִי (bÿ’onyi, “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the MT בָּעַוֹנִי (ba’avoni, “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the MT בְּעֵינֵי (bÿ’eni, “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.”
[16:12] 111 tn Heb “and the
[16:13] 112 tn Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline vÿqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.
[16:14] 113 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:15] 114 tn Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”
[16:15] 115 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:16] 116 tn Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:18] 117 tn Heb “No for with the one whom the
[16:19] 118 tn Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”
[16:21] 119 tn Heb “go to”; NAB “have (+ sexual NCV) relations with”; TEV “have intercourse with”; NLT “Go and sleep with.”
[16:21] 120 tn Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
[16:22] 121 sn That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.
[16:22] 122 tn Heb “went to”; NAB “he visited his father’s concubines”; NIV “lay with his father’s concubines”; TEV “went in and had intercourse with.”
[16:23] 123 tn Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”
[16:23] 124 tn Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”
[17:2] 125 tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
[17:2] 126 tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
[17:3] 127 tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.
[17:3] 128 tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
[17:5] 130 tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
[17:5] 131 tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
[17:7] 132 tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
[17:8] 133 tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
[17:9] 134 tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
[17:14] 135 tn Heb “commanded.”
[17:16] 137 tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
[17:16] 138 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV).
[17:16] 139 tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
[17:16] 140 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
[17:20] 141 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:20] 142 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[17:21] 143 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:21] 144 tn Heb “the water.”
[17:21] 145 tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
[17:22] 146 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[17:23] 147 tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
[17:26] 149 tn Heb “and Israel.”
[17:28] 150 tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (vÿqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin
[17:29] 151 tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
[17:29] 152 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
[18:3] 153 tn Heb “the people said.”
[18:3] 154 tn Heb “march out.”
[18:3] 155 tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”
[18:3] 156 tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (’atta, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (’atta, “now”).
[18:7] 157 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 9).
[18:9] 159 tn Heb “the donkey.”
[18:9] 160 tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”
[18:10] 161 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
[18:11] 162 tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”
[18:11] 163 tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
[18:11] 164 tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”
[18:12] 165 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[18:12] 166 tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”
[18:12] 167 tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
[18:12] 168 tn Heb “extend my hand against.”
[18:12] 169 tn Heb “in our ears.”
[18:12] 170 tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
[18:13] 171 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew
[18:13] 172 tn Heb “stood aloof.”
[18:14] 173 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
[18:16] 174 tn Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
[18:17] 175 tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
[18:18] 176 tn Heb “and.” This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
[18:18] 177 tn Heb “a pillar.”
[18:19] 178 tn Heb “that the
[18:20] 179 tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”
[18:23] 180 tn The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[18:23] 181 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:24] 182 tn Heb “the two gates.”
[18:25] 183 tn Heb “good news is in his mouth.”
[18:25] 184 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:27] 185 tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”
[18:28] 187 tn Heb “delivered over.”
[18:28] 188 tn Heb “lifted their hand against.”
[18:31] 189 tn Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”
[18:31] 190 tn Heb “for the
[18:32] 191 tn Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”
[18:33] 192 sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.
[18:33] 193 tc One medieval Hebrew
[18:33] 194 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
[19:4] 195 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
[19:6] 198 tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSama, and many medieval Hebrew
[19:6] 199 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”
[19:7] 200 tn Heb “and speak to the heart of.”
[19:8] 201 tn Heb “all the people.”
[19:8] 202 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17).
[19:8] 203 tn Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”
[19:10] 205 tc The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11: “And what all Israel was saying came to the king’s attention.” The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).
[19:11] 206 tn Heb “his house.”
[19:11] 207 tc The Hebrew text adds “to his house” (= palace), but the phrase, which also appears earlier in the verse, is probably accidentally repeated here.
[19:12] 208 tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”
[19:13] 209 tn Heb “my bone and my flesh.”
[19:13] 210 tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”
[19:14] 211 tn The referent of “he” is not entirely clear: cf. NCV “David”; TEV “David’s words”; NRSV, NLT “Amasa.”
[19:15] 212 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:15] 213 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Judah.”
[19:15] 214 tn Heb “the king.” The pronoun (“him”) has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.
[19:17] 216 tn Heb “rushed into.”
[19:19] 217 tn Though this verb in the MT is 3rd person masculine singular, it should probably be read as 2nd person masculine singular. It is one of fifteen places where the Masoretes placed a dot over each of the letters of the word in question in order to call attention to their suspicion of the word. Their concern in this case apparently had to do with the fact that this verb and the two preceding verbs alternate from third person to second and back again to third. Words marked in this way in Hebrew manuscripts or printed editions are said to have puncta extrordinaria, or “extraordinary points.”
[19:19] 218 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[19:20] 219 tn The Hebrew text has simply “your servant.”
[19:22] 220 tn Heb “what to me and to you.”
[19:23] 221 tn Heb “swore to him.”
[19:24] 223 tn Heb “in peace.” So also in v. 31.
[19:24] 224 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:24] 225 tn Heb “done his feet.”
[19:26] 227 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:26] 228 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:27] 229 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:27] 230 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:28] 232 tn Heb “and you placed your servant among those who eat at your table.”
[19:28] 233 tn Heb “to cry out to.”
[19:30] 235 tn Heb “in peace.”
[19:31] 236 tc The MT reading אֶת־בַיַּרְדֵּן (’et-vayyarden, “in the Jordan”) is odd syntactically. The use of the preposition after the object marker אֶת (’et) is difficult to explain. Graphic confusion is likely in the MT; the translation assumes the reading מִיַּרְדֵּן (miyyarden, “from the Jordan”). Another possibility is to read the definite article on the front of “Jordan” (הַיַּרְדֵּן, hayyarden; “the Jordan”).
[19:35] 238 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:35] 239 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:36] 240 tn Heb “Like a little your servant will cross the Jordan with the king.”
[19:37] 241 tn Heb “your servant.”
[19:39] 242 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:40] 243 tn The MT in this instance alone spells the name with final ן (nun, “Kimhan”) rather than as elsewhere with final ם (mem, “Kimham”). As in most other translations, the conventional spelling (with ם) has been used here to avoid confusion.
[19:40] 245 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
[19:42] 246 tn Heb “from the king.”
[19:43] 247 tn The translation understands the verb in a desiderative sense, indicating the desire but not necessarily the completed action of the party in question. It is possible, however, that the verb should be given the more common sense of accomplished action, in which case it means here “Why have you cursed us?”
