2 Samuel 15 — Legacy Standard Bible

Absalom’s Conspiracy

15Now it happened afterwards, that ^aAbsalom prepared for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. ²And Absalom used to rise early and ^astand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a case to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” ³Then Absalom would say to him, “See, ^ayour words are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” ⁴Then Absalom would say, “^aOh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any case or judgment could come to me and I would justify him.” ⁵And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would send forth his hand and take hold of him and ^akiss him. ⁶In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; ^aso Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷Now it happened at the end of ¹forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to Yahweh, in ^aHebron. ⁸“For your servant ^avowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘^bIf Yahweh shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Yahweh.’” ⁹And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘^aAbsalom is king in Hebron.’” ¹¹Now two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, ^awho were invited and ^bwent ¹innocently, and they did not know anything. ¹²And Absalom sent for ^aAhithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city ^bGiloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for ^cthe people increased continually with Absalom.

David Flees Jerusalem

¹³Then an informant came to David, saying, “^aThe hearts of the men of Israel ¹have followed Absalom.” ¹⁴So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “^aArise and let us flee, for otherwise there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go in haste, lest he overtake us hastily and drive calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” ¹⁵Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” ¹⁶So the king went out and all his household ¹with him. But ^athe king left ten concubines to keep the house. ¹⁷And the king went out and all the people ¹with him, and they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸Now all his servants passed on beside him, ^aall the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, ^bsix hundred men who had come ¹with him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹Then the king said to ^aIttai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. ²⁰“You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, going about, while ^aI go where I go? Return and cause your brothers to return; ^blovingkindness and ¹truth be with you.” ²¹But Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely ^awherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” ²²So David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. ²³While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over ^athe brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward ^bthe way of the wilderness.

²⁴Now behold, ^aZadok also came, and all the Levites with him ^bcarrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and ^cAbiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. ²⁵Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of Yahweh, then ^aHe will cause me to return and show me both it and ^bHis habitation. ²⁶“But if He should say thus, ‘^aI have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, ^blet Him do to me as seems good in His sight.” ²⁷The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not ^aa seer? Return to the city in peace and your ^btwo sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. ²⁸“See, I am going to wait ^aat the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.

³⁰But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and ^ahis head was covered and he was walking ^bbarefoot. And all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. ³¹Now David informed them, saying, “^aAhithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Yahweh, I pray, ^bmake the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

³²Then it happened that as David was coming to the summit, where he used to worship God, that behold, Hushai the ^aArchite met him with his ¹coat torn and ²dust on his head. ³³And David said to him, “If you pass over with me, then you will be ^aa burden to me. ³⁴“But if you return to the city, and ^asay to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵“Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that ^awhatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall inform Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶“Behold, ^atheir two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and ^bby their hand you shall send me everything that you hear.” ³⁷So Hushai, ^aDavid’s friend, came into the city, and ^bAbsalom came into Jerusalem.