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1 And the king was troubled, and went to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and thus he said as he went, My son Abessalom, my son, my son Abessalom; *would God I had died for thee, even I had died for thee, Abessalom, my son, my son!
2 And they brought Joab word, saying, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Abessalom. 3 And the victory was turned that day into mourning to all the people, for the people heard say that day, The king grieves after his son. 4 And the people stole away that day to go into the city, as people steal away when they are ashamed as they flee in the battle. 5 And the king hid his face: and the king cried with a loud voice, My son Abessalom! Abessalom my son!
6 And Joab went in to the king, into the house, and said, Thou hast this day shamed the faces of all thy servants that have delivered thee this day, and have saved the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and of thy concubines, 7 forasmuch as thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee; and thou hast this day declared, that thy princes and thy servants are nothing in thy sight: for I know this day, that if Abessalom were alive, and all of us dead to-day, then it would have been right in thy sight. 8 And now arise, and go forth, and speak comfortably to thy servants; for I have sworn by the Lord, that unless thou wilt go forth to-day, there shall not a man remain with thee this night: and know for thyself, this thing will indeed be evil to thee beyond all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now. 9 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate: and all the people reported, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people went in before the king to the gate; for Israel had fled every man to his †tent.
10 And all the people disputed among all the tribes of Israel, saying, King David delivered us from all our enemies, and he rescued us from the hand of the Philistines: and now he has fled from the land, and from his kingdom, and from Abessalom. 11 And Abessalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle: and now why are ye silent about bringing back the king? And the word of all Israel came to the king.
12 And king David sent to Sadoc and Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Israel, saying, Why are ye the last to bring back the king to his house? whereas the word of all Israel is come to the king to his house. 13 Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: why are ye the last to bring back the king to his house? 14 And ye shall say to Amessai, Art thou not my bone and my flesh? and now God do so to me, and more also, if thou shalt not be commander of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. 15 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Juda as that of one man; and they sent to the king, saying, Return thou, and all thy servants. 16 And the king returned, and came as far as Jordan. And the men of Juda came to Galgala on their way to meet the king, to cause the king to pass over Jordan.
17 And Semei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Baurim, hasted and went down with ‡the men of Juda to meet king David. 18 And a thousand men of Benjamin were with him, and Siba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons with him, and his twenty servants with him: and they went directly down to Jordan before the king, 19 and they performed the service of bringing the king over; and there went over a ferry-boat to remove the household of the king, and to do that which was right in his eyes. And Semei the son of Gera fell on his face before the king, as he went over Jordan; 20 and said to the king, Let not my lord now impute iniquity, and remember not all the iniquity of thy servant in the day in which my lord went out from Jerusalem, so that the king should mind it. 21 For thy servant knows that I have sinned: and, behold, I am come to-day before all Israel and the house of Joseph, to go down and meet my lord the king.
22 And Abessai the son of Saruia answered and said, Shall not Semei therefore be put to death, because he cursed the Lord's anointed? 23 And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Saruia, that ye as it were lie in wait against me this day? to-day no man in Israel shall be put to death, for I know not if I this day reign over Israel. 24 And the king said to Semei, Thou shalt not die: and the king swore to him.
25 And Memphibosthe the son of Saul's son went down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, nor pared his nails, nor shaved himself, neither had he washed his garments, from the day that the king departed, until the day when he arrived in peace.
26 And it came to pass when he went into Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why didst thou not go with me, Memphibosthe? 27 And Memphibosthe said to him, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for thy servant said to him, Saddle me the ass, and I will ride upon it, and go with the king; for thy servant is lame. 28 And he has dealt deceitfully with thy servant to my lord the king: but my lord the king is as an angel of God, and do thou that which is good in thine eyes. 29 For all the house of my father were but as dead men before my lord the king; yet thou hast set thy servant among them that eat at thy table: and what right have I any longer even to cry to the king?
30 And the king said to him, Why §speakest thou any longer of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Siba shall divide the land. 31 And Memphibosthe said to the king, Yea, let him take all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his house.
32 And Berzelli the Galaadite came down from Rogellim, and crossed over Jordan with the king, that he might conduct the king over Jordan. 33 And Berzelli was a very old man, **eighty years old; and he had maintained the king when he dwelt in Manaim; for he was a very great man. 34 And the king said to Berzelli, Thou shalt go over with me, and I will nourish thine old age with me in Jerusalem. 35 And Berzelli said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 36 I am this day eighty years old: can I then distinguish between good and evil? Can thy servant taste any longer what I eat or drink? can I any longer hear the voice of singing men or singing women? and wherefore shall thy servant any longer be a burden to my lord the king? 37 Thy servant will go ††a little way over Jordan with the king: and why does the king return me this recompense? 38 Let, I pray thee, thy servant remain, and I will die in my city, by the tomb of my father and of my mother. And, behold, thy servant Chamaam shall go over with my lord the king; and do thou to him as it seems good in thine eyes. 39 And the king said, Let Chamaam go over with me, and I will do to him what is good in my sight; and whatsoever thou shalt choose at my hand, I will do for thee.
40 And all the people went over Jordan, and the king went over; and the king kissed Berzelli, and blessed him; and he returned to his place. 41 And the king went over to Galgala, and Chamaam went over with him: and all the men of Juda went over with the king, and also half the people of Israel.
42 And behold, ‡‡all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, Why have our brethren the men of Juda stolen thee away, and caused the king and all his house to pass over Jordan, and all the men of David with him? 43 And all the men of Juda answered the men of Israel, and said, Because the king is near of kin to us: and why were you thus angry concerning this matter? have we indeed eaten of the king's food? or has he given us a gift, or has he sent us a portion? 44 And the men of Israel answered the men of Juda, and said, We have ten §§parts in the king, and we are older than you, we have also an interest in David above you: and why have ye thus insulted us, and why was not our advice taken before that of Juda, to bring back our king? And the speech of the men of Juda was sharper than the speech of the men of Israel.
* 19:1 Gr. who will give my death for thee? † 19:9 Gr. tents. ‡ 19:17 Gr. the man. § 19:30 Gr. speakest thou thy words any longer. ** 19:33 Gr. a son of eighty years. †† 19:37 Gr. as it were a little. ‡‡ 19:42 Gr. every man. §§ 19:44 Gr. and Heb. hands.