2 Samuel 18:32

THE MESSAGE

"But," said the king, "is the young man Absalom all right?" And the Cushite replied, "Would that all of the enemies of my master the king and all who maliciously rose against you end up like that young man."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

Hebrew Names Version
The king said to the Kushite, Is it well with the young man Avshalom? The Kushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you hurt, be as that young man is.

King James Version
And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

Lexham English Bible
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it peace for the young man Absalom?" Then the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you be like the young man!"

English Standard Version
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man."

New Century Version
The king asked the Cushite, "Is young Absalom all right?" The Cushite answered, "May your enemies and all who come to hurt you be like that young man!"

New English Translation
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 be like that young man!"

Amplified Bible
The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom [my son] safe?" The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all those who rise against you to do evil, be [dead] like that young man is."

New American Standard Bible
Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man!"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the King saide vnto Cushi, Is the yong man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lorde the King, and all that rise against thee to doe thee hurt, be as that yong man is.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is there peace with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!"

Contemporary English Version
"Is my son Absalom all right?" David asked. The Ethiopian replied, "I wish that all Your Majesty's enemies and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him!"

Complete Jewish Bible
The king asked the Ethiopian, "Is everything all right with young Avshalom?" The Ethiopian answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you in order to harm you be as that young man is."

Darby Translation
And the king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite said, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee for evil, be as that young man.

Easy-to-Read Version
The king asked the Ethiopian, "Is young Absalom all right?" The Ethiopian answered, "May your enemies, or whoever tries to hurt you, suffer the same as this young man did."

George Lamsa Translation
And the king said to Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, Let your enemies, my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil be as that young man is.

Good News Translation
"Is the young man Absalom all right?" the king asked. The slave answered, "I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you."

Literal Translation
And the king said to the Cushite, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And the Cushite said, Let them be as the young man, the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against you for evil.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the kynge sayde vnto Chusi: Goeth it well with the yonge man Absalom? Chusi sayde: Euen so go it wt all the enemyes of my lorde the kynge, and with all them that ryse vp agaynst the to do euell, as it goeth with the yonge man.

American Standard Version
And the king said unto the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

Bible in Basic English
And the king said to the Cushite, Is the young man Absalom safe? And the Cushite said in answer, May all the king's haters and those who do evil against the king, be as that young man is!

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king sayde vnto Chusi: Is the young man Absalom safe? Chusi aunswered: The enemies of my lorde the king, and all that ryse against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said unto the Cushite: 'Is it well with the young man Absalom?' And the Cushite answered: 'The enemies of my lord the king and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.'

King James Version (1611)
And the king said vnto Cushi, Is the yong man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to doe thee hurt, be as that yong man is.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said to Chusi, Is it well with the young man Abessalom? and Chusi said, Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all whosoever have risen up against him for evil, be as that young man.

English Revised Version
And the king said unto the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

Berean Standard Bible
The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom all right?" And the Cushite replied, "May what has become of the young man happen to the enemies of my lord the king and to all who rise up against you to harm you."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe the kyng seide to Chusi, Whether pees is to the child Absolon? To whom Chusi answeride, and seide, The enemyes of my lord the kyng, and alle men that risiden ayens hym in to yuel, be maad as the child.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith unto the Cushite, `Peace to the youth -- to Absalom?' And the Cushite saith, `Let them be -- as the youth -- the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against thee for evil.'

Update Bible Version
And the king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against you to do you hurt, be as that young man is.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said to Cushi, [Is] the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, May the enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do [thee] hurt, be as [that] young man [is].

World English Bible
The king said to the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? The Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you hurt, be as that young man is.

New King James Version
And the king said to the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" So the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!"

New Living Translation
"What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" And the Ethiopian replied, "May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!"

New Life Bible
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "May those who hate my lord the king, all those who come to do bad things against you, be as that young man!"

New Revised Standard
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king said unto the Cushite - Is it, well, with the young man - Absolom? Then said the Cushite - Be, like the young man, the enemies of my lord the king, and all who have risen up against thee, for harm.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said to Chusai: Is the young man Absalom safe? And Chusai answering him, said: Let the enemies of my lord, the king, and all that rise against him unto evil, be as the young man is.

Revised Standard Version
The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Ab'salom?" And the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!"

Contextual Overview

¹⁹Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run to the king and bring him the good news that God has delivered him from his enemies." But Joab said, "You're not the one to deliver the good news today; some other day, maybe, but it's not ‘good news' today." (This was because the king's son was dead.) ²¹ Then Joab ordered a Cushite, "You go. Tell the king what you've seen." "Yes sir," said the Cushite, and ran off. ²² Ahimaaz son of Zadok kept at it, begging Joab, "What does it matter? Let me run, too, following the Cushite." Joab said, "Why all this ‘Run, run'? You'll get no thanks for it, I can tell you." ²³ "I don't care; let me run." "Okay," said Joab, "run." So Ahimaaz ran, taking the lower valley road, and passed the Cushite. ²⁴David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry had gone up to the top of the gate on the wall and looked around. He saw a solitary runner. The sentry called down and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, it must be good news!" As the runner came closer, the sentry saw another runner and called down to the gate, "Another runner all by himself." And the king said, "This also must be good news." Then the sentry said, "I can see the first man now; he runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." "He's a good man," said the king. "He's bringing good news for sure." Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Peace!" Then he bowed deeply before the king, his face to the ground. "Blessed be your God ; he has handed over the men who rebelled against my master the king." The king asked, "But is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz said, "I saw a huge ruckus just as Joab was sending me off, but I don't know what it was about." The king said, "Step aside and stand over there." So he stepped aside. Then the Cushite arrived and said, "Good news, my master and king! God has given victory today over all those who rebelled against you!" "But," said the king, "is the young man Absalom all right?" And the Cushite replied, "Would that all of the enemies of my master the king and all who maliciously rose against you end up like that young man." The king was stunned. Heartbroken, he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he wept he cried out, O my son Absalom, my dear, dear son Absalom! Why not me rather than you, my death and not yours, O Absalom, my dear, dear son! ²⁶ David organized his forces. He appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds. Then David deployed his troops, a third under Joab, a third under Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king then announced, "I'm marching with you." They said, "No, you mustn't march with us. If we're forced to retreat, the enemy won't give it a second thought. And if half of us die, they won't do so either. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better for us if you stay in the city and help from there." "If you say so," said the king. "I'll do what you think is best." And so he stood beside the city gate as the whole army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. Then the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." The whole army heard what the king commanded the three captains regarding Absalom. The army took the field to meet Israel. It turned out that the battle was joined in the Forest of Ephraim. The army of Israel was beaten badly there that day by David's men, a terrific slaughter—twenty thousand men! There was fighting helter-skelter all over the place—the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword! Absalom ran into David's men, but was out in front of them riding his mule, when the mule ran under the branches of a huge oak tree. Absalom's head was caught in the oak and he was left dangling between heaven and earth, the mule running right out from under him. A solitary soldier saw him and reported it to Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!" Joab said to the man who told him, "If you saw him, why didn't you kill him then and there? I'd have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a fancy belt." The man told Joab, "Even if I'd had a chance at a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't have laid a hand on the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, protect the young man Absalom.' Why, I'd be risking my life, for nothing is hidden from the king. And you would have just stood there!" Joab said, "I can't waste my time with you." He then grabbed three knives and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive in the tree; by then Absalom was surrounded by ten of Joab's armor bearers; they hacked away at him and killed him. Joab then blew the ram's horn trumpet, calling off the army in its pursuit of Israel. They took Absalom, dumped him into a huge pit in the forest, and piled an immense mound of rocks over him. Meanwhile the whole army of Israel was in flight, each man making his own way home. While alive, Absalom had erected for himself a pillar in the Valley of the King, "because," he said, "I have no son to carry on my name." He inscribed the pillar with his own name. To this day it is called "The Absalom Memorial." Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run to the king and bring him the good news that God has delivered him from his enemies." But Joab said, "You're not the one to deliver the good news today; some other day, maybe, but it's not ‘good news' today." (This was because the king's son was dead.) Then Joab ordered a Cushite, "You go. Tell the king what you've seen." "Yes sir," said the Cushite, and ran off. Ahimaaz son of Zadok kept at it, begging Joab, "What does it matter? Let me run, too, following the Cushite." Joab said, "Why all this ‘Run, run'? You'll get no thanks for it, I can tell you." "I don't care; let me run." "Okay," said Joab, "run." So Ahimaaz ran, taking the lower valley road, and passed the Cushite. David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry had gone up to the top of the gate on the wall and looked around. He saw a solitary runner. The sentry called down and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, it must be good news!" As the runner came closer, the sentry saw another runner and called down to the gate, "Another runner all by himself." And the king said, "This also must be good news." ²⁷ Then the sentry said, "I can see the first man now; he runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." "He's a good man," said the king. "He's bringing good news for sure." ²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Peace!" Then he bowed deeply before the king, his face to the ground. "Blessed be your God ; he has handed over the men who rebelled against my master the king." ²⁹ The king asked, "But is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz said, "I saw a huge ruckus just as Joab was sending me off, but I don't know what it was about." ³⁰ The king said, "Step aside and stand over there." So he stepped aside.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The enemies: Thus Cushi obliquely and slowly informs David of the death of his son Absalom. Judges 5:31, Psalms 68:1, Psalms 68:2, Daniel 4:19

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:14 - see whether it be well with 1 Samuel 25:26 - now let Job 27:7 - General Psalms 109:20 - Let this

Cross-References

Genesis 18:6
Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. He said, "Hurry. Get three cups of our best flour; knead it and make bread."

Genesis 18:7
Then Abraham ran to the cattle pen and picked out a nice plump calf and gave it to the servant who lost no time getting it ready. Then he got curds and milk, brought them with the calf that had been roasted, set the meal before the men, and stood there under the tree while they ate.

Genesis 18:9
The men said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "In the tent."

Genesis 18:10
One of them said, "I'm coming back about this time next year. When I arrive, your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening at the tent opening, just behind the man.

Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old. Sarah was far past the age for having babies. Sarah laughed within herself, "An old woman like me? Get pregnant? With this old man of a husband?"

Genesis 18:13
God said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh saying, ‘Me? Have a baby? An old woman like me?' Is anything too hard for God ? I'll be back about this time next year and Sarah will have a baby."

Genesis 18:15
Sarah lied. She said, "I didn't laugh," because she was afraid. But he said, "Yes you did; you laughed."

Genesis 18:16
When the men got up to leave, they set off for Sodom. Abraham walked with them to say good-bye.

Genesis 18:17
Then God said, "Shall I keep back from Abraham what I'm about to do? Abraham is going to become a large and strong nation; all the nations of the world are going to find themselves blessed through him. Yes, I've settled on him as the one to train his children and future family to observe God 's way of life, live kindly and generously and fairly, so that God can complete in Abraham what he promised him."

Genesis 18:20
God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said unto Cushi, is the young man Absalom safe?.... The same question that was put to Ahimaaz, 2 Samuel 18:29; which shows what lay nearest his heart, and was uppermost in his mind,

and Cushi answered, the enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do [thee] hurt, be as [that] young man [is], which was tacitly saying he was dead, and so David understood it; and he expressed it in such a manner, that David could not be displeased with the messenger; though the message was grievous to him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:32. Is the young man Absalom safe? — This was the utmost of his solicitude, and it well merited the reproof which Joab gave him, 2 Samuel 19:5.