Study Desk

And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.

And Ahimaaz called, and said to the king, All is well. And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed be Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

And the victory that day was turned into mourning to all the people; for the people heard it said that day, The king grieves for his son.

And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told to all the people, saying, Look, the king is sitting in the gate: and all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.

And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel has come to the king.

And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty slaves with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.

And there went over a ferry-boat to bring over the king's household, and to do that which was good in his eyes. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, when he came over the Jordan.

And he said to the king, Don't let my lord impute iniquity to me, neither remember that which your slave did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.

And Mephibaal the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace to Jerusalem.

And Mephibaal said to the king, yes, let him take all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his own house.

And all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over: and the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned to his own place.

And, look, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king, and his household, over the Jordan, and all David's men with him?

And there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.

And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but didn't go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened on his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.

And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with you, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith in the body, and shed out his insides to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.

The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Look, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.