and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone.
[25] And the watchman cried, and
told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and
drew near.
[26] And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter,
and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.
[27] And the
watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.
And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.
[28] And Ahimaaz called, and said
unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed
be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the
king.
[29] And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent
the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.
[30] And the
king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.
[31] And, behold,
Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all
them that rose up against thee.
[32] 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.
[33] And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and
wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had
died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
2Sam.19
[1] And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.
[2] And the victory that
day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was
grieved for his son.
[3] And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed
steal away when they flee in battle.
[4] But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice,
O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
[5] And Joab came into the house to the king, and
said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the
lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;
[6] In
that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest
neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this
day, then it had pleased thee well.
[7] Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for
I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be
worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.
[8] Then the king arose, and
sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all
the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.
[9] And all the people were at
strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and
he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
[10]
And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word
of bringing the king back?
[11] And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak
unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the
speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.
[12] Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones
and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?
[13] And say ye to Amasa, Art thou
not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host
before me continually in the room of Joab.
[14] And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as
the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.
[15] So
the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct
the king over Jordan.
[16] And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and
came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.
[17] 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 servants with
him; and they went over Jordan before the king.
[18] And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the
king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the
king, as he was come over Jordan;
[19] And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me,
neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of
Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
[20] For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore,
behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
[21]