Abšāloma nāve
1 Dāvids nostādīja karapulku, kas bija pie viņa, un iecēla virsniekus pār tūkstošiem un virsniekus pār simtiem. 2 Tad Dāvids sūtīja karapulku kaujā – trešo daļu Joāba vadībā, trešo daļu Abīšaja, Cerūjas dēla, Joāba brāļa vadībā, un trešo daļu gatieša Itaja vadībā. Ķēniņš sacīja ļaudīm: “Ietin iešu jums līdzi – es ar!” 3 Ļaudis sacīja: “Nenāc! Ja mēs bēgtin bēgsim, par mums tiem maza bēda! Ja puse no mums ies bojā, par mums tiem maza bēda! Jo tu viens pats kā desmit tūkstoši no mums – būs labāk, ja tu mūs no pilsētas atbalstīsi!”
4 Ķēniņš tiem sacīja: “Kā jums šķiet labāk, tā es darīšu!” Ķēniņš nostājās pie vārtiem, un viss karapulks izgāja pa simtiem un pa tūkstošiem. 5 Ķēniņš pavēlēja Joābam, Abīšajam un Itajam: “Es jūs lūdzu, esiet saudzīgi pret šo puisi Abšālomu!” Viss karapulks dzirdēja, ko ķēniņš par Abšālomu pavēlēja virsniekiem. 6 Karapulks izgāja Israēlam pretī, un kauja notika Efraima mežā. 7 Tur Dāvida kalpi sakāva Israēla pulku. Tā todien bija milzīga sakāve – divdesmit tūkstoši krita. 8 Kauja pletās pa visu zemi, un mežs todien aprija vairāk ļaužu nekā zobens. 9 Abšāloms sastapās ar Dāvida kalpiem. Abšāloms jāja uz mūļa, un, kad mūlis pagāja zem liela ozola zaru jūkļa, Abšāloma mati ieķērās ozola zaros un viņš palika starp debesīm un zemi, un mūlis zem viņa aizgāja. 10 Kāds vīrs to ieraudzīja un teica Joābam: “Redzi, es redzēju Abšālomu karājamies ozolā!” 11 Joābs sacīja tam vīram, kas viņam to pateica: “Kā – tu redzēji?! – kādēļ tad nenotrieci viņu turpat zemē? Tu būtu no manis dabūjis desmit sudraba gabalus un jostu!” 12 Tas vīrs atbildēja Joābam: “Pat ja man iesvērtu tūkstoš sudraba gabalu, es nepaceltu roku pret ķēniņa dēlu, jo, mums dzirdot, ķēniņš pavēlēja tev, Abīšajam un Itajam: saudzējiet taču to puisi Abšālomu! – 13 Ja es izdarītu tādu viltību, pats savai dzīvībai kaitēdams, tas nepaliktu apslēpts ķēniņam, bet tu būtu stāvējis malā.” 14 Joābs teica: “Nav man te ko gaidīt uz tevi!” – un, paķēris rokā trīs šautras, ietrieca tās Abšāloma sirdī – tas vēl dzīvs karājās ozola lapotnē. 15 Desmit puiši, Joāba ieroču nesēji, apstāja Abšālomu, kāva un nonāvēja viņu. 16 Tad Joābs pūta ragu, un karapulks pārstāja vajāt Israēlu, jo Joābs viņus apturēja. 17 Viņi ņēma Abšālomu, ielika to lielā bedrē mežā un virsū sakrāva ļoti lielu akmeņu kaudzi. Bet visi israēlieši bēga katrs uz savu telti.
18 Abšāloms, vēl dzīvs būdams, bija uzslējis sev piemiņas stabu Ķēniņu ielejā, jo viņš domāja: “Man nav dēla, kas nestu tālāk manu vārdu.” Viņš nosauca piemiņas stabu savā vārdā, un to sauc par Abšāloma piemiņas stabu līdz šai dienai.
Ziņa par uzvaru ķēniņam
19 Ahīmaacs, Cādoka dēls, teica: “Ļauj, ka skrienu un nesu ķēniņam labo ziņu, ka Kungs viņu iztiesājis no viņa ienaidnieku rokām.” 20 Joābs sacīja viņam: “Šodien tu nebūsi labās ziņas nesējs. Nesīsi ziņu citu reizi, nevis šodien, kad ķēniņa dēls miris.” 21 Un Joābs teica kādam kūšietim: “Ej, stāsti ķēniņam, ko esi redzējis!” Kūšietis palocījās Joābam un aizskrēja. 22 Ahīmaacs, Cādoka dēls, atkal sacīja Joābam: “Lai būtu kā būdams, ļauj, es arī skriešu pakaļ kūšietim!” Joābs sacīja viņam: “Kāpēc gan tu skriesi, mans dēls, – tev nav labas ziņas, ko nest!” 23 “Lai būtu kā būdams, es skriešu!” Joābs sacīja: “Skrien arī!” – un Ahīmaacs aizskrēja pa līdzenuma ceļu un apsteidza kūšieti. 24 Dāvids sēdēja starp abiem vārtiem, un sargs staigāja pa vārtu jumtu uz mūra. Viņš ieskatījās, un redzi – kāds vīrs viens pats skrien! 25 Sargs sauca un pavēstīja ķēniņam. Ķēniņš sacīja: “Ja viņš viens, tad tam ir laba ziņa.” Un tas nāca tuvāk un tuvāk. 26 Tad sargs ieraudzīja vēl vienu skrejošu vīru, un sargs uzsauca vārtu sargam: “Re, vēl viens vīrs skrien!” Ķēniņš sacīja: “Tas arī būs ziņnesis.” 27 Sargs sacīja: “Es redzu, ka pirmais skrien gluži kā Ahīmaacs, Cādoka dēls.” Ķēniņš sacīja: “Tas ir krietns vīrs un nāk ar labu ziņu.” 28 Un Ahīmaacs sauca ķēniņam: “Miers!” Viņš noliecās ķēniņam ar seju līdz zemei un sacīja: “Slavēts Kungs, tavs Dievs, kas gūstījis tos vīrus, kuri pacēla roku pret manu kungu, ķēniņu!” 29 Ķēniņš prasīja: “Kā klājas tam puisim Abšālomam?” Ahīmaacs sacīja: “Es redzēju lielu kņadu, kad Joābs izsūtīja ķēniņa kalpu un mani, tavu kalpu, bet es nezinu, kas tur bija!” 30 Ķēniņš sacīja: “Paej malā un gaidi šeit!” Viņš pagāja malā un apstājās.
31 Un redzi – ienāca kūšietis un sacīja: “Saņem labu ziņu, mans kungs, ķēniņ, jo Kungs tevi iztiesājis no visu to rokām, kas pret tevi sacēlušies!” 32 Un ķēniņš prasīja kūšietim: “Kā klājas tam puisim Abšālomam?” Kūšietis sacīja: “Lai tā, kā šim puisim, notiek ķēniņa ienaidniekiem un visiem, kas pret tevi ceļas ar ļaunu!”
Absalom Is Defeated and Killed
1 King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them. 2 Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, “I will go with you myself.”
3 “You mustn't go with us,” they answered. “It won't make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run, or even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help.”
4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king answered. Then he stood by the side of the gate as his men marched out in units of a thousand and of a hundred. 5 He gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.” And all the troops heard David give this command to his officers.
6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day. 8 The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.
9 Suddenly Absalom met some of David's men. Absalom was riding a mule, and as it went under a large oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the branches. The mule ran on and Absalom was left hanging in midair. 10 One of David's men saw him and reported to Joab, “Sir, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
11 Joab answered, “If you saw him, why didn't you kill him on the spot? I myself would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man answered, “Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't lift a finger against the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.’ 13 But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it—he hears about everything—and you would not have defended me.”
14 “I'm not going to waste any more time with you,” Joab said. He took three spears and plunged them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, hanging in the oak tree. 15 Then ten of Joab's soldiers closed in on Absalom and finished killing him.
16 Joab had the trumpet blown to stop the fighting, and his troops came back from pursuing the Israelites. 17 They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.
18 During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.
David Is Told of Absalom's Death
19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemies.”
20 “No,” Joab said, “today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead.” 21 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” The slave bowed and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz insisted, “I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also.”
“Why do you want to do it, my son?” Joab asked. “You will get no reward for it.”
23 “Whatever happens,” Ahimaaz said again, “I want to go.”
“Then go,” Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave.
24 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called down and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The runner kept coming closer.
26 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running!”
The king answered, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27 The lookout said, “I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz.”
“He's a good man,” the king said, “and he is bringing good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, “Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29 “Is the young man Absalom all right?” the king asked.
Ahimaaz answered, “Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was.”
30 “Stand over there,” the king told him; and he went over and stood there.
31 Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, “I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!”
32 “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.”
33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!”
