19Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom.H5046H3097H4428H1058H56H53 2As all the people heard of the king's deep grief for his son, the joy of that day's victory was turned into deep sadness.H8668H3117H60H5971H5971H8085H559H3117H4428H6087H1121 3They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle.H5971H935H1589H3117H5892H5971H3637H1589H5127H4421 4The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"H4428H3813H6440H4428H2199H1419H6963H1121H53H53H1121H1121 5Then Joab went to the king's room and said to him, "We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves.H3097H935H1004H4428H559H3001H3117H6440H5650H3117H4422H5315H5315H1121H1323H5315H802H5315H6370 6You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased.H157H8130H8130H157H5046H3117H8269H5650H3117H3045H3863H53H2416H4191H3117H3477H5869 7Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before."H6965H3318H1696H3820H5650H7650H3068H3318H3885H376H3915H7489H7451H935H5271 8So the king went out and took his seat at the town gate, and as the news spread throughout the town that he was there, everyone went to him. Meanwhile, the Israelites who had supported Absalom fled to their homes.H4428H6965H3427H8179H5046H5971H559H4428H3427H8179H5971H935H6440H4428H3478H5127H376H168 9And throughout all the tribes of Israel there was much discussion and argument going on. The people were saying, "The king rescued us from our enemies and saved us from the Philistines, but Absalom chased him out of the country.H5971H1777H7626H3478H559H4428H5337H3709H341H4422H3709H6430H1272H776H53 10Now Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, is dead. Why not ask David to come back and be our king again?"H53H4886H4191H4421H2790H7725H4428H7725 11Then King David sent Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, to say to the elders of Judah, "Why are you the last ones to welcome back the king into his palace? For I have heard that all Israel is ready.H4428H1732H7971H6659H54H3548H559H1696H2205H3063H559H314H7725H4428H7725H1004H1697H3478H935H4428H1004 12You are my relatives, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood! So why are you the last ones to welcome back the king?"H251H6106H1320H314H7725H4428 13And David told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my own flesh and blood, like Joab, may God strike me and even kill me if I do not appoint you as commander of my army in his place."H559H6021H6106H1320H430H6213H3254H8269H6635H6440H3117H8478H3097 14Then Amasa convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, "Return to us, and bring back all who are with you."H5186H3824H376H3063H259H376H7971H4428H7725H5650 15So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, the people of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river.H4428H7725H935H3383H3063H935H1537H3212H7125H4428H5674H4428H5674H3383 16Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David.H8096H1121H1617H1145H980H4116H3381H376H3063H7125H4428H1732 17A thousand other men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the chief servant of the house of Saul, and Ziba's fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan to meet the king. They crossed the shallows of the Jordan to bring the king's household across the river, helping him in every way they could.H505H376H1145H6717H5288H1004H7586H2568H6240H1121H6242H5650H6743H3383H6440H4428 18As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him.H5674H5679H5674H4428H1004H6213H5869H2896H8096H1121H1617H5307H6440H4428H5674H3383 19"My lord the king, please forgive me," he pleaded. "Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.H559H4428H113H2803H5771H2142H5650H5753H3117H113H4428H3318H3389H4428H7760H3820 20I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet my lord the king."H5650H3045H2398H935H7223H3117H1004H3130H3381H7125H113H4428 21Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shimei should die, for he cursed the LORD's anointed king!"H52H1121H6870H6030H559H8096H4191H7043H3068H4899 22"Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah!" David exclaimed. "Why have you become my adversary today? This is not a day for execution but for celebration! Today I am once again the king of Israel!"H1732H559H1121H6870H3117H7854H376H4191H3117H3478H3045H3117H4428H3478 23Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, "Your life will be spared."H4428H559H8096H4191H4428H7650 24Now Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, came down from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes since the day the king left Jerusalem.H4648H1121H7586H3381H7125H4428H3808H6213H7272H6213H8222H3526H899H3117H4428H3212H3117H935H7965 25"Why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?" the king asked him.H935H3389H7125H4428H4428H559H1980H4648 26Mephibosheth replied, "My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, 'Saddle my donkey so I can go with the king.' For as you know I am crippled.H559H113H4428H5650H7411H5650H559H2280H2543H7392H3212H4428H5650H6455 27Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that my lord the king is like an angel of God, so do what you think is best.H7270H5650H113H4428H113H4428H4397H430H6213H2896H5869 28All my relatives and I could expect only death from you, my lord, but instead you have honored me by allowing me to eat at your own table! What more can I ask?"H1H1004H3808H4194H582H113H4428H7896H5650H398H7979H6666H3426H2199H4428 29"You've said enough," David replied. "I've decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you."H4428H559H1696H1697H559H6717H2505H7704 30"Give him all of it," Mephibosheth said. "I am content just to have you safely back again, my lord the king!"H4648H559H4428H3947H310H834H113H4428H935H7965H1004 31Barzillai of Gilead had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan.H1271H1569H3381H7274H5674H3383H4428H7971H3383 32He was very old, about eighty, and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.H1271H3966H2204H8084H8141H1121H4428H3557H7871H4266H3966H1419H376 33"Come across with me and live in Jerusalem," the king said to Barzillai. "I will take care of you there."H4428H559H1271H5674H3557H3389 34"No," he replied, "I am far too old to go with the king to Jerusalem.H1271H559H4428H3117H8141H2416H5927H4428H3389 35I am eighty years old today, and I can no longer enjoy anything. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and I cannot hear the singers as they sing. I would only be a burden to my lord the king.H3117H8084H8141H1121H3045H2896H7451H5650H2938H834H398H834H8354H8085H6963H7891H7891H5650H4853H113H4428 36Just to go across the Jordan River with the king is all the honor I need!H5650H5674H4592H5674H3383H4428H4428H1580H1578 37Then let me return again to die in my own town, where my father and mother are buried. But here is your servant, my son Kimham. Let him go with my lord the king and receive whatever you want to give him."H5650H7725H4191H5892H6913H1H517H5650H3643H5674H113H4428H6213H2896H5869 38"Good," the king agreed. "Kimham will go with me, and I will help him in any way you would like. And I will do for you anything you want."H4428H559H3643H5674H6213H2896H5869H977H6213 39So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king. After David had blessed Barzillai and kissed him, Barzillai returned to his own home.H5971H5674H3383H4428H5674H4428H5401H1271H1288H7725H4725 40The king then crossed over to Gilgal, taking Kimham with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the king on his way.H4428H5674H1537H3643H5674H5971H3063H5674H5674H4428H2677H5971H3478 41But all the men of Israel complained to the king, "The men of Judah stole the king and didn't give us the honor of helping take you, your household, and all your men across the Jordan."H376H3478H935H4428H559H4428H251H376H3063H1589H5674H4428H1004H1732H582H3383 42The men of Judah replied, "The king is one of our own kinsmen. Why should this make you angry? We haven't eaten any of the king's food or received any special favors!"H376H3063H6030H376H3478H4428H7138H2734H1697H398H398H4428H5375H5379 43"But there are ten tribes in Israel," the others replied. "So we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. What right do you have to treat us with such contempt? Weren't we the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again?" The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah spoke even more harshly than the men of Israel.H376H3478H6030H376H3063H559H6235H3027H4428H589H1732H7043H1697H7223H7725H4428H1697H376H3063H7185H1697H376H3478
20There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram's horn and began to chant: "Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!"H7122H376H1100H8034H7652H1121H1075H1145H8628H7782H559H2506H1732H5159H1121H3448H376H376H168H3478 2So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king and escorted him from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.H376H3478H5927H310H1732H310H7652H1121H1075H376H3063H1692H4428H3383H3389 3When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and placed them in seclusion. Their needs were provided for, but he no longer slept with them. So each of them lived like a widow until she died.H1732H935H1004H3389H4428H3947H6235H802H6370H3240H8104H1004H5414H4931H3557H935H6887H3117H4191H2424H491 4Then the king told Amasa, "Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time."H559H4428H6021H2199H376H3063H7969H3117H5975 5So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given.H6021H3212H2199H3063H309H3186H4150H3259 6Then David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified town where we can't reach him."H1732H559H52H7652H1121H1075H3415H53H3947H113H5650H7291H310H4672H1219H5892H5337H5869 7So Abishai and Joab, together with the king's bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.H3318H310H3097H582H3774H6432H1368H3318H3389H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 8As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing his military tunic with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.H1419H68H1391H6021H935H6440H3097H4055H3830H2296H2289H2719H6775H4975H8593H3318H5307 9"How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.H3097H559H6021H7965H251H3097H270H6021H2206H3225H3027H5401 10Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it so that his insides gushed out onto the ground. Joab did not need to strike again, and Amasa soon died. Joab and his brother Abishai left him lying there and continued after Sheba.H6021H8104H2719H3097H3027H5221H2570H8210H4578H776H8138H4191H3097H52H251H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 11One of Joab's young men shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab."H376H3097H5288H5975H559H4310H2654H3097H1732H310H3097 12But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab's man saw that everyone was stopping to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him.H6021H1556H1818H8432H4546H376H7200H5971H5975H5437H6021H4546H7704H7993H899H7200H935H5975 13With Amasa's body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba son of Bicri.H3014H4546H376H5674H310H3097H7291H310H7652H1121H1075 14Meanwhile, Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and eventually came to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the members of his own clan, the Bicrites, assembled for battle and followed him into the town.H5674H7626H3478H59H1038H1276H6950H7035H935H310 15When Joab's forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town's fortifications and began battering down the wall.H935H6696H59H1038H8210H5550H5892H5975H2426H5971H3097H7843H2346H5307 16But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."H7121H2450H802H5892H8085H8085H559H3097H7126H1696 17As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he replied. So she said, "Listen carefully to your servant." "I'm listening," he said.H7126H802H559H3097H559H559H8085H1697H519H559H8085 18Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.'H559H559H1696H1696H7223H559H7592H7592H59H8552 19I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying an important town in Israel. Why do you want to devour what belongs to the LORD?"H7999H539H3478H1245H4191H5892H517H3478H1104H5159H3068 20And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to devour or destroy your town!H3097H6030H559H2486H2486H1104H7843 21That's not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace." "All right," the woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."H1697H376H2022H669H7652H1121H1075H8034H5375H3027H4428H1732H5414H3212H5892H802H559H3097H7218H7993H1157H2346 22Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram's horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.H802H935H5971H2451H3772H7218H7652H1121H1075H7993H3097H8628H7782H6327H5892H376H168H3097H7725H3389H4428 23Now Joab was the commander of the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king's bodyguard.H3097H6635H3478H1141H1121H3077H3774H3746H6432 24Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.H151H4522H3092H1121H286H2142 25Sheva was the court secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.H7864H7724H5608H6659H54H3548 26And Ira, a descendant of Jair, was David's personal priest.H5896H2972H3548H1732
21There was a famine during David's reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the LORD about it. And the LORD said, "The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites."H7458H3117H1732H7969H8141H8141H310H8141H1732H1245H6440H3068H3068H559H7586H1818H1004H4191H1393 2So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out.H4428H7121H1393H559H1393H1121H3478H3499H567H1121H3478H7650H7586H1245H5221H7065H1121H3478H3063 3David asked them, "What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's people again?"H1732H559H1393H6213H3722H1288H5159H3068 4"Well, money can't settle this matter between us and the family of Saul," the Gibeonites replied. "Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel." "What can I do then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."H1393H559H3701H2091H5973H7586H1004H4191H376H3478H559H559H6213 5Then they replied, "It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel.H559H4428H376H3615H1819H8045H3320H1366H3478 6So let seven of Saul's sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the LORD at Gibeon, on the mountain of the LORD." "All right," the king said, "I will do it."H7651H582H1121H5414H3363H3068H1390H7586H3068H972H4428H559H5414 7The king spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the LORD.H4428H2550H4648H1121H3083H1121H7586H3068H7621H1732H3083H1121H7586 8But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah.H4428H3947H8147H1121H7532H1323H345H3205H7586H764H4648H2568H1121H4324H1323H7586H3205H5741H1121H1271H4259 9The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the LORD. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.H5414H3027H1393H3363H2022H6440H3068H5307H7651H7659H3162H4191H3117H7105H7223H8462H8184H7105 10Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men, spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.H7532H1323H345H3947H8242H5186H6697H8462H7105H4325H5413H8064H5414H5775H8064H5117H3119H2416H7704H3915 11When David learned what Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done,H5046H1732H7532H1323H345H6370H7586H6213 12he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, the people of Jabesh-gilead stole their bodies from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them.)H1732H3212H3947H6106H7586H6106H3083H1121H1167H3003H1568H1589H7339H1052H6430H8511H8518H3117H6430H5221H7586H1533 13So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.H5927H6106H7586H6106H3083H1121H622H6106H3363 14Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.H6106H7586H3083H1121H6912H776H1144H6762H6913H7027H1H6213H4428H6680H310H430H6279H776 15Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.H6430H4421H3478H1732H3381H5650H3898H6430H1732H5774 16Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.H3430H3211H7497H4948H7013H7969H3967H5178H4948H2296H2319H559H5221H1732 17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David's men declared, "You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"H52H1121H6870H5826H5221H6430H4191H582H1732H7650H559H3318H4421H3518H5216H3478 18After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.H310H4421H6430H1359H5444H2843H5221H5593H3211H7497 19During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver's beam!H4421H1359H6430H445H1121H3296H1022H5221H1555H1663H6086H2595H707H4500 20In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants.H4421H1661H376H4067H4055H3027H8337H676H7272H8337H676H702H6242H4557H3205H7497 21But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea.H2778H3478H3083H1121H8092H251H1732H5221 22These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.H702H3205H7497H1661H5307H3027H1732H3027H5650
Dublin, OH
Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom.H5046
