2Samuel 15

15After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.H310H53H6213H4818H5483H2572H376H7323H64402And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And when he said, "Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,"H53H7925H5975H3027H1870H8179H376H7379H935H4428H4941H53H7121H559H335H5892H559H5650H259H7626H34783Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you."H53H559H7200H1697H2896H5228H4428H80854Then Absalom would say, "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice."H53H559H7760H8199H776H376H7379H4941H935H66635And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.H376H7126H7812H7971H3027H2388H54016Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.H1697H6213H53H3478H935H4428H4941H53H1589H3820H582H34787And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron.H7093H705H8141H53H559H4428H3212H7999H5088H5087H3068H22758For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, 'If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.'"H5650H5087H5088H3427H1650H758H559H3068H7725H7725H3389H5647H30689The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron.H4428H559H3212H7965H6965H3212H227510But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, 'Absalom is king at Hebron!'"H53H7971H7270H7626H3478H559H8085H6963H7782H559H53H4427H227511With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.H53H1980H3967H376H3389H7121H1980H8537H3045H169712And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.H53H7971H302H1526H1732H3289H5892H1542H2076H2077H7195H533H5971H7227H1980H5313And a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom."H935H5046H1732H559H3820H376H3478H310H5314Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."H1732H559H5650H3389H6965H1272H6413H6440H53H4116H3212H5381H4116H5080H7451H5221H5892H6310H271915And the king's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides."H4428H5650H559H4428H5650H113H4428H97716So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.H4428H3318H1004H7272H4428H5800H6235H802H6370H8104H100417And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house.H4428H3318H5971H7272H5975H1004H4801H102318And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.H5650H5674H3027H3774H6432H1663H8337H3967H376H935H7272H1661H5674H6440H442819Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home.H559H4428H863H1663H3212H7725H4725H3427H4428H5237H154020You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you."H935H8543H3117H3212H5128H5128H1980H7725H7725H251H2617H57121But Ittai answered the king, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be."H863H6030H4428H559H3068H2416H113H4428H2416H4725H113H4428H4194H2416H565022And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.H1732H559H863H3212H5674H863H1663H5674H582H294523And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.H776H1058H1419H6963H5971H5674H4428H5674H5158H6939H5971H5674H6440H1870H405724And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.H6659H3881H5375H727H1285H430H3332H727H430H54H5927H5971H8552H5674H589225Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.H4428H559H6659H7725H727H430H5892H4672H2580H5869H3068H7725H7200H511626But if he says, 'I have no pleasure in you,' behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him."H559H2654H6213H5869H289627The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.H4428H559H6659H3548H7200H7725H5892H7965H8147H1121H290H1121H3083H1121H5428See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."H7200H4102H6160H5679H4057H935H1697H504629So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.H6659H54H7725H727H430H7725H3389H342730But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.H1732H5927H4608H2132H1058H5927H7218H2645H1980H3182H5971H2645H376H7218H5927H1058H592731And it was told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."H5046H1732H559H302H7194H53H1732H559H3068H6098H302H552832While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.H1732H935H7218H7812H430H2365H757H7125H3801H7167H127H721833David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.H1732H559H5674H485334But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,' then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.H7725H5892H559H53H5650H4428H1H5650H227H5650H6565H6098H30235Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.H6659H54H3548H1697H8085H4428H1004H5046H6659H54H354836Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear."H8147H1121H290H6659H3083H54H3027H7971H1697H808537So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.H2365H1732H7463H935H5892H53H935H3389