2 Samuel 19:1-10

19:1 (19:2) Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.” 19:2 So the victory of that day was turned to mourning as far as all the people were concerned. For the people heard on that day, “The king is grieved over his son.” 19:3 That day the people stole away to go to the city the way people who are embarrassed steal away in fleeing from battle. 19:4 The king covered his face and cried out loudly, ¹  “My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”

19:5 So Joab visited ²  the king at his home. He said, “Today you have embarrassed all your servants who have saved your life this day, as well as the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. 19:6 You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don’t matter to you. I realize now ³  that if ⁴  Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, ⁵  it would be all right with you. 19:7 So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to ⁶  your servants. For I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!”

19:8 So the king got up and sat at the city gate. When all the people were informed that the king was sitting at the city gate, they ⁷  all came before him.

David Goes Back to Jerusalem

But the Israelite soldiers ⁸  had all fled to their own homes. ⁹  19:9 All the people throughout all the tribes of Israel were arguing among themselves saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies. He rescued us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. 19:10 But Absalom, whom we anointed as our king, ¹⁰  has died in battle. So now why do you hesitate to bring the king back?” ¹¹ 

[19:4]  ¹ tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[19:5]  ² tn Heb “came to.”

[19:6]  ³ tn Heb “today.”

[19:6]  ⁴ tc The translation follows the Qere, 4QSam^a, and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוּ (lu, “if”) rather than MT לֹא (lo’, “not”).

[19:6]  ⁵ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack “today.”

[19:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “and speak to the heart of.”

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the people.”

[19:8]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” (see 18:16-17).

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “had fled, each to his tent.”

[19:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “over us.”

[19:10]  ¹¹ tc The LXX includes the following words at the end of v. 11: “And what all Israel was saying came to the king’s attention.” The words are misplaced in the LXX from v. 12 (although the same statement appears there in the LXX as well).