In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west on a road beside the hill.

Your servant has two sons. When the two of them got into a fight in the field, there was no one present who could intervene. One of them struck the other and killed him.

The woman said, “Why have you devised something like this against God’s people? When the king speaks in this fashion, he makes himself guilty, for the king has not brought back the one he has banished.

Yes! The king may listen and deliver his female servant from the hand of the man who seeks to remove both me and my son from the inheritance God has given us!’

Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?”

Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty of the citizens of Israel.

After four years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron.

For I made this vow when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, I will serve the Lord.’”

Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume that Absalom rules in Hebron.”

So the king and all the members of his royal court set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines to attend to the palace.

Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again.

Now David had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed, “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord!”

He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left.

When I catch up with him he will be exhausted and worn out. I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king

His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

Then Joab blew the trumpet and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt.

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.”

But he said, “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

The king covered his face and cried out loudly, “My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!”

But Absalom, whom we anointed as our king, has died in battle. So now why do you hesitate to bring the king back?”