<p class="bodytext">Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River.

From<n id="1" /> the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three.p>

He received honor from<n id="1" /> the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.p>

When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, Joab was told: &#8220;Abner the son of Ner came to the king; he sent him away, and he left in peace!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">So Joab went to the king and said, &#8220;What have you done? Abner<n id="1" /> has come to you! Why would you send him away? Now he&#8217;s gone on his way!<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

When David&#8217;s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Long live the king! Long live the king!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then the Cushite arrived and said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;May my lord the king now receive the good news! The <sc>Lordsc> has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!&#8221;<n id="2" />

So the king returned and came to the Jordan River.<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">Now the people of Judah<n id="2" /> had come to Gilgal to meet the king and to help him<n id="3" /> cross the Jordan.

<p class="bodytext">When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you go with me, Mephibosheth?&#8221;

Mephibosheth said to the king, &#8220;Let him have<n id="1" /> the whole thing! My lord the king has returned safely<n id="2" /> to his house!&#8221;p>

On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.<n id="1" /> When he approached David, the man<n id="2" /> threw himself to the ground.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now David&#8217;s soldiers<n id="1" /> and Joab were coming back from a raid, bringing a great deal of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, for David<n id="2" /> had sent him away and he had left in peace.

You know Abner the son of Ner! Surely he came here to spy on you and to determine when you leave and when you return<n id="1" /> and to discover everything that you are doing!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">As the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> entered the City of David, Saul&#8217;s daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the <sc>Lordsc>, she despised him.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">So they informed David, &#8220;Uriah has not gone down to his house.&#8221; So David said to Uriah, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven&#8217;t you gone down to your house?&#8221;

Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married<n id="1" /> Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab&#8217;s mother.)

<p class="bodytext">Now Mephibosheth, Saul&#8217;s grandson,<n id="1" /> came down to meet the king. From the day the king had left until the day he safely<n id="2" /> returned, Mephibosheth<n id="3" /> had not cared for his feet<n id="4" /> nor trimmed<n id="5" /> his mustache nor washed his clothes.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then David went to his palace<n id="1" /> in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement.<n id="2" /> Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them.<n id="3" /> They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.p>

<p class="bodytext">When they were near the big rock that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire and had a dagger in its sheath belted to his waist. When he advanced, it fell out.<n id="1" />p>