Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn&#8217;t a woman throw an upper millstone<n id="1" /> down on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?&#8217; just say to him, &#8216;Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.&#8217;&#8221;p>

David said to the messenger, &#8220;Tell Joab, &#8216;Don&#8217;t let this thing upset you.<n id="1" /> There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down.<n id="2" /> Press the battle against the city and conquer<n id="3" /> it.&#8217; Encourage him with these words.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">So the <sc>Lordsc> sent Nathan<n id="1" /> to David. When he came to David,<n id="2" /> Nathan<n id="3" /> said,<n id="4" /> &#8220;There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;When a traveler arrived at the rich man&#8217;s home,<n id="1" /> he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed<n id="2" /> the traveler who had come to visit him.<n id="3" /> Instead, he took the poor man&#8217;s lamb and cooked<n id="4" /> it for the man who had come to visit him.&#8221;p>

This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;I am about to bring disaster on you<n id="1" /> from inside your own household!<n id="2" /> Right before your eyes I will take your wives and hand them over to your companion.<n id="3" /> He will have sexual relations with<n id="4" /> your wives in broad daylight!<n id="5" />

He took the crown of their king<n id="1" /> from his head &#8211; it was gold, weighed about seventy-five pounds,<n id="2" /> and held a precious stone &#8211; and it was placed on David&#8217;s head. He also took from the city a great deal of plunder.

He asked Amnon,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Why are you, the king&#8217;s son,<n id="2" /> so depressed every morning? Can&#8217;t you tell me?&#8221; So Amnon said to him, &#8220;I&#8217;m in love with Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.&#8221;

Jonadab replied to him, &#8220;Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick.<n id="1" /> When your father comes in to see you, say to him, &#8216;Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Amnon said to Tamar, &#8220;Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.&#8221; So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.

How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools<n id="1" /> in Israel! Just<n id="2" /> speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Her brother Absalom said to her, &#8220;Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don&#8217;t take it so seriously!&#8221;<n id="1" /> Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.p>

So he said to his servants, &#8220;Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.&#8221;<n id="1" /> So Absalom&#8217;s servants set Joab&#8217;s<n id="2" /> portion of the field on fire.p>

So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Come on!<n id="2" /> Let&#8217;s escape!<n id="3" /> Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring<n id="4" /> disaster on us and kill the city&#8217;s residents with the sword.&#8221;<n id="5" />

It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men<n id="1" /> with you. May genuine loyal love<n id="2" /> protect<n id="3" /> you!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">But Ittai replied to the king, &#8220;As surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether dead or alive,<n id="1" /> there I<n id="2" /> will be as well!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">All the land was weeping loudly<n id="1" /> as all these people were leaving.<n id="2" /> As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving<n id="3" /> on the road that leads to the desert.

But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, &#8216;I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father&#8217;s servant, and now I will be your servant.&#8217;

The king asked, &#8220;Where is your master&#8217;s grandson?&#8221;<n id="1" /> Ziba replied to the king, &#8220;He remains in Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> for he said, &#8216;Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather&#8217;s<n id="3" /> kingdom.&#8217;&#8221;

The <sc>Lordsc> has punished you for<n id="1" /> all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the <sc>Lordsc> has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!&#8221;p>

But the king said, &#8220;What do we have in common,<n id="1" /> you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the <sc>Lordsc> has said to him, &#8216;Curse David!&#8217;, who can say to him, &#8216;Why have you done this?&#8217;&#8221;