The king replied to her, &#8220;What do you want?&#8221;<n id="1" /> She answered, &#8220;I am a widow; my husband is dead.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Some time later Absalom managed to acquire<n id="1" /> a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom<n id="1" /> would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then a messenger came to David and reported, &#8220;The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!&#8221;<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now when Absalom and all the men<n id="1" /> of Israel arrived in Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> Ahithophel was with him.

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

<p class="bodytext">When one<n id="1" /> of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, &#8220;I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.

<p class="poetry">The one who touches themp> <p class="poetry">must use an iron instrumentp> <p class="poetry">or the wooden shaft of a spear.p> <p class="poetry">They are completely burned up right where they lie!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people<n id="1" /> of Judah.p> <p class="bodytext">David was told,<n id="2" /> &#8220;The people<n id="3" /> of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.&#8221;

Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept<n id="1" /> in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove<n id="2" /> you from the earth?&#8221;p>

Hushai went on to say, &#8220;You know your father and his men &#8211; they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.<n id="1" /> Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

<p class="bodytext">Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, &#8220;There is another man running by himself.&#8221; The king said, &#8220;This one also is bringing good news.&#8221;

All the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, &#8220;Because the king is our close relative! Why are you so upset about this? Have we eaten at the king&#8217;s expense?<n id="1" /> Or have we misappropriated anything for our own use?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">David said to the young man who told this to him, &#8220;Where are you from?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;I am an Amalekite, the son of a resident foreigner.&#8221;<n id="1" />

As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his sword and they fell dead together.<n id="1" /> So that place is called the Field of Flints;<n id="2" /> it is in Gibeon.p>

<p class="bodytext">Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David&#8217;s soldiers.<n id="1" />

Joab replied, &#8220;As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit<n id="1" /> of their brothers!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David&#8217;s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

They took Asahel&#8217;s body and buried him in his father&#8217;s tomb at Bethlehem.<n id="1" /> Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.

Her husband went along behind her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Finally Abner said to him, &#8220;Go back!&#8221;<n id="1" /> So he returned home.p>