SHIMEI CURSES DAVID. DAVID GAINS THE VICTORY OVER ABSALOM, WHO IS SLAIN IN THE BATTLE. DAVID'S GRIEF FOR HIS SON. HE GOES BACK TO JERUSALEM. THE PEOPLE SIN AGAINST GOD, AND DAVID ALSO OFFENDS HIM. THEY ARE PUNISHED BY A PESTILENCE.
BUT David made haste to flee away from Jerusalem. When he reached a place called Bahurim, there came out a man named Shimei, to meet him. Shimei was one of king Saul's relatives, and because David had been made king instead of Saul, Shimei hated him, and was glad now to see him in trouble. And as he came near, he cursed David and threw stones at him, and at those who were with him. When Abishai, David's nephew, heard Shimei cursing him, he came to David, saying, Why should this man, who is no better than a dog, be allowed to curse my lord the king? Let me go over to him, I pray thee, and cut off his head. But David would not permit him; for he said that the Lord was allowing Shimei to curse him, and that it was part of the punishment that the Lord was sending upon him. And David said, My own son Absalom is trying to take away my life; how much more, then, may this man, who is my enemy, be expected to do me evil.
After David had left Jerusalem, Absalom came there, and Ahithophel, the man who had been David's counsellor, was with him. And Absalom saw Hushai, David's friend, in the city, but he did not know that David had sent him. And Absalom asked Ahithophel to advise him what he should do to make himself king. Ahithophel answered, Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will take them and follow after David this night, and will come up with him while he is weak and faint, and make him afraid. And all who are with him will flee, and I will kill him alone. Then, when they see that he is dead, those who have obeyed him will come and obey thee, and thou shalt be king over all the people.
And this advice pleased Absalom, yet he would not do as Ahithophel said, until he had asked Hushai what he thought was the best way. Then Hushai advised him not to go out with so few as twelve thousand men, but to wait until he should have a great army. Hushai said this because he hoped that, while Absalom was gathering this army together, David would have time to escape to some place where Absalom could not take him.
And the Lord made Absalom believe that Hushai's advice was the best, because the Lord did not mean to let David be slain, but he meant to bring evil upon Absalom, and to punish him, for his great sin in rebelling against his father. And Hushai, as soon as he had done talking with Absalom, went to the priests in Jerusalem, who were David's friends, and spoke to them secretly, saying, Send a messenger quickly to David and tell him to make haste and cross over Jordan, lest Absalom's army follow after him, to slay him and all who are with him.
Now there were two young men, sons of the priests, who were hiding from Absalom, at a place a little way out of the city, and a woman went and gave them Hushai's message; then they started to take it to David. But a boy saw them and told Absalom, and he sent out men after them. And the priests' sons came quickly to a house by the way, which had a well in the yard. They went down there to hide, and a woman spread a covering over the top of the well, and sprinkled corn on the covering, so that no one could see that a well was there. When Absalom's servants came to the house to look for them, they could not find them, and they went back to the city again. Then the young men came up out of the well, and carried Hushai's message to David. And David, and all the men who were with him, passed over the river that night; by morning there was not one left who had not passed over Jordan.
When Ahithophel saw that Absalom would not do as he had advised him, he was so displeased and ashamed, that he left him and went away to his own house. There he put all things in order, and then went and hanged himself. So he died, and was buried in his father's sepulchre.
After David had passed over Jordan, and come into the land of Gilead, Barzillai, an old man who lived in that land, and others with him, brought wheat and barley, flour, parched corn, and honey, and butter, and sheep, for David and his men; because they said, that David's men must be hungry and weary after coming so far through the wilderness.
But Absalom, as soon as he had gathered his army together, made haste to follow after his father. Then David counted the men who were with him, and set captains over them; Joab, he made the chief captain. And David said, I will surely go with you myself also, to the battle. But the men answered, Thou shalt not go with us, for they will care more to take thee, than they will to take all the rest who shall go out against them. David said, Whatever seems best to you I will do: so he stayed in the city of Mahanaim, where he and his people had come.
And he stood by the gate of the city while his men were going out to fight; as they passed by him, he spoke to all the captains, saying, Deal gently, for my sake, with the young man, even with Absalom. So the people went out, and the battle was in a wood. And God gave David's army the victory, for they slew of Absalom's army twenty thousand men. And Absalom rode on a mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and Absalom's head was caught among the branches. Then the mule that was under him went away, and left him there, hanging above the ground.
And a man in the army saw him, and came to Joab, and said, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. Joab said to the man, Why didst thou not kill him? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. The man answered, Though I should have a thousand shekels of silver, I would not kill the king's son, because the king commanded us all not to harm Absalom. Then Joab said, I cannot stay here to talk with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and went to the place where Absalom was, and thrust the darts into his body, while he was yet alive, hanging in the branches of the oak: afterward ten young men who were servants to Joab, came and slew him.
Then Joab blew a trumpet for the people to come back from following after Absalom's army; because now, that Absalom himself was dead, there was no need that any more of his men should be slain. And they took Absalom and threw his dead body into a pit that was in the wood, and piled a great heap of stones over him. And all the men who had been with him fled, every one to his own home.
After the battle was over, one of the priest's sons, whose name was Ahimaaz, came to Joab, and said, Let me run now into the city and tell the king how the Lord has punished his enemies. But Joab forbade him, and told another man, named Cushi, to go. Then Ahimaaz said, I pray thee let me also run. Joab asked him, Why dost thou want to go? But he answered again, Let me run. And Joab said to him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by another way, and came near to the city before Cushi.
And David sat at the gate of the city waiting till he should hear news from the battle. His watchman had gone up to the top of the wall to see if any one were coming, and he saw a man running toward the city alone. And he cried out and told the king: the king answered, If he is alone, he brings word from the army. While this man was coming near, the watchman saw another, running, and he called, and said, Another man is running toward the city alone. The king said, He also bringeth news. And the watchman said, I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz, the priest's son. The king answered, He is a good man, and is bringing good news to us.
Then Ahimaaz came to the king and spoke to him, saying, All is well. And he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, Blessed be the Lord who has given us the victory over the men who rose up to fight against the king. And the king asked him, Is the young man Absalom safe? Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent me, I saw a great tumult in the army, as if something had happened, but I knew not what it was. The king said, Step to one side, and stand there.
Then Cushi, the other messenger, came and spoke to the king, saying, I have news, my lord the king; for the Lord has this day punished all those who rebelled against thee. And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? Cushi answered, May all the king's enemies, and all those who wish to do him evil, be as that young man is. Then David knew that Absalom was dead. And he was in great distress, and went up into the chamber that was over the gate of the city, and wept; and as he went he cried, O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! Would that God had let me die instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
And it was told Joab how the king mourned for Absalom. The people also heard of it, and they were afraid to come before David while he grieved so much for his son whom they had slain. Therefore they stole into the city by another way, that he might not see them, like persons who were ashamed and fleeing from the battle, instead of those who had just gained the victory. But the king kept on mourning; he covered his face, and cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!
And Joab was angry, and he came into the house to the king and said, Thou hast made ashamed, this day, all thy servants who have fought for thee, and saved thy life, and the lives of thy wives and of thy children, because thou lovest thy enemies more than thou lovest them. For I see plainly that if Absalom had been saved alive, and all of us had been slain in the battle, it would have pleased thee well. Now, therefore, rise up and come and speak kindly to thy servants, for I tell thee, if thou dost not come out to them, they will all go away and leave thee alone, so there will not be a man left with thee this night; and that will be worse for thee, than all the evil that has happened to thee from thy youth until now. Then the king arose and went out and sat in the gate of the city. And when the people knew of it they all came to him there.
After this the people who were in Jerusalem sent word to the king, saying, Come back to us, thou and all who are with thee. So David left the city of Mahanaim, and started to go back to Jerusalem.
And Shimei who had cursed David, and thrown stones at him when he was fleeing from Absalom, heard how he had gained the victory, and was going back to Jerusalem. Therefore Shimei was afraid for what he had done, and now he came out to meet the king. When he saw him he fell down before him, and said, Let not the king blame me, nor remember what I did wickedly, for I know that I have sinned. Then Abishai, David's nephew, who before had wanted to cut off his head, asked David, saying, Shall not Shimei be put to death because he cursed the king? But David answered, that none of his enemies should be put to death that day, since on that day he was once more made king over all the people of Israel. And the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die.
And as David went toward Jerusalem, Barzillai, who had brought him wheat and barley and flour, also came out to meet him. And David remembered Barzillai's kindness, and he said to him, Come thou with me to Jerusalem, and thou shalt live in my house, and I will take care of thee. But Barzillai answered, that he was a very old man, and had not long to live, and that he would not enjoy being in the king's house, or seeing the beautiful things that were there; he would rather go back to his own city, that he might die where his home was, and be buried by the grave of his father and his mother. Yet, Barzillai said, that his son might go with David, if David would have him. David answered, He shall go with me, and I will do for him whatever will please thee. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and let him return to his own home. So David came back to Jerusalem, and was king as he had been before, and all the people obeyed him.
But after these things, the children of Israel sinned against the Lord, and David also displeased him. For he commanded Joab to go out among the people, and number all the men who could be soldiers and fight in war. We are not told why God was displeased with David for doing this, but we suppose it was because David felt proud of his great army, and trusted in it to keep his kingdom safe, instead of trusting only in the Lord. When he commanded Joab to number the men of Israel, Joab knew it would offend God, therefore he did not wish to do it, but David again commanded him. So he went out to obey the king. It took him, and those who were with him, nine months and twenty days to number the people. Then they came back to Jerusalem, and told David that in the tribe of Judah there were five hundred thousand brave men, who could fight with the sword, and in the other tribes there were eight hundred thousand.
But after they had told him, David felt that he had sinned, and he said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; and now, I pray thee, O Lord, forgive my sin. But God chose to punish David and the people, that they might remember how they had disobeyed him, and fear to do so again. Therefore, when David rose up in the morning, the Lord sent the prophet Gad to ask him which of these punishments he would choose: Would he have seven years of famine in the land? Or would he have his enemies come, and, for three months, fight against him and gain the victory over him? Or would he have three days of pestilence among the people? When the prophet asked him this, David answered, I am in great trouble to know what I shall say. Yet I would rather the Lord should punish us himself, than that he should send our enemies to do it. David meant that he chose the three days of pestilence.
So the Lord sent an angel that brought a great pestilence among the children of Israel, and there died of them, in three days, seventy thousand men. Now Jerusalem was built upon three small mountains, or hills; one of them was called mount Moriah. On the top of this mountain was a threshing-floor belonging to a man named Araunah. And the angel that the Lord sent, stood over Araunah's threshing-floor, and David saw him standing between the earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem as though he would destroy all the people in the city. And David and the elders of Israel, who had put on sackcloth, bowed down with their faces to the earth. And David prayed that the Lord would punish him, alone, but that the people might be saved. Then the prophet Gad came to David, and told him to go and set up an altar to the Lord at Araunah's threshing-floor.
Now Araunah was threshing his wheat; when he saw the king coming, he went out and bowed down before him, saying, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? David answered, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, that I may build an altar upon it and offer up burnt offerings to the Lord, so that the pestilence may be taken away from the people. Then Araunah told David that he might take the threshing-floor for nothing, and might have his oxen also for a burnt offering. But David said, No, I will buy it of thee for the full price, neither will I offer up as a burnt offering to the Lord that which has cost me nothing.
So David bought the threshing-floor for six hundred shekels of gold, and built an altar there and laid a burnt offering upon it. Then he prayed to the Lord, and the Lord heard his prayer and sent down fire from heaven that burned up his offering. And the Lord commanded the angel to cease, and slay the people no more; and the pestilence was taken from among them.