Episode 127: Oh Absalom, my son, my son!

2 Samuel 18-19

David's men fight Absalom, killing 20,000 Israelites

18 ¹ David counted the people with him, and set up captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds. ⁵ He told his captains, "Go easy on Absalom for my sake."

⁶ So the people went out into the forest to fight Israel. ⁷ And there was a great slaughter, killing 20,000. ⁸ The forest devoured more people than the sword.

Absalom is killed

⁹ Absalom met David's men while he was riding on a mule. The mule went under an oak tree, and Absalom's head got stuck somewhere between heaven and earth, with the mule going on without him.

^10-11 Someone saw Absalom hanging from the oak and told Joab, who went off to find him. ¹⁴ When he did, he put three darts through his heart, while he was alive and still hanging from the oak tree.

¹⁵ To finish him off, ten young men killed him.

¹⁹ Ahimaz said,

Let me run and tell David the good news, that God has avenged him of his enemies.

²¹ And Joab let him run with Cushi to deliver the news to David.

³² When they arrived, they said to David, "Absalom is dead."

³³ David wept, and said,

Oh my son Absalom. I wish I had died for you. Oh Absalom, my son, my son!

David crosses the Jordan River

19 ¹ David kept weeping for Absalom, so the victory celebration was turned into mourning.

⁵ Joab lost patience with David, and said,

You have shamed those who saved your life, and the lives of your family, wives, and concubines.

⁶ You love your enemies and hate your friends. If Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you'd have been fine with that.

⁷ Now get up and speak to the people. I swear to God, if you don't, there'll be bloody hell to pay.

⁸ So David got up and sat in the city gate. All of the people got out of their tents to come see him.

⁹ Everyone was upset, saying,

David saved us from the Philistines.

But he ran away from his son Absalom.

What's up with that?

^11-14 The priests and elders of Judah persuaded David to return to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ And the people of Judah came to meet him as he crossed the Jordan.

¹⁸ As David crossed, Shimei fell down before David and said,

¹⁹Forget what I did and said on the day you left Jerusalem.

²⁰ I know I've sinned.

So I've come here to meet my lord and king.

²¹ But Abishai said,

Shouldn't Shimei be killed for cursing the Lord's anointed?

²⁰ David answered,

No one will be killed today in Israel.

²³ David said to Shimei,

You won't die. Swear to God.

²⁴ Then Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, came to meet David.

He hadn't dressed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes since the day David ran away from Jerusalem.

^26-27 Mephibosheth said to David,

You are an angel of God. Do whatever you'd like with me.

²⁸ You have killed all of Saul's family, but you saved me and let me eat at your table. So I have nothing to cry about.

²⁹ David said to him,

Why are you talking about any of this?

I have said, "You and Ziba will divide Saul's land."

³⁰ Mephibosheth said, "Let Ziba have it all."