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15 Soon afterwards, Absalom got a chariot and horses to pull it. He hired 50 men to run in front of him while he was riding around Jerusalem in the chariot. 2 And Absalom would also go and stand by the city gate starting early each morning. When a person came toward the gate so they could go into the city and ask the king to decide a case for him, Absalom would call out to him. He would ask what city he was from. Then the person would tell him what city and tribe he was from. 3 Then Absalom would ask the person about his case and tell him, “It certainly seems to me that you deserve to win your case. But the king is not able to decide everyone’s case, and he has not appointed anyone else to judge cases for people like you.” 4 Absalom would then add, “I should really be a judge for all the Israelites. That way anyone who had a legal case could come to me, and I would decide it fairly.”
5 And whenever anyone approached Absalom and started to bow respectfully in front of him, Absalom would reach out and hold him up and kiss him on the cheek. 6 Absalom acted this way toward every Israelite who came to King David to ask him to judge a case. As a result, the Israelites began to wish that Absalom were their king instead of David.
7 After four years, Absalom went to King David and said, “I made a promise to Yahweh. Please allow me to go to the city of Hebron so that I can do what I promised. 8 I ask this because when I was living in Geshur, in Aram, I promised Yahweh that if he made it possible for me to return to Jerusalem, then I would worship him in Hebron and thank him publicly.”
9 The king replied, “You have my permission to go.” So Absalom went to Hebron.
10 But while he was there, he secretly sent messengers throughout the territory of all the tribes of Israel. The messengers told people, “When you hear the sound of people blowing rams’ horns, shout, ‘Absalom has become the king at Hebron!’ ” 11 There were 200 men who came from Jerusalem to Hebron with Absalom. But they came because he had invited them to the feast he was going to host there. They were not part of his conspiracy. They knew nothing about what he was planning to do. 12 King David had an advisor whose name was Ahithophel the Gilohite. While Absalom was offering sacrifices at Hebron, he sent messengers to bring Ahithophel from his home in the city of Giloh. Many other people also came and joined Absalom in his rebellion against David.
13 Then someone came to David and warned him, “The Israelites now want Absalom to be their king!”
14 So David told all the officials in his royal court, “We must leave immediately if we want to escape from Absalom! We must go quickly, before he and his men arrive. If we do not do that, they will kill us and everyone else in the city!”
15 The king’s officials replied, “Very well, your Majesty, we are ready to do whatever you wish.”
16 So King David quickly left Jerusalem. His family and officials went with him. But David left ten of his secondary wives at the palace to take care of it. 17 Many of the people of Jerusalem also left the city with King David. They stopped at the edge of the city to organize an orderly retreat. 18 David stepped out of the roadway so that his officials could walk past him. He also let his elite corps of bodyguards go in front of him to lead the way. The 600 men who had been David’s soldiers when he fled to the city of Gath also walked by in front of him.
19 Then David said to Ittai, a military commander who had come from Gath to serve David, “You do not need to come with us. You may safely return to Jerusalem and serve whoever is the king. After all, you are not an Israelite, and this is not your own country, so people will consider you to be impartial. 20 You have lived here in Israel for only a short time. And we do not even know where we will be going. So it is not right for me to make you come with us now and wander around with us. Please return to your country and take your troops with you. May people treat you kindly and be loyal to you.”
21 But Ittai replied, “Your Majesty, I swear by Yahweh and I swear by your own life that I will go wherever you go. I will fight to defend you even if I have to die doing that.”
22 David replied to Ittai, “Very well, please come with us!” So Ittai and all his troops and their families went with David.
23 All the people who lived along the road cried loudly when they saw King David and the people with him walking by. Since Absalom would be coming from the southwest, the king and the others crossed the Kidron Valley and then went up the hill on the road that goes through the desolate area east of Jerusalem.
24 Zadok the high priest had also left the city. He had brought the sacred chest of God. Some Levites were with him, and they were carrying it. But they did not carry it across the Kidron Valley right away. Instead, they set it on the ground. Abiathar, the other high priest, went up the Mount of Olives on the other side of the valley and stood thereuntil all of the people fleeing from Jerusalem had gone by, and then he came back down to where the sacred chest was.
25 Then the king told Zadok, “I want you to take the sacred chest back into Jerusalem. If Yahweh chooses to be kind to me, someday he will allow me to return and see the sacred chest in the place where he is especially present. 26 But if he says that he is not pleased with me, then I am willing for him to do to me whatever he thinks is right.”
27 He also told Zadok, “Now listen to what I want you to do. Go back to the city peacefully. Take your son Ahimaaz with you. Abiathar should also take his son Jonathan, and you should both go back. 28 This will be the plan. I will wait in the wilderness at the place where people can walk across the Jordan River until you send a message to me telling me what I should do.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the sacred chest back to Jerusalem, and they remained in the city.
30 Then David walked up the Mount of Olives. He was crying as he walked. To show that he was very sad, he covered his head with part of his cloak. He also took off his sandals. All the people who were walking with him also covered their heads, and they too cried while they walked. 31 Then someone told David that Ahithophel had joined the Israelites who were rebelling against David and supporting Absalom as their king. So David prayed, “Yahweh, please make Ahithophel give Absalom bad advice!”
32 When they arrived at the top of the hill, where there was a place where people worshiped God, David unexpectedly met Hushai the Archite. To show that he was very sad, Hushai had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you come with me, you will make us travel more slowly. 34 But if you return to the city, you can help me by telling Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your advisor. In the past, I was your father’s advisor. But just as I advised him then, so I will advise you now.’ If you do that, you will be able to help me by countering any good advice that Ahithophel gives to Absalom. 35 Zadok and Abiathar the priests are already there. Whatever you hear people say in the king’s palace, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar. 36 Keep in mind that Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are there. Whatever any of you find out, send them to report it to me.”
37 So David’s friend Hushai returned to the city. He arrived just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
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