19 Then Tsadok’s son Ahima’ats requested, “Please, let me run and let me take the news to the king, because Yahweh has rescued him from his enemies.”

20 “No, not today,” Yoav (Joab) replied. “Some other time I’ll allow you to take some news, but not today because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Yoav instructed a Kushi man, “Go and tell the king what you saw.”. The man bowed to Yoav and ran off.

22 But Ahima’ats begged Yoav again, “Regardless of what might happen, please, let me also run myself after the Kushi.”

“Why would you do that, my boy?” Yoav asked. “There won’t be any reward for bad news.”

23 “No matter what, I want to run,” he replied.

“Okay then, run,” Yoav told him. So Ahima’ats took a different route through the Yarden (Jordan) valley and arrived before the Kushi.

24 Now David was sitting between the outer and inner gates. When the watchman had gone over the gate roof to the wall, he looked out and saw, wow, a man was running towards them alone. 25 The watchman called down and informed the king, and the king said, “If he’s alone, he’ll be bringing news.”

As the runner got closer, 26 the watchman looked and saw another man running. He called down to the gatekeeper and said, “Look, there’s another man running alone.”

“He’ll also be bringing news,” said the king.

27 “The gait of the first runner is like that of Tsadok’s son Ahima’ats,” the watchman said.

“He’s a good man and he’ll be bringing good news,” said the king.

28 Then Ahima’ats called ahead to the king, “Peace!” And he knelt down with his face to the ground and said, “Blessed be Yahweh your god, who’s stopped the men who acted against my master the king.”

29 “Is the young man Avshalom (Absalom) all right?” the king asked.

“When Yoav (Joab) sent me, your servant,” Ahima’ats answered, “I noticed a big commotion, but I don’t know what it was about.”

30 “Go and stand over there,” the king ordered, so he stepped aside and stood there.

31 Then, wow, the Kushi man arrived and said, “May my master the king receive the good news, because Yahweh has rescued you today from all those who rose up against you.”

32 “Is the young man Avshalom all right?” the king asked him.

The man replied, “May the enemies of my master the king and all those who rose up against you for evil, be like that young man is.”

33 Then the king started trembling, and he went up to the room over the gate, and started weeping, saying, “Oh my son Avshalom, my son. Oh my son Avshalom, I wish I’d died instead of you.”