2 The practiſes of Abſalóm to aſpire to the kingdome. 14 Dauid and his fice. 31 Dauids prayer. 34 Huſhái is ſent to Abſalóm to diſcouer his counſel.

1.AFter this, Abſalóm ^" prepared him charets and horſes, and fiftie men to runne before him.

2.And Abſalóm roſe vp early, and ſtode hard by the entring in of the gate:& euerie mã that had anie ^" matter, & came to y^e King for iudgement, him did Abſalóm call vnto him, and ſaid, Of what citie art thou? And he anſwered, Thy ſeruant is of one of the ^b tribes of Iſraél.

3.Thẽ Abſalóm ſaid vnto him, Se, thy matters are good & righteous, but there is no man deputed of the King to heare thee.

4.Abſalóm ſaid moreouer, ^c Oh y^e I were made iudge in the land, that euerie man w^c hathe anie matter or controuerſie, might come to me, that I might do him iuſtice.

5.And when anie man came nere to him, and did him obeiſance, he put forthe his hand, and toke him, and kiſſed him.

6.And on this maner did Abſalóm to all Iſraél, that came to the King for iudge-ment: ſo Abſalóm ^d ſtale the heartes of the men of Iſraél.

7.¶ And after ^e fortie yeres, Abſalóm ſaid vnto the King, I pray thee, let me go to Hebrón, and rendre my vowe which I ha-ue vowed vnto the Lord.

8.For thy ſeruant vowed a vowe when I re-mained in Geſhúr, in Arám, ſaying, If the Lord ſhal bring me againe in dede to Ie-ruſalém, I wil ^f ſerue the Lord.

9.And the King ſaid vnto him, Go in pea-ce. So he aroſe, and went to Hebrón.

10.¶ Then Abſalóm ſent ſpies throughout all the tribes of Iſraél, ſaying, When ye heare the ſounde of the trumpet, ye ſhal ſay, Abſalóm reigneth in Hebrón.

11.¶ And with Abſalóm went two hundreth men out of Ieruſalém, that were ^g called: and they wẽt in their ſimplicitie, knowing nothing.

12.Alſo Abſalóm ſent for Ahithóphel the Gilonite Dauids counſeler, from his citie Gilóh, while he offred ſacrifices: and the treaſon was great: for the people ^" encrea-ſed ſtil with Abſalóm.

13.¶ Then came a meſſenger to Dauid, ſaying, The hearts of the men of Iſraél are turned after Abſalóm.

14.Then Dauid ſaid vnto all his ſeruants that were with him at Ieruſalém, Vp, and let vs flee: for we ſhal not eſcape frõ ^h Ab-ſalóm: make ſpede to departe, leſt he co-me ſodenly and take vs, & bring euil vpõ vs, and ſmite the citie with the edge of the ſworde.

15.And the Kings ſeruants ſaid vnto him, Beholde, thy ſeruãts are ready to do accor-ding to all that my lord the King ſhal ^" appoint.

16.So the King departed and all his houſ-holde ^" after him, and the King left ten concubines to kepe the houſe.

17.And the King went forthe and all the people after him, and taryed in a ^" place ⁱ farre of.

18.And all his ſeruãts went about him, and all the ^k Cherethites and all the Pele-thites and all y^e Gittites, euen ſixe hũdreth men which were come after him frõ Gath, went before the King.

19.Then ſaid the King to ^l Ittái the Git-tite, Wherefore commeſt thou alſo with vs? Returne and abide with the King, for thou art a ſtranger: departe thou therefo-re to thy place.

20.Thou cameſt yeſterday, and ſhulde I cauſe thee to wander to day and go with vs? I wil go whither I can: therefore retur-ne thou, and cary againe thy ^m brethren: mercie and ⁿ trueth be with thee.

21.And Ittái anſwered the King, and ſaid, As the Lord liueth, & as my lord the King liueth, in what place my lord the King ſhalbe, whether in death or life, euen there ſurely wil thy ſeruant be.

22.Then Dauid ſaid to Ittái, Come, & go forwarde. And Ittái the Gittite went, and all his men, and all the children that were with him.

23.And all the countrey wept with a loude voyce, and ^o all the people went forward, but the King paſſed ouer the brooke Ki-dión: and all the people wẽt ouer towarde the way of the wildernes.

24.¶ And lo, Zadók alſo was there, and all the Leuites with hym, ^p bearing the Arke of the couenant of God: & they ſet downe y^e Arke of God, and Abiathár wẽt ^q vp vntil the people were all come out of the citie.

25.Then the King ſaid vnto Zadók, Carie the Arke of God againe into the citie: if I ſhal finde fauour in the eyes of the Lord, he wil bring me againe, & ſhewe me bothe it, and the ^" Tabernacle thereof.

26.But if he thus ſay, I haue no delite in thee, beholde, ^r here am I, let him do to me as ſemeth good in his eyes.

27.The King ſaid againe vnto Zadók the Prieſt, Art not thou a ^* Seer? returne into the citie in peace, & your two ſonnes with you: to wit, Ahimáaz thy ſonne, and Iona-thán the ſonne of Abiathár.

28.Beholde, I wil tarie in the fieldes of the wildernes, vntil there come ſome worde from you to be tolde me.

29.Zadók therefore and Abiathár caryed the Arke of God againe to Ieruſalém, and they taried there.

30.And Dauid went vp the mount of oliues and wept as he went vp, and had his head [ſ] couered, and wẽt barefooted: and all the people that was with him, had euerie man his head couered, and as they went vp, they wept.

31.¶ Then one tolde Dauid, ſaying, Ahithó-phel is one of them that haue conſpired with Abſalóm: and Dauid ſaid, ô Lord, I pray thee, turne the ^t counſel of Ahi-thóphel into fooliſhnes.

32.¶ Then Dauid came to the toppe of the mount where he worſhiped God: and be-holde, Huſhái the Archite came againſt him with his coate torne, & hauing earth vpon his head.

33.Vnto whome Dauid ſaid, If thou go with me, thou ſhalt be a burthen vnto me.

34.But if thou returne to the citie, and ſay vnto Abſalóm, I wil be thy ^u ſeruant, ô King: (as I haue bene in time paſt thy fa-thers ſeruant, ſo wil I now be thy ſeruant) then thou maieſt bring me the counſel of Ahithóphel to noght.

35.And haſt thou not there with thee Za-dók and Abiathár the Prieſts? therefore whatſoeuer whatſoeuer thou ſhalt heare out of the Kings houſe, thou ſhalt ſhewe to Zadók and Abiathár the Prieſts.

36.Beholde, there are with them their two ſonnes:Ahimáaz Zadoks ſonne,and Ionathán Abiathars ſonne:by them alſo ſhal ye ſend me euerie thing that ye can heare.

37.So Huſhái Dauids friend went into the citie: and Abſalóm came into Ieruſalém.

2 Samuel 15

Notes