15
Absalom’s Treason
1After this ⚓it happened that Absalom ⚓provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
2Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a ⚓lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, “What city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel.”
3Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.”
4Moreover Absalom would say, ⚓“Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.”
5And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and ⚓kiss him.
6In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. ⚓So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7Now it came to pass ⚓after forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please, let me go to ⚓Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the Lord.
8⚓For your servant ⚓took a vow ⚓while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, ‘If the Lord indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.’ ”
9And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
10Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom ⚓reigns in Hebron!’ ”
11And with Absalom went two hundred men ⚓invited from Jerusalem, and they ⚓went along innocently and did not know anything.
12Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, ⚓David’s counselor, from his city—from ⚓Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom ⚓continually increased in number.
David Escapes from Jerusalem
13Now a messenger came to David, saying, ⚓“The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”
14So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us ⚓flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
15And the king’s servants said to the king, “We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.”
16Then ⚓the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ⚓ten women, concubines, to keep the house.
17And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts.
18Then all his servants passed before him; ⚓and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, ⚓six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.
19Then the king said to ⚓Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place.
20In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go ⚓I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21But Ittai answered the king and said, ⚓“As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be.”
22So David said to Ittai, “Go, and cross over.” Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over.
23And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the ⚓wilderness.
24There was ⚓Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ⚓ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and ⚓Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.
25Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He ⚓will bring me back and show me both it and ⚓His dwelling place.
26But if He says thus: ‘I have no ⚓delight in you,’ here I am, ⚓let Him do to me as seems good to Him.”
27The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a ⚓seer? Return to the city in peace, and ⚓your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28See, ⚓I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
29Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.
30So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he ⚓had his head covered and went ⚓barefoot. And all the people who were with him ⚓covered their heads and went up, ⚓weeping as they went up.
31Then someone told David, saying, ⚓“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, ⚓turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
32Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the ⚓Archite coming to meet him ⚓with his robe torn and dust on his head.
33David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become ⚓a burden to me.
34But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ⚓‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.
35And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to ⚓Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36Indeed they have there ⚓with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear.”
37So Hushai, ⚓David’s friend, went into the city. ⚓And Absalom came into Jerusalem.
15
押沙龍陰謀造反
1此後，押沙龍為自己預備車馬，又派五十人在他前頭奔跑。
2押沙龍常常早晨起來，站在城門的路旁，任何人有爭訟要去求王判決，押沙龍就叫他過來，說：「你是哪一城的人？」他說：「僕人是以色列某支派的人。」
3押沙龍就對他說：「看，你的案件合情合理，無奈王沒有委派人聽你申訴。」
4押沙龍又說：「恨不得我作這地的審判官！⚓凡有爭訟的人可以到我這裏來，我必秉公判斷。」
5若有人近前來要拜押沙龍，押沙龍就伸手拉住他，親吻他。
6以色列中，凡到王那裏求判決的，押沙龍都這麼做。這樣，押沙龍暗中贏得了以色列人的心。
7過了四年⚓，押沙龍對王說：「求你准我往希伯崙去，還我向耶和華所許的願。
8因為僕人住在亞蘭的基述時，曾許願說：『耶和華若使我再回耶路撒冷，我必事奉他⚓。』」
9王對他說：「你平安地去吧！」押沙龍就動身，往希伯崙去了。
10押沙龍派密使走遍以色列各支派，說：「你們一聽見角聲就說：『押沙龍在希伯崙作王了！』」
11押沙龍在耶路撒冷請了二百人與他同去，都是誠心誠意去的，一點也不知道實情。
12押沙龍獻祭的時候，派人去把大衛的謀士，基羅人亞希多弗從他本城基羅請來⚓。於是叛亂越發強大，因為隨從押沙龍的百姓日漸增多。
大衛逃離耶路撒冷
13報信的人來到大衛那裏，說：「以色列人的心都歸向押沙龍了！」
14大衛就對耶路撒冷所有跟隨他的臣僕說：「起來，我們逃吧！否則，我們來不及逃避押沙龍。要快點離開，免得他很快追上我們，加害於我們，用刀擊殺城裏的人。」
15王的臣僕對王說：「我主我王所決定的一切，看哪，僕人都願遵行。」
16於是王出去了，他的全家都跟隨他，但留下十個妃嬪看守宮殿。
17王出去，眾百姓都跟隨他；到了最後一座屋子⚓，他們就停下來。
18王的眾臣僕都在他旁邊過去。基利提人、比利提人，和從迦特跟隨王來的六百個迦特人，也都在王面前過去。
19王對迦特人以太說：「你是外邦人，從你本地逃來的，為甚麼與我們同去呢？你回去留在新王那裏吧！
20你昨天才到，我今日怎好叫你與我們一同流亡，而我卻要到處飄流呢？回去吧，你帶你的弟兄回去吧！願主用慈愛信實待你⚓。」
21以太回答王說：「我指着永生的耶和華起誓，又敢在王面前起誓：無論生死，王在哪裏，你的僕人也必在哪裏。」
22大衛對以太說：「去，過去吧！」於是迦特人以太帶着所有跟隨他的人和孩子過去了。
23眾百姓過去時，當地的人全都放聲大哭。王過了汲淪溪，眾百姓就往曠野的路上去了。
24看哪，撒督和所有抬上帝約櫃的利未人也一同來了。他們將上帝的約櫃放下，亞比亞他上來⚓，直到眾百姓從城裏出來走過去為止。
25王對撒督說：「你將上帝的約櫃請回城去。我若在耶和華眼前蒙恩，他必使我回來，再見到約櫃和他的居所。
26倘若他說：『我不喜愛你』；我在這裏，就照他眼中看為好的待我！」
27王對撒督祭司說：「你不是先見嗎？你可以平安地回城，你兒子亞希瑪斯和亞比亞他的兒子約拿單，你們二人的兒子可以與你們同去。
28看，我在曠野的渡口那裏等，直到你們來報信給我。」
29於是撒督和亞比亞他將上帝的約櫃請回耶路撒冷，他們就留在那裏。
30大衛蒙頭赤腳走上橄欖山的斜坡，一面上一面哭。所有跟隨他的百姓也都各自蒙頭哭着上去；
31有人告訴大衛說⚓：「亞希多弗也在叛黨之中，隨從押沙龍。」大衛說：「耶和華啊，求你使亞希多弗的計謀變為愚拙！」
32大衛到了山頂，敬拜上帝的地方，看哪，亞基人戶篩衣服撕裂，頭蒙灰塵來迎見他。
33大衛對他說：「你若與我一同過去，必拖累我；
34你若回城去，對押沙龍說：『王啊，我願作你的僕人。我向來作你父親的僕人，現在我也願意作你的僕人。』你就可以為我破壞亞希多弗的計謀。
35撒督和亞比亞他二位祭司豈不都在你那裏嗎？你在王宮裏聽見甚麼，就要告訴撒督和亞比亞他二位祭司。
36看哪，撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯，亞比亞他的兒子約拿單，也跟二位祭司在那裏。凡你們所聽見的事，可以託這二人來向我報告。」
37於是，大衛的朋友戶篩進了城，押沙龍也進了耶路撒冷。