1 David organized the men who were with him and put commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds in charge of them. 2 David sent the army out divided into three sections. One third was commanded by Joab, one third was commanded by Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third was commanded by Ittai the Gittite. The king told the men, “I myself will go out into battle with you.”

3 But the men replied, “No, you must not go out into battle! For if we have to run away, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care about that either. But you are worth ten thousand of us, so it's better if you stay here and send us help from the town.”

4 “I will do whatever you think best,” the king replied. The king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king ordered Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Treat young Absalom gently for me.” All the men heard the king giving orders to each of his commanders about Absalom.

6 David's army marched out to face the Israelites in battle, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men and many were killed that day—some twenty thousand. 8 The battle covered the whole countryside, and that day more died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.

9 Absalom ran into some of David's men while he was riding on his mule. As the mule went under the twisted branches of a large oak tree, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. The mule he was riding kept going, leaving him hanging between earth and sky. 10 One of David's men saw what happened, so he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”

11 “What! You saw him like that?” Joab said to the man. “Why didn't you kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a soldier's belt as a reward!”

12 But the man replied, “Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I wouldn't hurt the king's son. We all heard the king give the order to you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Look after young Absalom for me.’*The Hebrew here is difficult, and is not the same as verse 5. 13 If I had disobeyed and killed Absalom†Alternatively, “If I had put my own life in danger by killing Absalom.”—and the king finds out everything—you yourself wouldn't have defended me.”

14 “I'm not going to waste time waiting around like this with you!” Joab told him. He grabbed three spears and drove them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive, hanging from the oak tree. 15 Ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and hacked him to death.

16 Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and his men stopped chasing the Israelites because Joab had signaled them to stop. 17 They took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. All the Israelites ran away to their homes.

18 Absalom while he was alive had made a stone pillar and set it up in the King's Valley as a memorial to himself, for he thought to himself, “I don't have a son‡In 14:27 it's recorded that Absalom had three sons, so either they had died or Absalom had disowned them. to keep the memory of my name alive.” He named the pillar after himself, and it's called Absalom's Monument even today.

19 Then Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, “Please let me run and take the good news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him over his enemies.”

20 “You're not the man to take the good news today,” Joab replied. “You can do it some other time, but don't do it today, because the king's son is dead.”

21 So Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” He bowed to Joab and ran off.

22 Ahimaaz asked Joab again, “Never mind what happens, please let me run too, after the Ethiopian!” “Son, why do you want to run—you won't get anything for it?” Joab replied.

23 “Doesn't matter, I want to run anyway,” he said.

“Fine, start running!” Joab told him. Ahimaaz took the route over flatter ground and overtook the Ethiopian.

24 David was sitting between the inside and outside gates. The watchman climbed up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. He looked out, and saw a man running by himself. 25 So he shouted down to tell the king.

“If he's by himself then he's bringing good news,” the king replied.

As the first runner got closer, 26 the watchman saw someone else running, and he shouted down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running by himself!”

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

27 “The first man seems to me to be running like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok,” said the watchman.

“He's a good man,” he king replied. “He'll bring good news.”

28 Ahimaaz shouted out greetings to the king,. Then he came and he bowed facedown before the king. “Blessed be the Lord your God!” he said. “He has defeated the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”

29 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked.

Ahimaaz answered, “It was very chaotic when your officer Joab sent me, your servant. I really don't know what was happening.”

30 “Stand to one side and wait,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stood to one side and waited.

31 Right then the Ethiopian arrived and said, “Your Majesty, listen to the good news! Today the Lord has defeated all those who rebelled against you!”

32 “How is young Absalom? Is he alright?” the king asked.

The Ethiopian replied, “May what has happened to the young man happen to Your Majesty's enemies, and to everyone who rebels against you!”

33 The king broke down. He went up to the room over the gate and cried. As he walked, he sobbed out, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I'd died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”