Battle in the Forest of Ephraim and Absalom's Death
18
Chapter 18
1And David mustered the people who were with him and set commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds over them.2David sent the people out: a third part in the hand of Joab, a third part in the hand of Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, and a third part in the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, "I will go out with you also."3And the people said, "You must not go out, for if we flee, they will not care about us, and if half of us die, they will not care about us, for now there are ten thousands of us, and it is better that you will be to us from the city to help."4And the king said to them, "What seems good in your eyes, I will do." And the king stood by the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.5The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the lad Absalom." And all the people heard the king commanding all the chiefs concerning Absalom.6And the people went out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.7And the people of Israel were struck down there before the servants of David, and the slaughter was great there on that day—twenty thousand.8And the battle spread over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured among the people more than the sword devoured on that day.9And Absalom called out before the servants of David, and Absalom rode on the mule, and the mule came under the terebinth of the great oak, and it gripped his head in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, and the mule that was under him passed on.10A certain man saw and told Joab, "Look, I saw Absalom hanging in the oak."11Joab said to the man who had told him, "Look, you saw him. Why did you not strike him to the ground there? I would give you ten pieces of silver and a belt."12The man said to Joab, "No, even if I were offered a thousand pieces of silver on my palm for the king's son, I would not send my hand against the son of the king, for in our hearing he commanded you, Abishai, and me, saying, 'Guard who in the boy Absalom.'"13Otherwise, I would have done falsehood against my nephesh, and no word would be hidden from the king—you would stand opposite.14And Joab said, "No—I will not delay before you." And he took three staffs in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the terebinth.15And ten young men, bearers of Joab's weapons, surrounded him and struck Absalom and caused him to die.16And Joab blew the ram's horn, and the people stopped pursuing Israel because Joab held back the people.17They took Absalom, threw him into the forest into the great pit, and set up a very great heap of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each man to his tent.18Absalom had taken and set up for himself the pillar which in his lifetime was in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to cause my name to be remembered." So he called the pillar by his name, and it was called Absalom's Hand until this day.