19And Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and announce to the king that the LORD has judged for him from the hand of his enemies."20And Joab said to him, "You are not a man of good news this day, but you shall bring good news on another day; but this day you shall not bring good news, for on account of this the king's son has died."21Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." And the Cushite bowed down to Joab and ran.22And he sent Ahimaaz son of Zadok again and said to Joab, "Whatever happens—please let me run also after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why do you want to run, my son? You have no good news to bring."23He said, "How shall I run?" He said to him, "Run." Ahimaaz ran the way of the plain and passed the Cushite.24David was sitting between the two gates. The watchman went to the roof of the gate to the wall, lifted up his eyes and saw—and there was a man running alone.25And the watchman called and told the king, and the king said, "If he is by himself, good news is in his mouth." And he went, going and approaching.26And the watchman saw another man running—and the watchman called to the vestibule and said, "Behold, a man running by himself." And the king said, "This one also is a bringer of good news."27The watchman said, "I saw the running of the first like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok." The king said, "This man is good, and he will come with good news."28Ahimaaz called to the king and said, "Peace." He bowed down to the king with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered the men who lifted their hand against my lord the king."29And the king said, "Peace to the boy Absalom." And Ahimaaz said, "I saw the great multitude at the sending of the king's servant Joab and of your servant, and I did not know what."30And the king said, "Turn, stand there," and he turned and stood.31Behold, the Cushite came and the Cushite said, "Good news, my lord the king, for the LORD has judged you today from the hand of all who rose up against you."32And the king said to the Cushite, "Peace to the boy Absalom." And the Cushite said, "May the enemies of my lord the king be like the boy, and all who rose against you to harm."
19
Chapter 19
1And the king trembled and went up to the upper part of the vestibule and wept. And in this way he said as he went: "My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Who will give that I die instead of you, Absalom my son, my son!"2And he told Joab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning over Absalom."3And the people were in mourning that day for all the people, for the people heard that day, saying, "The king has grieved over his son."4And the people stole away on that day to come to the city just as the people steal away, the ones disgraced in their fleeing in warfare.5And the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, "My son Absalom! Absalom my son, my son."6And Joab came to the king in the house and said, "You have shamed today the face of all your servants, the ones delivering your life today and the life of your sons and your daughters and the life of your wives and the life of your concubines."7Love your haters and hate your lovers—for you have said today that there are no chiefs and servants for you. I have known today that for Absalom life while all of us today dying—because then it is upright in your eyes.8Now rise, go out, and speak to the heart of your servants, for by the LORD I have sworn that if you do not go out, no man will lodge with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.