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Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 18

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2 Samuel 18 NASB - New American Standard Bible2 Samuel 18 NASB - New American Standard Bible

Chapter 18 of 2 Samuel—New American Standard Bible (NASB)

  1. ¶ Then David [a]numbered the people who were with him and 1set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
  2. David sent the people out, 2one third under the [b]command of Joab, one third under the [c]command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the [d]command of 3Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you also.”
  3. But the people said, “4You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But [e]you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.”
  4. Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So 5the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands.
  5. The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And 6all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.
  6. ¶ Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in 7the forest of Ephraim.
  7. The people of Israel were [f]defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men.
  8. For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
  9. ¶ Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And 8his head caught fast in the oak, so he was [g]left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going.
  10. When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
  11. Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
  12. The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for 9in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘[h]Protect for me the young man Absalom!’
  13. Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and 10there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
  14. Then Joab said, “I will not [i]waste time here with you.” 11So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the [j]midst of the oak.
  15. And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.
  16. ¶ Then 12Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people.
  17. They took Absalom and cast him into [k]a deep pit in the forest and 13erected over him a very great heap of stones. And 14all Israel fled, each to his tent.
  18. Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and 15set up for himself a pillar which is in 16the King’s Valley, for he said, “17I have no son [l]to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
  19. ¶ Then 18Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the king news 19that the LORD has [m]freed him from the hand of his enemies.”
  20. But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day; however, you shall carry no news today because the king’s son is dead.”
  21. Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.
  22. Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since 20you will have no reward for going?”
  23. “But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite.
  24. ¶ Now 21David was sitting between the two gates; and 22the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself.
  25. The watchman called and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer.
  26. Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.”
  27. The watchman said, “I [n]think the running of the first one 23is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “24This is a good man and comes with good news.”
  28. ¶ Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “[o]All is well.” And 25he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “26Blessed is the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”
  29. The king said, “27Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but 28I did not know what it was.”
  30. Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
  31. ¶ Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for 29the LORD has [p]freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.”
  32. Then the king said to the Cushite, “30Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “31Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!”
  33. [q]The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “32O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! 33Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

FOOTNOTES

  1. ^ Lit mustered
  2. ^ Lit hand
  3. ^ Lit hand
  4. ^ Lit hand
  5. ^ So with some ancient versions; M.T. for now there are ten thousand like us
  6. ^ Lit smitten
  7. ^ Lit placed
  8. ^ So with some mss and the ancient versions; M.T. Take care whoever you are of
  9. ^ Lit tarry thus
  10. ^ Lit heart
  11. ^ Lit the great
  12. ^ Lit for the sake of remembering
  13. ^ Lit vindicated
  14. ^ Lit see
  15. ^ Lit Peace
  16. ^ Lit vindicated
  17. ^ Ch 19:1 in Heb

REFERENCES

  1. ^ Ex 18:25; Nu 31:14; 1Sa 22:7
  2. ^ Jg 7:16; 1Sa 11:11
  3. ^ 2Sa 15:19-22
  4. ^ 2Sa 21:17
  5. ^ 2Sa 18:24
  6. ^ 2Sa 18:12
  7. ^ Jos 17:15, 18; 2Sa 17:26
  8. ^ 2Sa 14:26
  9. ^ 2Sa 18:5
  10. ^ 2Sa 14:19, 20
  11. ^ 2Sa 14:30
  12. ^ 2Sa 2:28; 20:22
  13. ^ De 21:20, 21; Jos 7:26; 8:29
  14. ^ 2Sa 19:8; 20:1, 22
  15. ^ 1Sa 15:12
  16. ^ Ge 14:17
  17. ^ 2Sa 14:27
  18. ^ 2Sa 15:36
  19. ^ 2Sa 18:31
  20. ^ 2Sa 18:29
  21. ^ 2Sa 19:8
  22. ^ 2Sa 13:34; 2Ki 9:17
  23. ^ 2Ki 9:20
  24. ^ 1Ki 1:42
  25. ^ 1Sa 25:23; 2Sa 14:4
  26. ^ 1Sa 17:46
  27. ^ 2Sa 20:9; 2Ki 4:26
  28. ^ 2Sa 18:22
  29. ^ Jg 5:31; 2Sa 18:19
  30. ^ 2Sa 18:29
  31. ^ 1Sa 25:26
  32. ^ 2Sa 19:4
  33. ^ Ex 32:32; Ro 9:3

Read 2 Samuel Chapter 18 in other Bible versions:

Comments

  1. David yakubuDavid yakubu
    Oct 29, 2022 08:05 GMT

    When i do read some comments and seeing that its the same people that are supposed to be called believers but are talking ill of other denominations, it hurts. Let us all remember that We should judge not

    1. jonas smithjonas smith
      Apr 23, 2023 02:57 GMT

      The bible tells us to test the spirits. Satan disguises himself as angel of light. So yes some denomination are not teaching the truth. You are responsible for judging which ones are not. You have to judge the truth at all times. this is what the bible teaches

  2. THTH
    Apr 7, 2021 00:20 GMT

    The NWT is a very good translation. Dr. Jason David BeDuhn PhD attests to that in his book Truth in Translation. drive.google.com/...5p16melHzg8/view

    1. jim mcleodjim mcleod
      Aug 22, 2021 06:16 GMT

      NWT is a false translation that takes away from the deity of Jesus !

  3. SlightlyChaoticSlightlyChaotic
    Jan 30, 2021 16:33 GMT

    Thank you for taking the time to provide this service. I like seeing the NASB on your web page in the same format as I read on paper. On other sites, the text area is smaller, and so I have to keep scrolling down to read and sometimes I lose the context. So I really appreciate the format.

    As far as the NWT, you are certainly free to do whatever you think best with your own web pages. I'd suggest that you make a note anytime you have a translation that is associated with only one denomination or church, for example:
    New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness version).

    In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. the main idea seems to be that you can't easily distinguish between God's people and not-God's people on this earth, so our Lord's response is to wait until they are shown to be the kind of people they are inside. But the NWT seems like false teaching to me. So I think the warning passages from Jesus' apostles are more applicable, as in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he talks about Paul's writings:
    "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures."
    And we also have the positive exhortations, as in 2 Timothy 2:15:
    "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

    1. BroderickBroderick
      Jan 31, 2021 00:57 GMT

      Your suggestion regarding the denominational flagging is duly noted. But I can’t help but wonder, wouldn’t a Catholic also want “Protestant versions” marked as well?

      As for the parable, I’m pretty sure the slaves were convinced in their own minds that they could tell the tares from the wheat. After all, aren’t they the ones who identified the problem in the first place? But the master obviously thought otherwise.

      Furthermore, even at the time when Jesus himself was walking the earth, not everybody who claimed fellowship actually followed him causing John to inquire at Mark 9:39, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him . . . for he who is not against us is for us.”

  4. Joshua HarderJoshua Harder
    Dec 11, 2020 17:48 GMT

    Hello, question.. why have you included the NWT with other legitimate bible translations? Or why have you not atleast included a warning to readers? Don't you fear that someone could be influenced by the Watchtower's intentional heresies? Thank you.

    1. KevinKevin
      Jul 11, 2021 17:45 GMT

      en.m.wikipedia.org/..._Holy_Scriptures

      See the section critical review

  5. julietjuliet
    Aug 17, 2022 09:36 GMT

    the sky is blue

  6. mercymercy
    Aug 12, 2022 21:23 GMT

    i am Mercy, the sky is blue what else do you need

    1. mercymercy
      Aug 12, 2022 21:25 GMT

      i am so sorry, it was a big mistake

  7. God is able to do all thingsGod is able to do all things
    May 17, 2021 17:59 GMT

    Jesus how much love calling yo name

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