1After this, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to run before him. 2Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the gateway. Whenever a man with a grievance came before the king’s tribunal, Absalom would call to him and say, “From which city are you?” Should he say, “Your servant is from such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3Absalom would tell him, “Your cause is good and just but there is no one to hear you on behalf of the king.”
4Absalom added, “I wish I were judge in the land! Then every man with a grievance or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” 5Whenever a man approached to pay him homage, he would stretch out his arms to hold and embrace him.
6Absalom did this to all Israelites who came to the tribunal of the king, winning their hearts for himself.
7After four years, Absalom said to the king, “Please allow me to go and fulfill the vow I have to pay to Yahweh in Hebron. 8For while I lived at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If Yahweh will really bring me back to Jerusalem, I shall go there to worship him!” 9The king said to him, “Go in peace,” and he left for Hebron.
Absalom’s rebellion
10 ① Absalom sent spies through out the tribes of Israel with this instruction, “As soon as you hear the trumpet sound, proclaim: ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!”
11Two hundred men from Jerusalem had left with Absalom as invited guests. But nothing of his purpose dawned on them. 12While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahitophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. Meantime, the conspiracy grew strong and the number of people with Absalom kept increasing.
13A messenger came to report to David that the Israelites were siding with Absalom. 14Then David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Let us flee, for we cannot resist Absalom. Go quickly, lest he come hurriedly and overtake us. Surely he will put the city to the sword if he can bring disaster upon us.” 15The king’s servants answered him, “Your servants are with you in whatever my lord the king decides.”
16The king departed with all his household, but left ten concubines behind to take care of the house. 17The king left on foot and the people followed him. They stopped at the last house of the city and 18his servants marched past him, as well as the Cherethites, the Pelethites and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, and went ahead of him.
19Then the king said to the commander, Ittai, the Gittite, “Why are you also coming with us? Go back and stay with your king, for you are a foreigner, an exile from your home. 20Are you setting out when you have just arrived? Shall I make you wander about with us? Go back, take your brothers with you and may Yahweh show you kindness and faithfulness. 21Ittai, however, answered the king, “As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether in life or in death, there also will your servant be.”
22Then David said to Ittai,“Go then, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and all the children who were with him. 23Meanwhile, all those in the countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. Then the king crossed the brook Kidron and all the people moved on to the desert.
24The priest Zadok came with all the Levites bearing the ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the ark of God where Abiathar stood until the people had all gone out of the city; 25after which the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If Yahweh looks kindly on me, he will bring me back and allow me to again see the ark and its lodging place. 26But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ I am here; let him do to me what seems good to him.”
27The king also said to the priest Zadok, “See, better go back to the city in peace and take with you your son Ahimaaz, and Jonathan, son of Abiathar. 28I will wait in the desert fords until you send word for me.” 29So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.
30David himself went up the Mount of Olives, weeping. He was barefooted and had his head covered, and all the people who were with him had their heads covered and wept as they went.
Humiliation for David
31When David was informed that Ahitophel was among the conspirators with Absalom, he said, “O Yahweh, turn the counsel of Ahitophel into folly.”
32When David reached the summit where God is worshiped, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust strewn on his head. 33David said to him, “If you come with me, you will be a burden to me. 34It would be better for you to return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Just as I have been your father’s servant in the past, I will now be your servant.’ In that way you will be useful to me in thwarting the counsel of Ahitophel. 35The priests Zadok and Abiathar are there to help you. Report whatever you hear from the king’s house. 36Both their sons are there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, and you shall report to me through them everything you hear.” 37So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
- 2 S 15,10 God wanted the Israelites of the period before Christ to have an image of him in the person of David, their first king. Those happy and glorious days of the young ruler, beloved by all, are followed by days of sorrow for the old king. During those years the countenance of Christ appears more clearly through King David. The sword shall never be far from your house. Nathan has announced the consequence of David's adultery. In the trial, what emerges is only the humble loyalty of David who, without complaint, accepts Yahweh's will. The way David bears with the curses of Shimei astonishes us. How much more puzzling it was to people of those times who could only understand revenge. David knows that God will never leave him; his present misfortune is like an invitation from Yahweh to have greater trust. In order to attract Yahweh's mercy, he refuses to defend himself or to take revenge. In chapters 15-17, what happens to David is like a prefiguring of the Messiah in his passion and resurrection. Even the details suggest this: 15:12 - a traitor from David's council... who hangs himself 17:23. 15:23 - the crying, the river of Kidron. 15:30 - the Mount of Olives. 15:32 - the small group of followers on the hilltop. 16:9 - the general wants to defend his king with the sword; David forbids him to do so. 16:13 - the insults, the brief flight that ends with the death of the rebel.
