Absalom

Then Avshalom summoned Yo'av, planning to send him to the king; but he refused to come to him. He summoned him a second time, but he still wouldn't come.

So he said to his servants, "See, Yo'av's field is close to mine, and he has barley there; go, and set it on fire." Avshalom's servants set the field on fire.

Then Yo'av got up, went to Avshalom at his house and asked him, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"

Avshalom answered Yo'av, "Look, I sent a message to you to come here, so that I could send you to the king to ask, 'Why did I come from G'shur? It would have been better for me if I had stayed there. So now, let me appear before the king; and if I'm guilty of anything, he can kill me.'"

Yo'av went to the king and told him; and when he had called for Avshalom, he went to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Avshalom.

Some time later, Avshalom prepared himself a chariot and horses, with fifty men to run ahead of him.

He would get up early and stand by the road leading to the city gate; and if someone had a case that was to come before the king for judgment, Avshalom would call to him and ask, "What city are you from?" and he would answer, "Your servant is from the such-and-such tribe in Isra'el."

Avshalom would say to him, "Look, your cause is good and just; but the king hasn't deputized anyone to hear your case."

Then Avshalom would continue, "Now if I were made judge in the land, anyone with a suit or other cause could come to me, and I would see that he gets justice!"

This is how Avshalom behaved toward anyone in Isra'el who came to the king for judgment, and in this way Avshalom stole the hearts of the people of Isra'el.

At the end of forty years, Avshalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hevron and fulfill the vow I made to ADONAI.

But Avshalom sent spies through all the tribes of Isra'el to say, "The moment you hear the sound of the shofar, then start proclaiming, 'Avshalom is king in Hevron.'"

With Avshalom went 200 men from Yerushalayim who had been invited; they went innocently, knowing nothing about the scheme.

Avshalom sent for Achitofel the Giloni, David's counselor, to come from his town Giloh and be with him while offering the sacrifices. The conspiracy grew strong, because the number of people favoring Avshalom kept increasing.

A messenger came to David saying, "The men of Isra'el have aligned themselves with Avshalom."

David said to all his servants with him in Yerushalayim, "Get up! We must flee! Otherwise none of us will escape from Avshalom. Hurry, and leave; or he will soon overtake us, attack us and put the city to the sword."

One of them told David, "Achitofel is among the conspirators with Avshalom." David said, "ADONAI, please! Turn Achitofel's advice into foolishness!"

But if you go back to the city and tell Avshalom, 'King, I will be your servant; just as I was your father's servant in the past, so I will now be your servant'- then you will be able to frustrate Achitofel's advice for me.

So Hushai David's friend came into the city when Avshalom was about to enter Yerushalayim.

ADONAI has brought back on you all the blood of the house of Sha'ul. You usurped his kingship, but ADONAI has handed over the kingdom to Avshalom your son. Now your own evil has overtaken you, because you are a man of blood!"

Meanwhile Avshalom and all the people, the men of Isra'el, came to Yerushalayim; Achitofel was with him.

Hushai the Arki, David's friend, came to Avshalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

Avshalom asked Hushai, "Is this how you show kindness to your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?"

Hushai replied, "No, but whomever ADONAI and this people and all the men of Isra'el choose, his I will be; and with him I will stay.

Avshalom said to Achitofel, "Give your advice as to what we should do."