1Forsooth it was told to Joab, that the king wept, and bewailed his son;

2and the victory in that day was turned into mourning to all the people; for the people heard, that it was said in that day, The king maketh sorrow on his son.

3And the people eschewed to enter into the city in that day, as the people turned and fleeing from [the] battle is wont to bow away.

4And the king covered his head, and cried with great voice, My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son!

5Therefore Joab entered to the king into the house, and said, Thou hast shamed today the cheers of all thy servants, that have made safe thy life, and the life of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the life of thy wives, and the life of thy secondary wives.

6Thou lovest them that hate thee, and thou hatest them that love thee; and thou hast showed today that thou reckest not of thy dukes and of thy servants; and verily I have known now, that if Absalom lived, and all we had been dead, then it should please thee.

7Now therefore rise up, and go thou forth, and speak thou, and make satisfaction to thy servants; for I swear to thee by the Lord, that if thou shalt not go forth, soothly not one man shall dwell with thee in this night; and this shall be worse to thee, than all the evils that came [up] on thee from thy young waxing age till into this present time.

8Therefore the king rose up, and sat in the gate; and it was told to all the people, that the king sat in the gate, and all the multitude came before the king. Forsooth Israel fled into their tabernacles.

9And all the people strived in all the lineages of Israel, and said, The king delivered us from the hand of all our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of Philistines; and now he hath fled from the land for Absalom.

10Certainly Absalom, whom we anointed upon us, is dead in battle; how long be ye still, and bring not again the king? And the counsel of all Israel came to the king.

11And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, and said, Speak ye to the greater men in birth of Judah, and say ye, Why came ye the last to bring again the king into his house? Soothly the word of all Israel came to the king, that they would bring him again into his house. For the king said, Ye shall say these things to the people,

12Ye be my brethren, ye be my bone and my flesh; why the last bring ye again the king?

13And say ye to Amasa, Whether thou art not my bone and my flesh? God do these things to me, and add these things too, if thou shalt not be master of chivalry, before me in all time after Joab.

14And David bowed to him the heart of all [the] men of Judah as of one man; and they sent to the king, and said, Turn thou again, and all thy servants.

15And the king turned again, and came till to Jordan; and all Judah came till into Gilgal to meet the king, and to lead him over the Jordan.

16But Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, of Bahurim, hasted, and came down with the men of Judah into the meeting of king David,

17with a thousand men of Benjamin; and Ziba, the child of the house of Saul, and fifteen sons of him, and twenty servants were with him; and they brake into the Jordan, before the king,

18and they passed over the fords, that they should lead over the house of the king, and do by the behest of the king. Soothly Shimei, the son of Gera, kneeled before the king, when he had passed now Jordan,

19and said to the king, My lord the king, areckon thou not wickedness to me, neither have thou mind of the wrongs of thy servant in the day, in which thou, my lord the king, wentest out of Jerusalem, neither set thou, king, those wrongs in thine heart;

20for I thy servant acknowledge my sin; and therefore today I came the first of all the house of Joseph, and I came down into the meeting of my lord the king.

21And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, answered and said, Whether Shimei, that cursed the christ of the Lord, shall not be slain for these words?

22And David said, What is it to me and to you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Why be ye made to me today into Satan, that is, adversary? Therefore whether a man shall be slain today in Israel? Whether I know not me made king today on Israel?

23And the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die; and the king swore to him.

24Also Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, came down with unwashed feet, and with his beard unclipped, into the coming of the king. And Mephibosheth had not washed his clothes, from the day in which the king went out of Jerusalem till to the day of his coming again in peace.

25And when at Jerusalem he had come to the king, the king said to him, Mephibosheth, why camest thou not with me?

26And he answered and said, My lord the king, my servant despised me; and I thy servant said to him, that he should saddle the ass to me, and I should ascend, and I should go with the king; for I thy servant am crooked.

27Moreover and he accused me, thy servant, to thee, my lord the king; but thou, my lord the king, art as the angel of God; do thou that, that is pleasant [or pleasing] to thee.

28For the house of my father was no but guilty to [the] death to my lord the king; soothly thou hast set [or puttest] me thy servant among the guests of thy board; what therefore have I of just complaint, either what may I more cry to the king?

29And the king said to him, What speakest thou more? that that I have spoken is steadfast; thou and Ziba part the possessions.

30And Mephibosheth answered to the king, Yea, take he all things, after that my lord the king turned again peaceably into his house.

31Also Barzillai of Gilead, a full eld [or old] man, came down from Rogelim, and led the king over Jordan, ready also to pursue [or follow] him over the flood.

32And Barzillai of Gilead was full eld [or old], that is, of fourscore years; and he gave meats to the king, when the king dwelled in castles; for Barzillai was a full rich man.

33And so the king said to Barzillai, Come thou with me, that thou rest securely with me in Jerusalem.

34And Barzillai said to the king, How many be the days of [the] years of my life, that I go up with the king into Jerusalem?

35I am of fourscore years today; whether my wits be quick to deem sweet thing either bitter, either meat and drink may delight thy servant, either may I hear more the voice of singers either of singsters? Why is thy servant to be a charge to my lord the king?

36I thy servant shall go forth a little from the Jordan with thee, I have no need to this yielding;

37but I beseech thee, that I thy servant turn again, and die in my city, and be buried beside the sepulchre of my father and of my mother; forsooth my son Chimham is thy servant, my lord the king, go he with thee, and do thou to him that that seemeth good to thee.

38Therefore the king said to Bar-zillai, Chimham go forth with me; and I shall do to him whatever thing pleaseth thee, and thou shalt get all thing, that thou askest of me.

39And when all the people and the king had passed [over] Jordan, the king abode; and the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he turned again into his place.

40Then the king passed forth into Gilgal, and Chimham with him. And all the people of Judah had led the king over, and the half part only of the people of Israel was present.

41Therefore all the men of Israel came together to the king, and said to him, Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen thee, and have led the king and his house over Jordan, and all the men of David with him?

42And each man of Judah answered to the men of Israel, For the king is near of kin to me; why art thou wroth upon this thing? Whether we have eaten anything of the king’s, either gifts be given to us?

43And a man of Israel answered to the men of Judah, and said, I am greater by ten parts to the king, and David pertaineth more to me than to thee; why hast thou done wrong to me, and it was not told to me the former, that I should bring again my king? Forsooth the men of Judah answered harder to the men of Israel.