And Absalom got up early, morning after morning, and took his place at the side of the public meeting-place: and when any man had a cause which had to come to the king to be judged, then Absalom, crying out to him, said, What is your town? and he would say, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

And more than this, Absalom said, If only I was made judge in the land, so that every man who has any cause or question might come to me, and I would give a right decision for him!

And this Absalom did to everyone in Israel who came to the king to have his cause judged: so Absalom, like a thief, took away the hearts of the men of Israel.

For while I was living in Geshur in Aram, your servant made an oath, saying, If ever the Lord lets me come back to Jerusalem, I will give him worship in Hebron.

But Absalom at the same time sent watchers through all the tribes of Israel to say, At the sound of the horn you are to say, Absalom is king in Hebron.

And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, one of David's helpers, from Giloh his town, while he was making the offerings. And the design against David became strong, for more and more people were joined to Absalom.

And David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Come, let us go in flight, or not one of us will be safe from Absalom: let us go without loss of time, or he will overtake us quickly and send evil on us, and put the town to the sword.

So the king went out, taking with him all the people of his house, but for ten of his women, who were to take care of the house.

And all the people went on by his side and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the men of Ittai of Gath, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, went on before the king.

It was only yesterday you came to us why then am I to make you go up and down with us? for I have to go where I may go back then, and take your countrymen with you, and may the Lord's mercy and good faith be with you.

And David said to Ittai, Go forward, then. And Ittai the Gittite went on, with all his men and all the little ones he had with him.

Then Zadok came, and Abiathar, and with them the ark of God's agreement: and they put down the ark of God, till all the people from the town had gone by.

But if he says, I have no delight in you: then, here I am let him do to me what seems good to him.

See, I will be waiting at the way across the river, in the waste land, till I get news from you.

And David went up the slopes of the Mount of Olives weeping all the way, with his head covered and no shoes on his feet: and all the people who were with him, covering their heads, went up weeping.

Now when David had come to the top of the slope, where they gave worship to God, Hushai the Archite came to him in great grief with dust on his head:

But if you go back to the town and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king as in the past I have been your father's servant, so now I will be yours: then you will be able to keep Ahithophel's designs against me from being put into effect.

See, they have with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar by them you may send word to me of everything which comes to your ears.

And David said to Ziba, What is your reason for this? And Ziba said, The asses are for the use of the king's people, and the bread and the fruit are food for the young men and the wine is for drink for those who are overcome by weariness in the waste land.

Then the king said to Ziba, Truly everything which was Mephibosheth's is yours. And Ziba said, I give honour to my lord, may I have grace in your eyes, my lord, O king!

And he sent stones at David and at all the king's servants and at all the people and at all the men of war by his side, on the right hand and on the left.

The Lord has sent punishment on you for all the blood of the family of Saul, whose kingdom you have taken and the Lord has given the kingdom to Absalom, your son: now you yourself are taken in your evil, because you are a man of blood.

And the king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Let him go on cursing, for the Lord has said, Put a curse on David, and who then may say, Why have you done so?

It may be that the Lord will take note of my wrongs, and give me back good in answer to his cursing of me today.

And the king and his people came tired to Jordan, and took their rest there.

Then Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom and said, Long life to the king, long life to the king!

And Hushai said to Absalom, Not so I am for that man whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have taken as king, and I will take my place with him.

Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your opinion now, what are we to do?

So they put up the tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's women before the eyes of all Israel.

And I will come up with him when he is tired and feeble, and make him full of fear: and all the people with him will go in flight and I will make an attack on the king only:

And the saying was pleasing to Absalom and to the responsible men of Israel.

And when Hushai came, Absalom said to him, This is what Ahithophel has said: are we to do as he says? if not, what is your suggestion?

Hushai said further, You have knowledge of your father and his men, that they are men of war, and that their feelings are bitter, like those of a bear in the field whose young ones have been taken from her: and your father is a man of war, and will not take his night's rest with the people

Then even the strongest, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will become like water for all Israel is conscious that your father is a man of war, and those who are with him are strong and without fear.

Then we will come on him in some place, wherever he may be, falling on him as the dew comes on the earth: and of him and all the men who are with him not one will get away with his life.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, Hushai's suggestion is better than that of Ahithophel. For it was the purpose of the Lord to make the wise designs of Ahithophel without effect, so that the Lord might send evil on Absalom.

So now send the news quickly to David, and say, Do not take your night's rest by the way across the river to the waste land, but be certain to go over or the king and all the people with him will come to destruction.

But a boy saw them, and gave word of it to Absalom: so the two of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a water-hole in his garden, and they went down into it.

And Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone from here to the stream. And after searching for them, and seeing nothing of them, they went back to Jerusalem.

So David and all the people who were with him went up over Jordan: when dawn came, every one of them had gone over Jordan.

And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom, with all the men of Israel, went over Jordan.

And Israel and Absalom put up their tents in the land of Gilead.

Came with beds and basins and pots, and grain and meal, and all sorts of dry foods,

When they see your holy behaviour in the fear of God.

But let them be those of the unseen man of the heart, the ever-shining ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the eyes of God.

As Sarah was ruled by Abraham, naming him lord whose children you are if you do well, and are not put in fear by any danger.

Last of all, see that you are all in agreement feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride:

For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit:

For the eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness have no part in their fear and do not be troubled

Being conscious that you have done no wrong so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame.

Because Christ once went through pain for sins, the upright one taking the place of sinners, so that through him we might come back to God being put to death in the flesh, but given life in the Spirit

Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water:

Who has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been put under his rule.