2 Samuel 15:1-19

1Now it came about after this that Absalom provided himself with a chariot, horses and 50 men as runners before him.

2Absalom used to rise up early and stand beside the road to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a suit to come to the king for justice, then Absalom would call to him and say, “What town are you from?” Should he answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”

3Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no one assigned to you by the king to hear you.”

4Moreover, Absalom would say, “If only I were appointed judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or case would come to me, and I would get him justice!”

5Also, whenever anyone approached to bow to him, he would stretch his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

6So Absalom kept doing this to everyone of Israel who came to the king for judgment. Thus Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

7At the end of 40 years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and pay my vow which I have vowed to Adonai.

8For your servant vowed a vow while I was still living at Geshur in Aram saying, ‘If Adonai will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Adonai.’”

9So the king said to him, “Go in shalom.” Then he rose and went to Hebron.

10But Absalom sent spies to all the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the shofar, then you are to say, ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron!’”

11Now 200 men from Jerusalem went with Absalom, who were invited and were going innocently, knowing nothing of the situation.

12Also Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor from his town Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. So the conspiracy gained momentum for the people following Absalom continued to increase.

13Then a messenger came to David saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are following Absalom.”

14Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Leave in haste or else he will overtake us quickly and bring disaster down on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

15Then the king’s officials said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

16So the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But the king left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.

17As the king went out and all the people after him, they paused at the last house.

18All his servants passed on beside him: all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites and all the Gittites—600 men that had come after him from Gath—passed on before the king.

19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place.