2 Samuel 18:4-13

4Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate and all the troops went out by their hundreds and thousands.

5Then the king charged Joab, Abishai and Ittai saying, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” Now all the troops heard the king’s charge to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

6Then the troops went out to the field to confront Israel but the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

7The people of Israel were defeated there before the followers of David, and the slaughter that day was great—20,000 men.

8For the battle there was spread over the face of the entire countryside and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

9Now Absalom encountered some of David’s servants. When Absalom was riding on his mule, the mule went under the thick branches of the great oak, and his head got caught in the oak, so that he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.

10Then a certain man saw it and told Joab saying, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”

11Then Joab said to his informant, “Look here, you saw him, so why didn’t you strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt!”

12But the man said to Joab, “Even if I had 1,000 pieces of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you, Abishai and Ittai saying, ‘Watch over the young man Absalom for me.’

13Otherwise, I would have betrayed his soul—and nothing stays hidden from the king—and you yourself would have stood aloof.”