2 Samuel 15 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Some time after this, Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, along with fifty men to run ahead of him.

Absalom would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever someone had a legal dispute and was coming to the king for a ruling, Absalom would call out to him and ask, "What city are you from?" The man would answer, "Your servant is from such-and-such tribe in Israel."

Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are good and right, but there's no one the king has appointed to hear your case."

Absalom would add, "If only someone would make me judge over this land! Then anyone with a dispute or case could come to me, and I'd make sure they got justice."

And whenever anyone came close to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for a ruling. And so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to Yahweh."

"Because your servant made a vow while I was living in Geshur in Aram. I said, 'If Yahweh ever brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship Yahweh.'"

The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he got up and went to Hebron.

Then Absalom sent undercover agents throughout all the tribes of Israel with this message: "As soon as you hear the sound of the ram's horn, announce: 'Absalom has become king in Hebron!'"

Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went innocently, knowing nothing about what was happening.

While offering the sacrifices, Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite — David's advisor — from his hometown of Giloh. The conspiracy grew stronger, and the people supporting Absalom kept increasing.

A messenger came to David and reported, "The hearts of the people of Israel have shifted to Absalom."

David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Get up! We need to flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Hurry — before he moves fast and overtakes us, brings disaster on us, and puts the city to the sword."

The king's officials said to him, "Whatever our lord the king decides, your servants are ready."

So the king set out, with his entire household following him. But he left ten concubines behind to take care of the palace.

The king set out with all his people following him, and they stopped at the last house on the edge of the city.

All his officials marched past him — all the Kerethites and Pelethites and all six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath — they all marched past the king.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you also come with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you're a foreigner and an exile from your own homeland."

"You just arrived yesterday. Should I make you wander around with us today, when I don't even know where I'm going? Go back and take your people with you. And may Yahweh show you faithful love and loyalty."

But Ittai answered the king, "As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives — wherever my lord the king is, whether it means life or death, that's where your servant will be."

David said to Ittai, "Then march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the families who were with him.

The whole countryside was weeping loudly as all the people crossed over. The king crossed the Kidron Valley, and everyone moved on toward the wilderness road.

Zadok was there too, along with all the Levites carrying the chest of God's covenant. They set the chest of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the chest of God back to the city. If I find favor in Yahweh's eyes, he'll bring me back and let me see it and its dwelling place again."

"But if he says, 'I'm not pleased with you' — well, here I am. Let him do with me whatever seems good to him."

The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Look — you're a seer, aren't you? Go back to the city in peace, and take your two sons with you — your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan."

"I'll be waiting at the river crossings in the wilderness until I receive word from you."

So Zadok and Abiathar carried the chest of God back to Jerusalem, and they stayed there.

But David went up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he climbed. His head was covered and he walked barefoot, and all the people with him covered their heads and wept as they went up.

Then someone told David, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David prayed, "Yahweh, please turn Ahithophel's advice into foolishness."

When David reached the summit where people would worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dirt on his head.

David said to him, "If you come with me, you'll just be a burden."

"But if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, Your Majesty — I used to serve your father, but now I'll serve you' — then you can undermine Ahithophel's advice for me."

"Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you, won't they? Whatever you hear from the king's palace, report it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests."

"Their two sons are there with them — Zadok's son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan. Send them to me with anything you find out."

So Hushai, David's friend, arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.