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"let it be a pledge to me of your promises," she said, "first be reconciled to your own son, and do not add another voluntary death to the murder of the son who died against your will." The king understood that the woman's words were a pretext, and that these had been devised by Joab, and he permitted him to bring back Absalom. And Joab went and brought him to Jerusalem; but he was not permitted to come into his father's sight. After this the king was reconciled to Absalom, and calling him, he gave pardon to him when he asked for it and promised amnesty for his sin. And Absalom, having acquired horses and chariots and many followers, would go each day to the palace, and by speaking graciously to the crowds he prepared many to favor him. And when four years had passed after his return, he made a pretext of going to Hebron for the sake of a sacrifice, as if he had made this vow while in exile; and he was let go by his father. And having gone, he sent messages to many, and a great many flocked to him, and among the others also Ahithophel, his father's counselor. And he was proclaimed king by all. When David learned this, he departed from Jerusalem with those around him; and the six hundred men who were with him in Saul's time set out with him again. And it was announced that Ahithophel had also joined Absalom; which made his fear greater 1.111 and his grief more abundant. And he called upon God, and entrusted the judgment of all things to him. And Hushai, being a companion of David, feigned desertion to Absalom according to his will. And Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, approached David as he was departing, bringing a pair of donkeys carrying provisions, and accusing his master of having remained in Jerusalem and expecting that the kingdom would come around to him, as the multitude would choose him. David was angered at this, and all that he had previously given to Mephibosheth he granted to Ziba. Then Shimei, a man from the kindred of Saul, came upon him on the road, and was throwing stones at the king and cursing him and calling him a man of blood and a lawless one. And when those with David rushed to kill Shimei, the king did not permit it, saying, "The Lord told him to do these things, let him be." And coming to the Jordan, he there refreshed those with him who were weary. And when Absalom arrived in Jerusalem, he said to Hushai who came to him, "Why, being a companion of my father, have you come to me, having left him?" And he said, "I will be with the one chosen by God, and I will be with the one chosen by all the people." And Absalom asked Ahithophel what must be done. And he advised him to lie with his father's concubines, so that all might know that your enmity toward your father is implacable. And Absalom did according to this counsel. And when Ahithophel asked for ten thousand men, so that he might immediately pursue 1.112 after King David and those with him, who were exhausted from weariness, and might strike him down, and turn back the others, Absalom asked Hushai about the counsel. But he declared it was not good, saying, "The valor and experience of your father and those with him are not unknown to you. But I think it necessary for you yourself, having gathered an army from the whole country, to thus rush against your father and lead the war, and you will certainly be victorious, clashing with many against a few." And Absalom and those with him said, "The counsel of Hushai is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." And Hushai commanded Zadok and Abiathar the priests to make all these things known to David. And they sent men to David to inform him of what had happened. And it was reported to Absalom about the men, and he pursued them. When they knew this, they fled to a certain house, and going down into a well, they were both hidden and escaped notice, and coming out from there they reported to David the things that had been revealed. And he crossed the Jordan by night with those who were with him. Ahithophel, however, being outdone, and knowing that evil would befall Absalom, went away to his house and

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δ' ἐχέγγυον ειη μοι τῶν ὑπεσχημένων" ειπε, "πρῶτος αὐτὸς τῷ οἰκείῳ υἱῷ διαλλάγηθι, καὶ μὴ τῷ φόνῳ τοῦ παρὰ γνώμην σου θανόντος υἱοῦ προσθήσεις ἑκούσιον ετερον." συνῆκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς σκῆψιν ειναι τοὺς λόγους τῆς γυναικός, καὶ τούτους σοφισθῆναι παρ' ̓Ιωάβ, καὶ κατάγειν αὐτῷ ἐπέτρεψε τὸν ̓Αβεσαλώμ. καὶ πορευθεὶς ̓Ιωὰβ ηγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλήμ· εἰς οψιν δ' ἐλθεῖν οὐ συγκεχώρητο τῷ πατρί. Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα κατηλλάγη ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ ̓Αβεσαλώμ, καὶ καλέσας αὐτὸν συγγνώμην αἰτήσαντι δέδωκε καὶ ἀμνηστίαν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος ἐπηγγείλατο. ιππους δὲ καὶ αρματα προσκτησάμενος ὁ ̓Αβεσαλὼμ καὶ πολλοὺς ὀπαδούς, καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπῄει πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια, καὶ πρὸς χάριν τοῖς πλήθεσιν ὁμιλῶν εὐνοεῖν αὐτῷ πολλοὺς παρεσκεύασεν. ηδη δὲ τετραετίας παραρρυείσης μετὰ τὴν κάθοδον σκήπτεται θυσίας χάριν εἰς Χεβρὼν ἀπελθεῖν, ὡς εὐχὴν τοῦτο πεποιηκὼς τυγχάνων ἐν τῇ φυγῇ· καὶ ἀφείθη πρὸς τοῦ πατρός. ἀπελθὼν δὲ πρὸς πολλοὺς διεπέμψατο, καὶ πλεῖστοι πρὸς αὐτὸν συνερρύησαν, πρὸς δὲ τοῖς αλλοις καὶ ̓Αχιτόφελ ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος. καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων βασιλεὺς ἀνερρήθη. τοῦτο γνοὺς ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἀπῆρε μετὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐξ ̔Ιερουσαλήμ· καὶ οἱ ἑξακόσιοι ανδρες οἱ ἐπὶ Σαοὺλ συνόντες αὐτῷ αυθις αὐτῷ συνεξώρμησαν. ἠγγέλθη δὲ καὶ ̓Αχιτόφελ προσρυεὶς τῷ ̓Αβεσαλώμ· ο καὶ τὸν φόβον αὐτῷ μείζονα 1.111 καὶ πλείονα τὴν λύπην ἐποίησεν. ἐπεκαλεῖτο δὲ τὸν θεόν, καὶ τὴν κρίσιν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἐκείνῳ ἐπέτρεπε. Χουσὶ δ' ἑταῖρος ων τοῦ ∆αβίδ, κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῦ ψευδαυτομολεῖ πρὸς ̓Αβεσαλώμ. πρόσεισι δὲ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀπιόντι ὁ δοῦλος τοῦ Μεμφιβοσθὲ Σιβά, ζεῦγος αγων ονων φερόντων τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, καὶ τοῦ δεσπότου κατηγορῶν ὡς μείναντος ἐν ̔Ιεροσολύμοις καὶ προσδοκῶντος αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν περιελεύσεσθαι, οια τοῦ πλήθους αἱρησομένου αὐτόν. ἠγανάκτησεν ἐπὶ τούτοις ∆αβίδ, καὶ πάντα οσα τῷ Μεμφιβοσθὲ πρὶν ἐδωρήσατο τῷ Σιβὰ ἐχαρίσατο. ειτα επεισιν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν Σεμεεί, ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας Σαούλ, καὶ λίθους κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἠκόντιζε καὶ κατηρᾶτο αὐτῷ καὶ ανδρα αἱμάτων ὠνόμαζε καὶ παράνομον. τῶν δὲ μετὰ ∆αβὶδ ὁρμώντων ἀνελεῖν τὸν Σεμεεὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἀφῆκεν, εἰπών "κύριος ειπεν αὐτῷ ταῦτα ποιεῖν, αφετε αὐτόν." καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην ἐκεῖ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ κεκοπιακότας ἀνέψυξεν. ̓Αβεσαλὼμ δὲ παραγενόμενος εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα, ἐλθόντι πρὸς αὐτὸν τῷ Χουσὶ εφη "ινα τί ἑταῖρος ων τοῦ πατρός μου πρὸς ἐμὲ ηκεις ἐκεῖνον λιπών;" ὁ δέ "τῷ ἐκλελεγμένῳ παρὰ θεοῦ συνέσομαι" ειπε, "καὶ συνέψομαι τῷ ᾑρετισμένῳ παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ." τί δὲ δεῖ πράττειν τὸν ̓Αχιτόφελ ηρετο ὁ ̓Αβεσαλώμ. καὶ ος συνεβούλευσε ταῖς τοῦ πατρὸς μίσγεσθαι παλλακαῖς, ιν' ουτω γνοῖεν πάντες ασπονδον ειναί σοι τὴν εχθραν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα σου. καὶ ἐποίησε κατὰ τὴν συμβουλὴν ταύτην ̓Αβεσαλώμ. αἰτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ ̓Αχιτόφελ μυρίους ανδρας, ὡς αν αὐτίκα κατα1.112 διώξῃ οπισθεν τοῦ βασιλέως ∆αβὶδ καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐκλελυμένων οντων ὑπὸ τοῦ κόπου, καὶ τὸν μὲν πατάξῃ, τοὺς δὲ ἐπιστρέψῃ, ὁ ̓Αβεσαλὼμ ἠρώτησε τὸν Χουσὶ περὶ τῆς συμβουλῆς. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀγαθὴν αὐτὴν ἀπεφήνατο, λέγων ὡς "οὐκ ἠγνόηταί σοι ἡ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἀνδρεία καὶ ἐμπειρία. δεῖν δὲ νομίζω ἐκ πάσης τῆς χώρας στρατιὰν συλλεξάμενον ουτως αὐτόν σε κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁρμῆσαι καὶ στρατηγῆσαι τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ πάντως νικήσεις, πρὸς βραχεῖς μετὰ πολλῶν συρρηγνύμενος." καὶ ειπεν ̓Αβεσαλὼμ καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ "ἀγαθὴ ἡ βουλὴ Χουσὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν βουλὴν ̓Αχιτόφελ." πάντα δὲ ταῦτα Χουσὶ τῷ Σαδὼκ καὶ τῷ ̓Αβιάθαρ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι δηλῶσαι τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐνετείλατο. οἱ δὲ ἐστάλκασι πρὸς ∆αβὶδ ανδρας τοὺς γνωριοῦντας αὐτῷ τὰ γενόμενα. ἀπηγγέλη δὲ τῷ ̓Αβεσαλὼμ περὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ κατεδίωκεν αὐτούς. ο γνόντες ἐκεῖνοι προσφεύγουσιν ἐν οἰκίᾳ τινός, καὶ εἰς φρέαρ καταδύντες ἐκρύβησάν τε καὶ ελαθον, καὶ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελθόντες τὰ μηνυθέντα ἀπήγγειλαν. ὁ δὲ νυκτὸς σὺν τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ διέβη τὸν ̓Ιορδάνην. ̓Αχιτόφελ μέντοι παρευδοκιμηθείς, καὶ γνοὺς οτι κακὰ συναντήσεται τῷ ̓Αβεσαλώμ, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οικον αὐτοῦ καὶ