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hanged himself. And when David numbered those with him, he found four thousand. and he divided the army into three parts, and over each he set a commander; but he was not permitted by his friends to go out to battle with them, saying that if they were routed with him, they would fall from all hope, but if he were saved, hope still remained for them. Therefore he sent his people out to fight, and urged them to spare Absalom, if 1.113 they should be victorious. And when the battle was joined, David's men prevailed, and they pursued Absalom as he fled. But being carried on a mule, and entering a forest, his hair having become entangled in a great oak—for he grew his hair very long—he was left hanging from the oak; and the mule had gone on. And someone, seeing Absalom thus suspended, reported it to Joab. And he, striking him with three darts in the heart, killed him, and sent one to announce the victory to the king. And when the victory was announced to him, he asked if his son was alive; and hearing that he was dead, he mourned. And Joab came to the king and with what he said persuaded him to cease from mourning; and having ceased, and appearing to the soldiers, he praised them. And all were subject to him as before. And he went away to Jerusalem; and as he was departing, Shimei met him, asking forgiveness for the ways in which he had sinned. And he swore to forgive his sin and that of all who had transgressed against him. And Mephibosheth also met him. And the king asked why ever he had not shared in his flight. And he said that Ziba was most to blame for this, not having prepared for him the things for the journey; and that he himself, being lame in his feet, was not able to follow; and that Ziba had also wickedly slandered him and lied about him. To this David both granted him pardon and commanded that half of his property be restored to him. And when the king arrived at Gilgal, all the people of Israel were gathered there, accusing the tribe of Judah of having come to him secretly. But they said that they should not 1.114 be reproached for this, being related by tribe to the king. But this word seemed harsh to the people. And a certain man of Benjamin, a seditious and wicked man, called Sheba, "We have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jesse," cried out, and blowing a horn, he made all depart from David, with only the tribe of Judah remaining with him. But the king, appointing Amasa as general, sent him out to gather an army from the tribe of Judah, and to return after three days. But when Amasa delayed, he commanded Joab to take the force present there and set out against Sheba, "lest, if we delay," he said, "the enemy be better prepared." And immediately Joab went forth to war. And as he was going out with a great force, Amasa met him; and Joab, as Amasa approached him, caused the sword with which he was girded to fall from its sheath, and he picked it up from the ground, and approaching Amasa to greet him, he thrust the dagger into his belly and killed him. And taking that man's people also, he pursued Sheba; but he fled into a fortified city. And Joab besieged the city, and a wise woman from the wall cried out to him, "Why do you wish to overthrow a mother city in Israel?" And he answered, "Because of Sheba." And she went to the citizens and persuaded them to cut off Sheba's head and throw it into the camp. And when this was done, Joab, lifting the siege, departed to Jerusalem, and was again appointed commander-in-chief of the whole force. And after these things a famine occurred and for three years afflicted the people. And when the king inquired about 1.115 this, God declared that the famine was because of the Gibeonites, and that they must receive vengeance for those whom Saul had killed from among them, not keeping the oaths made to them by Joshua and the elders. Therefore the king called the Gibeonites, and asked what they would wish to be done for them as an atonement; and they asked that seven men from the house of Saul be given to them. And the king gave them the seven

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ἀπήγξατο. ̓Αριθμήσας δὲ τοὺς μετ' αὐτοῦ ὁ ∆αβὶδ τετρακισχιλίους ευρε. καὶ εἰς τρεῖς διεῖλε μοίρας τὴν στρατιάν, ἑκάστῃ τε ἐπέστησε στρατηγόν· αὐτὸς δὲ συνεκστρατεῦσαι παρὰ τῶν φίλων οὐ συγκεχώρητο, λεγόντων ὡς εἰ μετ' αὐτοῦ τραπεῖεν, πάσης ἐλπίδος ἐκπίπτουσιν, αὐτοῦ δὲ σωζομένου ετι σφίσιν ἐλπὶς περιλέλειπται. επεμψεν ουν τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ μαχησόμενον, καὶ παρεκάλει φείσασθαι τοῦ ̓Αβεσαλώμ, εἰ 1.113 νικήσειαν. μάχης δὲ συρραγείσης κρατοῦσιν οἱ τοῦ ∆αβίδ, καὶ τὸν ̓Αβεσαλὼμ ἐδίωκον φεύγοντα. φερόμενος δ' ἐφ' ἡμιόνου, καὶ εἰς δρυμὸν εἰσελθών, δρυῒ μεγάλῃ τῆς τριχὸς αὐτοῦ ἐμπλακείσης, ετρεφε γὰρ τὴν κόμην σφόδρα πολλήν, ἀπῃώρητο τῆς δρυός· ἡ δ' ἡμίονος παρελήλυθε. καί τις ἀνηρτημένον ουτω τὸν ̓Αβεσαλὼμ θεασάμενος καταμηνύει τῷ ̓Ιωάβ. ὁ δὲ βέλεσιν αὐτὸν τρισὶ κατὰ τῆς καρδίας βαλὼν ἐθανάτωσε, καὶ τὸν τὴν νίκην ἀπαγγελοῦντα τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξαπέστειλε. μηνυθείσης δὲ τῆς νίκης αὐτῷ, εἰ ζῇ ὁ υἱὸς ἐπυνθάνετο· ἀκούσας δὲ τεθνάναι αὐτόν, ἀπωδύρετο. ἐλθὼν δὲ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὁ ̓Ιωὰβ επεισεν οις ειπε παύσασθαι τοῦ θρηνεῖν· παυσάμενός τε καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐμφανισθεὶς ἐπῄνεσεν αὐτούς. πάντες δ' ὡς πρὶν αὐτῷ ὑπετάγησαν. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα· ἀπιόντι δὲ συνήντησε Σεμεεὶ συγγνώμην αἰτῶν ἐφ' οισπερ ἡμάρτηκεν. ὁ δὲ κἀκείνῳ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ωμοσεν ἀφιέναι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πλημμελήσασιν. ἀπήντησε δὲ καὶ Μεμφιβοσθέ. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τί δή ποτε μὴ τῆς φυγῆς αὐτῷ κεκοινώνηκεν ηρετο. ὁ δὲ τούτου τὸν Σιβὰ αἰτιώτατον ελεγε, μὴ ἑτοιμάσαντά οἱ τὰ πρὸς τὴν εξοδον· αὐτὸν δὲ τὰς βάσεις οντα βεβλαμμένον μὴ οιόν τ' ειναι συνέπεσθαι· τὸν δὲ καὶ προσδιαβαλεῖν αὐτὸν κακούργως καὶ καταψεύσασθαι. πρὸς ταῦτα ∆αβὶδ καὶ συγγνώμην αὐτῷ παρεῖχε καὶ τὰ ἡμίση τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτῷ ἀποκαταστῆναι ἐκέλευσε. Παραγενομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς Γάλγαλα, συνήχθη ἐκεῖ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ̓Ισραήλ, αἰτιώμενοι τὴν ̓Ιούδα φυλὴν λάθρᾳ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθοῦσαν. οἱ δὲ μὴ 1.114 δεῖν κακίζειν αὐτοὺς ελεγον διὰ τοῦτο, οἰκείους οντας πρὸς γένος τῷ βασιλεῖ. τῷ δὲ λαῷ σκληρὸς ὁ λόγος ουτος ἐφάνη. καί τις ἀνὴρ Βενιαμίτης στασιώδης καὶ πονηρός, Σαβεὲ κεκλημένος, "οὐκ εστι μερὶς ἡμῖν ἐν ∆αβὶδ οὐδὲ κληρονομία ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ̓Ιεσσαί" ἀνεβόησε, καὶ σαλπίσας ἐν κέρατι ἀπέστησε πάντας ἀπὸ ∆αβίδ, μόνης τῆς ̓Ιούδα φυλῆς παραμεινάσης αὐτῷ. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ στρατηγὸν τὸν ̓Αμεσὰ προβαλόμενος συλλέξαι στρατιὰν ἐκ τῆς ̓Ιούδα φυλῆς ἐξαπέστειλε, καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπανελθεῖν. χρονίζοντος δὲ τοῦ ̓Αμεσά, τῷ ̓Ιωὰβ ἐγκελεύεται τὴν ἐκεῖσε παροῦσαν λαβόντα δύναμιν ἐξορμῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ Σαβεέ, "ινα μὴ ὑπερτιθεμένων ἡμῶν" φησι "μᾶλλον ὁ ἐχθρὸς παρασκευασθῇ." καὶ αὐτίκα ὁ ̓Ιωὰβ ἐχώρει πρὸς πόλεμον. ἀπιόντι δὲ μετὰ μεγάλης δυνάμεως συνηντήκει αὐτῷ ̓Αμεσά· καὶ ̓Ιωάβ, προσιόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ ̓Αμεσά, τὸ ξίφος ο περιέζωστο πεποίηκε τοῦ κουλεοῦ ἐκπεσεῖν, καὶ ηρε τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀσπάσασθαι προσεγγίσας τῷ ̓Αμεσὰ ωσε κατὰ τῆς γαστρὸς ἐκείνου τὴν μάχαιραν καὶ ἀπέκτεινε. προσλαβόμενος δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου λαὸν τὸν Σαβεὲ κατεδίωκεν· ὁ δὲ εἰς πόλιν κατέφυγεν ὀχυράν. καὶ ἐπολιόρκει τὴν πόλιν ὁ ̓Ιωάβ, καί τις ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους γυνὴ συνετὴ ἐβόησε πρὸς αὐτόν "ινα τί καταβαλεῖν ἐθέλεις μητρόπολιν ̓Ισραήλ;" ὁ δέ "διὰ τὸν Σαβεέ" ἀπεκρίνατο. ἡ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς πολίτας ἐλθοῦσα πείθει τεμόντας τὴν κεφαλὴν Σαβεὲ ῥῖψαι εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον. καὶ τούτου γεγονότος ὁ ̓Ιωὰβ τὴν πολιορκίαν λύσας ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ̔Ιερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἀπεδείχθη πάλιν πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως ἀρχιστράτηγος. ̓Εγένετο δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα λιμὸς καὶ ἐπὶ ετη τρία ἐπίεζε τὸν λαόν. ζητήσαντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως περὶ 1.115 τούτου, δεδήλωκεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας γίνεσθαι τὸν λιμόν, καὶ δεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκδικίας τυχεῖν ἀνθ' ων ὁ Σαοὺλ ἀπέκτεινεν ἐξ αὐτῶν, μὴ τηρήσας τοὺς παρὰ ̓Ιησοῦ καὶ τῆς γερουσίας γεγονότας ορκους αὐτοῖς. ἐκάλεσεν ουν τοὺς Γαβαωνίτας ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ τί αν βούλοιντο γενέσθαι αὐτοῖς ἐπύθετο εἰς ἐξίλασμα· οἱ δὲ ἑπτὰ ανδρας ῃτησαν δοθῆναι αὐτοῖς ἐκ τοῦ οικου Σαούλ. καὶ εδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἑπτὰ