20 And Joab ſaid unto him, Thou ſhalt not + bear 2%," | ridings this day, but thou ſhalt bear ridings another day : handef,&c. | but this day thou ſhalt bearno tidings, becauſe the Kings t Heb: #e
a man 0
ridings,
I7. it
+ Heb:
k And thou ſhalt not be a Meſſenger of evil tidings,which will be unwelcome to him; and prejudicial to thee:
21 Then faid Joab to Cuſhi / Go tell the King what thou haſt ſeen. And Cuſhi bewed himſelf unts Joab, and ran.
I to an Ethiopian ; 1 I 0 BR ug i _— pian ; ſo he might be by birth, and yet by Pro-
22 Thenſaid Ahimaaz the ſon of Zadok yet again to Joab, But + howſoever, let me, I pray thee, alſo run +1yeb; 5s after Cuſhi. And Joab ſaid, Wherefore wilt thou ruti, whar may. my ſon , ſeing that thou haſt no tidings|| ready ?
m So he calls him with reſpe& both to his younger yeats, and to that true and render affe&tion which he had for him.
23 But howſoever ( ſaid he) let me run. And he ſaid unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain %, and over-ran Cuſki.
n ich was the ſmoother and eaſier, though the longer way.
24 And David fat between the rwo gates 0: "and the warchman went up to the roof over the gate unto thee wall p, and lift up his eyes, and looked, and be- hold, a my running alone. | :
s For the Gates of the Cities then were, w they and thick; and for the greater —roaPny hod-iws yon om —_ outward, the other inward. Here he ſar, that he might hear ridings when any came into the Ciry. p Unto the top of the Wall
or Tower upon the Gate, wh:re watchmen uſed ro watch: Come pare 2 Kings g. 17. Ezek 33. 2.
25 And the watchman cried, and told the King. And the King faid, if he be alone here 5s tidings in his mouth 9. And he came apace, and drew near.
q He is ſent with fome ſpecial Meſſage ; Which was a very pro-
! Or, con- pmomigys ufficient,
Numb:1t.
22,
bable conjeQure; for if he had run or fled from the Enemy, ma- ny others would have followed him: ATR 3D 3 26 And
Chap. XIX. * Ed
26 And the watchman ſaw another man running» and the watchman called unto the porter, and laid, Behold, another man running alone. And the King faid, He alfo bringeth tidings. | | + Heb: 27 And the watchman ſaid, + Methinketh the run- | 1 ſee thee ning of the foremoſt, is like the running of Ahimaaz | ruming» the fon of Zadock. And the King ſaid, He is a good | man, and cometh with good tidings r. :
r He loves me well, and therefore would not afflict me with evil ridings. :
28 And Ahimaaz called and ſaid unto the King, | + All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the King, and ſaid, Blefſed be the LORD thy God, which hath + delivered up /the men cha lifr up their hand againſt my lord the King.
ſ Into thy hand and power; Or, to deſtruQtion. 1 8am: 24. 19. and 26. & _
29 And the King ſaid, + Is the young man Abſa- lom ſafe? And Ahimaaz anſwered, When Joab ſent the Kings fervant s, and me thy ſervant, I ſaw a great tumule, but IT knew not what it wes ?.
s Cuſbi, t Be ſeems to tell an untruth, as is evident from verſe 20, becauſe he now plainly perceived what Joab foretold him, that ſuch things would be very unwelcome to David. But he made a bad choice, to offend God with a lyec, rather than to diſ- pleaſe the King with a truth. Yet thus far it might be true ; that though he had reaſon to think Abſalom was dead, | Fr was not able to give account of the particulars which concerned it, wherewith Coſi was intruſted.
30 And the King faid unto him, Turn aſide, «nd Rand here. And he turned aſide, and ſtood fill. _
2x And behold, Cuſhicame, and Cuſhi ſaid, + Tid- ings my lord the King: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that roſe up againſt thee.
32 And the King faid unto Cuſhi, Is the young man Abſalom fafe? And Cuſhi anſwered, The enemies of my lord the King, and all that riſe up againſt thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man 5s #.
x May they periſh and be cur off, as he is.
23 7 And the King was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate x, and wept; and as he went, thus he ſaid, O my ſon Abſalom, my ſon, my ſou Abſalom : bat 7 God. I had died for thee, O Abſa-
on, my lon y- fon , wy je himſe Goa, al Men and Buſineſs, that he might wholly give up himſelf to lamentation. 4 This he might ſpeak from a deep ſenſe of his Eternal State, becauſe he died in his fins, without the, leaſt teſtimony of Repentance, and becauſe David himſelfhad by his own fins been the unbappy inſtrument and oc- caſon of his Son's death.
H A P.. XIX.
Toab by hard words moveth the King to ceaſe his mourning, and ſhew himſelf to che People, 1-=-8. The King u brought back by the men of Judah : And Amaſa put in Joab's place, g=--=15. Shimei ſueth for mercy, and obtaineth it, 16----23. Mephiboſheth meeting che King, recovers half his Eſtate, 24----30. Barzillai s diſmiſſed: Chimham his Son is taken into the King's Family, 31-:-40. The Iſraclites expotulate with Judah for bringizg home the King without them, 41---43-
ANY it was told Joab «, Behold, the King weeperh A and meurneth for Abſalom.
a By his Meſſengers, upon their return-
2 And the } victory that day wes turned into mourn- ing, unto all the people : for the peeple heard ſay that day, how the King was grieved for his ſon. | 2
3 And the people gat them by ſtexlth that day into the city b, as people being aſhamed ſteal away when they flec in bactel. | :
b Not openly, and orderly, and triumphantly, as Conquerors uſe to-do; bur ſecretly, and diſorderly, and aſunder, as if they were afraid and aſhamed, leſt Davidſhould ſee them, and Jook u-
n them with ,an evil eye, as thoſe that had an hand in the kil- | of his dearly beloved Son. : 'z
. 4 Bur the King covered his face c, andthe King cried with a loud voice, O my ſon Abſalom, O Abſa- lom, my ſon, my ſon.
c As a deep MOPrAETs as one be ſeen by any others.
5 And Joab came into the houſe 7 to the King, and ſaid, Thou haſt ſhamed this day the faces of all thy ſer-- yants e, Which this day have faved thy life, and the
[|Or, Peace be to thee, T Heb; Peace.
T Heb ſhut up.
T Heb: Is there Peace ?
Compare
| + Heb: | Tidings is WW Grought.
| THeb: ſal | Vation, Or, || deliverance
that deſired neither to ſee, nor to
T8584 40D EL
lives of thy ſons, and of thy daughters, andthe lives of
thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines f, :