1 Then David reviewed his troops and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds. 2He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”

3 But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will not care about us. Even if half of us die, they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It is better now if you support us from the city.”

4“I will do whatever seems best to you,” the king replied. So he stood beside the gate, while all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.

5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.

6 So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day— twenty thousand men. 8The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword.

9 Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended in midair. 10When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

11“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt!”

12 The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silver were weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ 13If I had jeopardized my own life— and nothing is hidden from the king— you would have abandoned me.”

14 But Joab declared, “I am not going to wait like this with you!” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree. 15And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had restrained them. 17They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.

18 During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.”

20 But Joab replied, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

21 So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however, persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”

“My son,” Joab replied, “why do you want to run, since you will not receive a reward?”

23“No matter what, I want to run!” he replied.

“Then run!” Joab told him.

So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone. 25So he called out and told the king.

“If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.”

As the first runner drew near, 26the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”

“This one also brings good news,” said the king.

27 The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”

“This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king.

He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”

29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

And Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.”

30“Move aside,” said the king, “and stand here.”

So he stepped aside.

31 Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the Lord has avenged you of all who rose up against you!”

32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

And the Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you be like that young man.”

33 The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

1 Then it was reported to Joab, “The king is weeping and mourning over Absalom.” 2And that day’s victory was turned into mourning for all the people, because on that day they were told, “The king is grieving over his son.”

3 So they returned to the city quietly that day, as people steal away in humiliation after fleeing a battle. 4But the king covered his face and cried out at the top of his voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

5 Then Joab went into the house and said to the king, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, of your wives, and of your concubines. 6You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased you!

7 Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!”

8 So the king got up and sat in the gate, and all the people were told: “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So they all came before the king.

Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled, each man to his home. 9And all the people throughout the tribes of Israel were arguing, “The king rescued us from the hand of our enemies and delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled the land because of Absalom. 10But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

6 Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7The cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths. 8Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed. 9For they still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb, 12and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

13“Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked.

“Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”

14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recognize that it was Jesus.

15 “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?”

Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.

19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. 20After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” 22When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

24 Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.