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20“You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king's son is dead.”

21Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

22Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”
But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don't have any news that will bring you a reward.”

23He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”
So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plainThat is, the plain of the Jordan and outran the Cushite.

24While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone.25The watchman called out to the king and reported it.
The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the man came closer and closer.

26Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”
The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”

27The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
“He's a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”

28Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the LORD your God! He has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”

29The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was.”

30The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.

31Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has delivered you today from all who rose up against you.”

32The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”

33The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”

5Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.6You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.7Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now.”

8So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him.

11King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters?12You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’13And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab.’”

14He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.”15Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.
Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan.16Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David.17With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul's household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was.18They crossed at the ford to take the king's household over and to do whatever he wished.
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king19and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.20For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”

21Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn't Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the LORD's anointed.”

22David replied, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? This day you have become my adversaries! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?”23So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.

24Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely.25When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?”

26He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me.27And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you.28All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”

29The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields.”

30Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has arrived home safely.”

31Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there.32Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.33The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.”

34But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?35I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?36Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way?37Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever pleases you.”

38The king said, “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever pleases you. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.”

39So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and gave him his blessing, and Barzillai returned to his home.

40When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over.

41Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?”

42All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king's provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?”