uld overtake him. The chief counsellor, when
he saw that his advice was not followed, went to his own house and
hanged himself, for he knew that the Lord was bringing his counsel to
naught.

After David had passed over into Gilead the people of that land brought
food, and dishes, and beds to the sorrowful king and his tired people,
and they were cared for in the city of Mahanaim. Then Joab, the
captain, gathered the men together to go and meet Absalom and his army,
and as they passed out of the city David stood in the gate and charged
all the captains as they passed, saying

"Deal gently, for my sake, with the young man, even with Absalom."

So they went out to battle, and it was in a wood. God had given
David's army the victory, and twenty thousand men of Absalom's army
were slain. Absalom, who rode on a mule, was caught by his long thick
hair in the branches of an oak tree, and the mule went away and left
him hanging there.

A man ran and told Joab that he had seen Absalom hanging in an oak.

"Why didst thou not smite him there?" said Joab.

The man said he would not have done it for a thousand shekels of
silver, because David had charged them all not to touch the young man
Absalom.

But Joab turned away, and when he had found Absalom in the oak, he,
with the ten young men who were with him, killed Absalom, and they
buried him in the wood.

[Illustration: The death of Absalom]

Then Joab sent two messengers to carry news of the victory to the king,
who sat between the city gates, while a watchman stood over the gates
on the city wall. When the watchmen saw the two men running, one after
the other, he cried out and told the king. The first man cried as he
came, "All is well," but when the king said, "Is the young man Absalom
safe?" he could not answer, and when the second messenger cried,
"Tidings, my lord, the king," again David asked,

"Is the young man Absalom safe?"

"The enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee to do
thee hurt be as that young man," said the messenger.

Then the king went up to the room over the city gate and wept, and as
he went he cried,

"O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for
thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

[Illustration: David mourning for Absalom]

The people who had come back joyful because the enemy had been
conquered were distressed by the grief of the king, so that Joab
persuaded David to come down to the gate and