2 Samuel 15
Open in the reader1Some time later, Father-of-Peace provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.
2He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Father-of-Peace would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Strives-with-God,”
3Father-of-Peace would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”
4And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
5Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Father-of-Peace would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.
6Father-of-Peace did this to all the children of Strives-with-God who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Strives-with-God.
7After four years had passed, Father-of-Peace said to the king, “Please let me go to Association to fulfill a vow I have made to He-Who-Is.
8For your servant made a vow while dwelling in Bridge of Highland, saying: ‘If indeed He-Who-Is brings me back to Foundation-of-Peace, I will worship He-Who-Is in Association.’”
9“Go in peace,” said the king. So Father-of-Peace got up and went to Association.
10Then Father-of-Peace sent spies throughout the tribes of Strives-with-God with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Father-of-Peace reigns in Association!’”
11Two hundred men from Foundation-of-Peace accompanied Father-of-Peace. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.
12While Father-of-Peace was offering the sacrifices, he sent for My-Brother-Is-Folly the Uncovered-One, Beloved’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Uncovered. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Father-of-Peace’s following kept increasing.
13Then a messenger came to Beloved and reported, “The hearts of the men of Strives-with-God are with Father-of-Peace.”
14And Beloved said to all the servants with him in Foundation-of-Peace, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Father-of-Peace! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”
15The king’s servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”
16Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.
17So the king set out with all the people following him. He stopped at the last house,
18and all his servants marched past him—all the Executioners and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Wine-Press.
19Then the king said to With-Me the Winepress-One, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.
20In fact, you arrived only yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with you. May He-Who-Is show you loving devotion and faithfulness.”
21But With-Me answered the king, “As surely as He-Who-Is lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!”
22“March on then,” said Beloved to With-Me. So With-Me the Winepress-One marched past with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
23Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Dark-Place Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness.
24Righteous was also there, and all the Joined-Ones with him were carrying the Chest of the covenant of God. And they set down the Chest of God, and Father-of-Abundance offered sacrifices until all the people had passed out of the city.
25Then the king said to Righteous, “Return the Chest of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of He-Who-Is, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place again.
26But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.”
27The king also said to Righteous the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with your son My-Brother-Is-Wrath, and Father-of-Abundance with his son He-Who-Is-Has-Given.
28See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
29So Righteous and Father-of-Abundance returned the Chest of God to Foundation-of-Peace and stayed there.
30But Beloved continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.
31Now someone told Beloved: “My-Brother-Is-Folly is among the conspirators with Father-of-Peace.” So Beloved pleaded, “O He-Who-Is, please turn the counsel of My-Brother-Is-Folly into foolishness!”
32When Beloved came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hasty the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.
33Beloved said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
34But you can thwart the counsel of My-Brother-Is-Folly for me if you return to the city and say to Father-of-Peace: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’
35Will not Righteous and Father-of-Abundance the priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from the king’s palace.
36Indeed, their two sons, My-Brother-Is-Wrath son of Righteous and He-Who-Is-Has-Given son of Father-of-Abundance, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”
37So Beloved’s friend Hasty arrived in Foundation-of-Peace just as Father-of-Peace was entering the city.