2 Samuel 18 - Summary

David organizes his army in thirds under Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite, commanding them for his sake to deal gently with Absalom; all the troops hear. In the forest of Ephraim, David's forces defeat Israel with twenty thousand casualties; the forest devours more than the sword that day. Absalom, riding a mule, catches his head in an oak's branches and hangs suspended while the mule passes on. A soldier reports this to Joab but would not strike the king's son; Joab thrusts three javelins into Absalom's heart while alive in the oak, and his armor-bearers finish the killing. Absalom is thrown into a pit and covered with stones; the trumpet recalls the victors. David, waiting at the gate, receives news: first the victory, then his son's death. Weeping, he ascends the chamber over the gate: 'O my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you!'