撒下18:1 大卫数点了跟随他的人，亦立千夫长、百夫长率领他们。
撒下18:1 And David had the people who were with him numbered, and he put over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.
撒下18:2 大卫派遣众人出战：三分之一在约押手下，三分之一在约押的兄弟、洗鲁雅的儿子亚比筛手下，三分之一在迦特人以太手下。大卫对众人说：“我也必与你们一同出战。”
撒下18:2 And David sent the people out, a third of them under the orders of Joab, and a third under the orders of Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, And I myself will certainly go out with you.
撒下18:3 众人却说：“你不可以出战。因为如果我们逃跑，他们不会把我们放在心上，即使我们死了一半，他们也不会把我们放在心上。因为你一个人抵得上我们一万人；所以你最好还是留在城里，随时支持我们。”
撒下18:3 But the people said, It is better for you not to go out: for if we are put to flight, they will not give a thought to us, and if death overtakes half of us, it will be nothing to them: but you are of more value than ten thousand of us: so it is better for you to be ready to come to our help from this town.
撒下18:4 王对他们说：“你们看怎么好，我就怎样作吧！”于是王站在城门旁边，众人组成百人一队或千人一队出发了。
撒下18:4 And the king said to them, I will do whatever seems best to you. So the king took his place by the door of the town, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
撒下18:5 王吩咐约押、亚比筛和以太说：“为我的缘故，你们要宽待那年轻人押沙龙。”王为押沙龙吩咐众将领的话，众人都听到了。
撒下18:5 And the king gave orders to Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Because of me, be gentle to the young man Absalom. And this order about Absalom was given in the hearing of all the people.
撒下18:6 众人出到田野迎战以色列人；战争发生在以法莲的树林里。
撒下18:6 So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the fight took place in the woods of Ephraim.
撒下18:7 在那里，以色列人在大卫的臣仆面前被打败了；那天被杀的人很多，共有二万人。
撒下18:7 And the people of Israel were overcome there by the servants of David, and there was a great destruction that day, and twenty thousand men were put to the sword.
撒下18:8 战事在那里蔓延到全地；那一天，树林所吞灭的比刀剑所吞灭的更多。
撒下18:8 And the fighting went on over all the face of the country: and the woods were responsible for more deaths than the sword.
撒下18:9 押沙龙偶然遇上了大卫的臣仆。那时押沙龙骑着骡子，骡子从一棵大橡树茂密的树枝下经过，押沙龙的头发被橡树枝紧紧勾住，他就吊在空中，他所骑的骡子却跑开了。
撒下18:9 And Absalom came across some of David's men. And Absalom was seated on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great tree, and his head became fixed in the tree and he was lifted up between earth and heaven, and the beast under him went on.
撒下18:10 有一个人看见了，就告诉约押说：“看哪！我看见押沙龙悬在一棵橡树上。”
撒下18:10 And a certain man saw it and said to Joab, I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.
撒下18:11 约押对那向他报告的人说：“你既然看见了，为什么不当场把他击杀，落在地上呢？那样，我就赏赐你一百一十四克银子和一条腰带。”
撒下18:11 And Joab said to the man who had given him the news, If you saw this, why did you not put your sword through him, and I would have given you ten bits of silver and a band for your robe?
撒下18:12 那人回答约押：“就是量十一公斤银子放在我手中，我也不敢伸手伤害王的儿子，因为我们亲耳听见王吩咐你、亚比筛和以太说：‘你们要为我的缘故，照顾那年轻人押沙龙。’
撒下18:12 And the man said to Joab, Even if you gave me a thousand bits of silver, I would not put out my hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king gave orders to you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care that the young man Absalom is not touched.
撒下18:13 我若是胆大妄为伤害了他的性命，那时你也不会维护我。”
撒下18:13 And if I had falsely put him to death (and nothing may be kept secret from the king), you would have had nothing to do with me.
撒下18:14 约押说：“我不能与你这样耽误时间。”于是约押手里拿起三根短矛，趁押沙龙还悬挂在橡树上的时候，就刺透了他的心。
撒下18:14 Then Joab said, I would have made it safe for you. And he took three spears in his hand, and put them through Absalom's heart, while he was still living, in the branches of the tree.
撒下18:15 给约押拿武器的十个年轻人围着押沙龙，攻击他，把他杀死。
撒下18:15 And ten young men, servants of Joab, came round Absalom and put an end to him.
撒下18:16 约押吹响号角，众人就回来，不再追赶以色列人；因为约押拦阻众人继续追赶。
撒下18:16 And Joab had the horn sounded, and the people came back from going after Israel, for Joab kept them back.
撒下18:17 他们把押沙龙的尸体抬起来，丢在树林中的一个大坑里，又在上面堆起一大堆石头。以色列众人都逃跑，各回自己的家去了。
撒下18:17 And they took Absalom's body and put it into a great hole in the wood, and put a great mass of stones over it: and every man of Israel went in flight to his tent.
撒下18:18 押沙龙生前曾在王谷为自己立了一根石柱，因为他想：“我没有儿子记念我的名字。”他就以自己的名字称那石柱。因此人称那石柱为押沙龙柱，直到今日。
撒下18:18 Now Absalom, before his death, had put up for himself a pillar in the king's valley, naming it after himself; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in memory: and to this day it is named Absalom's pillar.
撒下18:19 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯说：“让我跑去，把这好消息向王报告，就是耶和华已经把他从仇敌的手中拯救出来了。”
撒下18:19 Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, Let me go and give the king news of how the Lord has done right in his cause against those who took up arms against him.
撒下18:20 约押对他说：“你今天不可去报消息，改天才可以去报。你今天不可去报消息，因为王的儿子死了。”
撒下18:20 And Joab said, You will take no news today; another day you may give him the news, but you will take no news today, because the king's son is dead.
撒下18:21 于是约押对一个古实人说：“你去把你所看见的告诉王吧！”那古实人叩拜了约押，就跑去了。
撒下18:21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, Go and give the king word of what you have seen. And the Cushite, making a sign of respect to Joab, went off running.
撒下18:22 撒督的儿子亚希玛斯又对约押说：“不管怎样，请让我也跟着那古实人跑去。”约押说：“你为什么要跑去呢？我儿，你是不会得到报消息的赏赐的。”
撒下18:22 Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said to Joab again, Whatever may come of it, let me go after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why have you a desire to go, my son, seeing that you will get no reward for your news?
撒下18:23 “不管怎样，请让我跑去！”于是约押对他说：“你跑去吧！”亚希玛斯就沿着约旦河大道跑去，赶过了那古实人。
撒下18:23 Whatever may come of it, he said, I will go. Then he said to him, Go. So Ahimaaz went running by the lowland road and overtook the Cushite.
撒下18:24 那时，大卫正坐在内外城门中间的地方。守望的人上到城楼的平顶上，举目观看，见有一个人独自跑来。
撒下18:24 Now David was seated between the two town doors; and the watchman went up to the roof of the doorways, on the wall, and, lifting up his eyes, saw a man running by himself.
撒下18:25 守望的人就喊叫，把这事告诉王；王说：“他若是单独一人，必是来报好消息的。”那人越走越近了。
撒下18:25 And the watchman gave news of it to the king. And the king said, If he is coming by himself, then he has news. And the man was travelling quickly, and came near.
撒下18:26 后来，守望的人又看见另一个人跑来，就对守城门的人喊叫，说：“看哪！又有一个人独自跑来！”王说：“这也必是来报好消息的。”
撒下18:26 Then the watchman saw another man running: and crying out in the direction of the door he said, Here is another man running by himself. And the king said, He, like the other, comes with news.
撒下18:27 守望的人说：“我看前头那人的跑法好像撒督的儿子亚希玛斯的跑法一样。”王说：“他是个好人，必是带好消息来的。”
撒下18:27 And the watchman said, It seems to me that the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and his news will be good.
撒下18:28 亚希玛斯向王呼叫，说：“平安！”就脸伏于地，叩拜王，说：“耶和华你的 神是应当称颂的，因为他已经把举手攻击我主我王的人交给你了！”
撒下18:28 And Ahimaaz, crying out to the king, said, It is well. And falling down before the king, with his face to the earth, he said, May the Lord your God be praised, who has given up the men who took up arms against my lord the king!
撒下18:29 王问：“那年轻人押沙龙平安不平安？”亚希玛斯回答：“约押差派王的仆人，就是你的仆人我来的时候，我看见有大动乱，却不知道是什么事。”
撒下18:29 And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz said in answer, When Joab sent me, your servant, I saw a great outcry going on, but I had no knowledge of what it was.
撒下18:30 王说：“你退到一旁，站在那里！”他就退到一旁，站在那里。
撒下18:30 And the king said, Get back and take your place here. So turning to one side, he took his place there.
撒下18:31 那古实人也到了。他说：“有好消息报给我主我王；今天耶和华已经救你脱离那些起来攻击你的人的手了！”
撒下18:31 And then the Cushite came and said, I have news for my lord the king: today the Lord has done right in your cause against all those who took up arms against you.
撒下18:32 王问古实人：“那年轻人押沙龙平安吗？”古实人回答：“愿我主我王的仇敌和一切来攻击你、伤害你的人，都像那年轻人一样。”
撒下18:32 And the king said to the Cushite, Is the young man Absalom safe? And the Cushite said in answer, May all the king's haters and those who do evil against the king, be as that young man is!
撒下18:33 王悲恸得全身发抖，就上城楼去哀哭。他一面走一面这样说：“我儿押沙龙啊！我儿，我儿押沙龙啊！但愿我替你死。押沙龙啊！我儿，我儿啊！”（本节在《马索拉抄本》为19:1）
撒下18:33 Then the king was much moved, and went up into the room over the door, weeping, and saying, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! if only my life might have been given for yours, O Absalom, my son, my son!