15:1 此後，押沙龍為自己預備車馬，又派五十人在他前頭奔走。
15:2 押沙龍常常早晨起來，站在城門的道旁，凡有爭訟要去求王判斷的，押沙龍就叫他過來，問他說：「你是哪一城的人？」回答說：「僕人是以色列某支派的人。」
15:3 押沙龍對他說：「你的事有情有理，無奈王沒有委人聽你伸訴。」
15:4 押沙龍又說：「恨不得我作國中的士師！凡有爭訟求審判的到我這裡來，我必秉公判斷。」
15:5 若有人近前來要拜押沙龍，押沙龍就伸手拉住他，與他親嘴。
15:6 以色列人中，凡去見王求判斷的，押沙龍都是如此待他們。這樣，押沙龍暗中得了以色列人的心。
15:7 滿了四十年（有作四年的），押沙龍對王說：「求你准我往希伯崙去，還我向耶和華所許的願。
15:8 因為僕人住在亞蘭的基述，曾許願說：『耶和華若使我再回耶路撒冷，我必事奉他。』」
15:9 王說：「你平平安安地去吧！」押沙龍就起身，往希伯崙去了。
15:10 押沙龍打發探子走遍以色列各支派，說：「你們一聽見角聲就說：『押沙龍在希伯崙作王了！』」
15:11 押沙龍在耶路撒冷請了二百人與他同去，都是誠誠實實去的，並不知道其中的真情。
15:12 押沙龍獻祭的時候，打發人去將大衛的謀士、基羅人亞希多弗從他本城請了來。於是叛逆的勢派甚大；因為隨從押沙龍的人民，日漸增多。
15:13 有人報告大衛說：「以色列人的心都歸向押沙龍了！」
15:14 大衛就對耶路撒冷跟隨他的臣僕說：「我們要起來逃走，不然都不能躲避押沙龍了；要速速地去，恐怕他忽然來到，加害於我們，用刀殺盡合城的人。」
15:15 王的臣僕對王說：「我主我王所定的，僕人都願遵行。」
15:16 於是王帶著全家的人出去了，但留下十個妃嬪看守宮殿。
15:17 王出去，眾民都跟隨他，到伯墨哈，就住下了。
15:18 王的臣僕都在他面前過去。基利提人、比利提人，就是從迦特跟隨王來的六百人，也都在他面前過去。
15:19 王對迦特人以太說：「你是外邦逃來的人，為甚麼與我們同去呢？你可以回去與新王同住，或者回你本地去吧！
15:20 你來的日子不多，我今日怎好叫你與我們一同飄流、沒有一定的住處呢？你不如帶你的弟兄回去吧！願耶和華用慈愛誠實待你。」
15:21 以太對王說：「我指著永生的耶和華起誓，又敢在王面前起誓：無論生死，王在哪裡，僕人也必在那裡。」
15:22 大衛對以太說：「你前去過河吧！」於是迦特人以太帶著跟隨他的人和所有的婦人孩子，就都過去了。
15:23 本地的人都放聲大哭。眾民盡都過去，王也過了汲淪溪；眾民往曠野去了。
15:24 撒督和抬上帝約櫃的利未人也一同來了，將上帝的約櫃放下。亞比亞他上來，等著眾民從城裡出來過去。
15:25 王對撒督說：「你將上帝的約櫃抬回城去。我若在耶和華眼前蒙恩，他必使我回來，再見約櫃和他的居所。
15:26 倘若他說：『我不喜悅你』，看哪，我在這裡，願他憑自己的意旨待我！」
15:27 王又對祭司撒督說：「你不是先見嗎？你可以安然回城；你兒子亞希瑪斯和亞比亞他的兒子約拿單都可以與你同去。
15:28 我在曠野的渡口那裡等你們報信給我。」
15:29 於是撒督和亞比亞他將上帝的約櫃抬回耶路撒冷，他們就住在那裡。
15:30 大衛蒙頭赤腳上橄欖山，一面上一面哭。跟隨他的人也都蒙頭哭著上去；
15:31 有人告訴大衛說：「亞希多弗也在叛黨之中，隨從押沙龍。」大衛禱告說：「耶和華啊，求你使亞希多弗的計謀變為愚拙！」
15:32 大衛到了山頂、敬拜上帝的地方，見亞基人戶篩，衣服撕裂，頭蒙灰塵來迎接他。
15:33 大衛對他說：「你若與我同去，必累贅我；
15:34 你若回城去，對押沙龍說：『王啊，我願作你的僕人；我向來作你父親的僕人，現在我也照樣作你的僕人。』這樣，你就可以為我破壞亞希多弗的計謀。
15:35 祭司撒督和亞比亞他豈不都在那裡嗎？你在王宮裡聽見甚麼，就要告訴祭司撒督和亞比亞他。
15:36 撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯，亞比亞他的兒子約拿單，也都在那裡。凡你們所聽見的可以託這二人來報告我。」
15:37 於是，大衛的朋友戶篩進了城；押沙龍也進了耶路撒冷。
In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” 4 And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”
5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
7 At the end of four[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. 8 While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.[b]’”
9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.
10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.
13 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”
15 The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”
16 The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. 17 So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. 18 All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
19 The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. 20 You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”[c]
21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord 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 David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.
23 The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.
24 Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons. 28 I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. 31 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”
32 When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’ then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel’s advice. 35 Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace. 36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”
37 So Hushai, David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.
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押沙龍不斷的用各種手段攏絡人心，一心想要取代大衛為王，最後真的是自立為王，甚至想要攻回耶路撒冷，然而大衛似乎掌握了他的行蹤和想法，為了避免正面衝突，他宣告：「我們要起來逃走，不然都不能躲避押沙龍了；要速速地去，恐怕他忽然來到，加害於我們，用刀殺盡合城的人。」
然而大衛的臣僕還是心向大衛，他們對大衛說：「我主我王所定的，僕人都願遵行。」於是王帶著全家的人出去了，但留下十個妃嬪看守宮殿。王出去，眾民都跟隨他，到伯墨哈，就住下了。
不僅如此，撒督和抬上帝約櫃的利未人也一同來了，將上帝的約櫃放下。王對撒督說：「你將上帝的約櫃抬回城去。」王又對祭司撒督說：「你不是先見嗎？你可以安然回城；你兒子亞希瑪斯和亞比亞他的兒子約拿單都可以與你同去。我在曠野的渡口那裡等你們報信給我。」
大衛不僅安排祭司來做報信的人，他也告訴戶篩：「你若回城去，對押沙龍說：『王啊，我願作你的僕人；我向來作你父親的僕人，現在我也照樣作你的僕人。』這樣，你就可以為我破壞亞希多弗的計謀。祭司撒督和亞比亞他豈不都在那裡嗎？你在王宮裡聽見甚麼，就要告訴祭司撒督和亞比亞他。撒督的兒子亞希瑪斯，亞比亞他的兒子約拿單，也都在那裡。凡你們所聽見的可以託這二人來報告我。」
可見大衛雖然表面不和押沙龍衝突，但是仍然有他的佈局，利用這些人來做他反攻的呼應者，仍然掌握著以色列的大局！而大衛這樣的作為，讓我們感受到上帝也是用這樣的方式來掌握撒但的作為，雖然撒但好像在世上掌權，攻擊上帝的僕人們，但是上帝清清楚楚掌握魔鬼的作為，在適當的時候，祂就要除滅魔鬼一切的作為，成就永遠的勝利，讓上帝國實現，榮光充滿全地！
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