12. The man said to Joab, “Even if I felt the weight of a thousand pieces of silver in my palms, I would not have sent my hand against the son of the king, for in our ears the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Whoever you may be, protect the young man Absalom.’
13. If I had dealt treacherously against his life, and there is not any matter hidden from the king, you would have presented yourself aloof.”
14. Joab said, “No longer will I wait in your presence.” Then he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree.
15. Then ten of the young men who bore the weapons of Joab surrounded him and struck and killed Absalom.
16. Then Joab blew on the trumpet and the troops returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab kept back the troops.
17. They took Absalom and they threw him into the large pit in the forest and raised a very great heap of stones over him. Then all of Israel fled, each to his tent.
18. (Now Absalom had taken and set up for himself in his lifetime a stone pillar that is in the valley of the king, because he said, “I have no son in order to remember my name,” and he called the stone pillar by his name. It is called the monument of Absalom until this day).
19. Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the good news to the king that Yahweh has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.”
20. Joab said to him, “You will not be a man bringing good news this day! You may bring good news on another day, but today you will not be bringing good news because the king’s son is dead.”
21. Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen”; then the Cushite bowed down to Joab and ran off.
22. Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me also run after the Cushite.” Joab asked, “Why are you wanting to run, my son, when for you there is no messenger’s reward?”
23. “Come what may, I want to run.” He said to him, “Run,” so Ahimaaz ran on the road on the plain, and he passed the Cushite.
24. Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall and he lifted up his eyes and watched, and look, a man was running by himself.
25. The sentry called and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, good news is in his mouth.” He kept coming closer.
26. Then the sentinel saw another man running, so the sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, “Look, a man running alone.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27. The sentinel said, “I am seeing that the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zakok.” The king said, “He is a good man; he will come, for good news.”