14. Then Joab said, “I will not waste any more time with you.” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the tree.
15. Then ten young men, armor bearers for Joab, gathered around and struck down Absalom, killing him.
16. When Joab blew the horn, the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the people.
17. Then they took Absalom, disposed of him in a large pit in the forest, and piled over him a very large heap of stones. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his home.
18. Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial stone in the Valley of the King, for he said, “I have no son by whom my name may be remembered.” So he named the memorial stone after himself; and to this day, it is called the monument of Absalom.
19. Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Allow me to run and bring the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
20. But Joab said to him, “You will not be a man who bears news today; you may bear news another day. Today you will not bear news because the king’s son is dead.”
21. Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, report to the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab, then ran off.
22. Ahimaaz again said to Joab, “Whatever may happen, let me run also, after the Cushite.”Then Joab said, “Why is it that you want to run, my son? There is no messenger’s reward for you to obtain.”
23. “Whatever happens, I want to run.”So he said to him, “Run.” So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.
24. Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, to the city wall. He lifted his eyes and saw a man running by himself.
25. The watchman called and told the king.The king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came ever closer.
26. Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Look there is another man running alone.”The king said, “He also is bringing news.”
27. The watchman said, “I think that the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz.”The king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”
28. Then Ahimaaz called to the king and said, “All is well.” He bowed down to the ground before the king and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God who has handed over the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”