5. When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them.
6. Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.
7. After four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the lord and fulfill a vow I made to him.
8. For while your servant was at Geshur in Aram, I promised to sacrifice to the lord in Hebron if he would bring me back to Jerusalem.”
9. “All right,” the king told him. “Go and fulfill your vow.”So Absalom went to Hebron.
10. But while he was there, he sent secret messengers to all the tribes of Israel to stir up a rebellion against the king. “As soon as you hear the ram’s horn,” his message read, “you are to say, ‘Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron.’”
11. He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions.
12. While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors who lived in Giloh. Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum.
13. A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!”
14. “Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.”