2 Samuel 15 1-2 Samuel 15 18
After this, Absalom got himself a chariot, horses, and 50 men to run before him.He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for settlement, Absalom called out to him and asked,“ What city are you from?” If he replied,“ Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”Absalom said to him,“ Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have anyone to listen to you.”He added,“ If only someone would appoint me judge in the land. Then anyone who had a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would make sure he received justice.”When a person approached to bow down to him, Absalom reached out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him.Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for a settlement. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.When four years had passed, Absalom said to the king,“ Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.For your servant made a vow when I lived in Geshur of Aram, saying: If the Lord really brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.”“ Go in peace,” the king said to him. So he went to Hebron.Then Absalom sent messengers throughout the tribes of Israel with this message:“ When you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, you are to say,‘ Absalom has become king in Hebron!’”Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they knew nothing about the whole matter.While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for David’s adviser Ahithophel the Gilonite, from his city of Giloh. So the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase.Then an informer came to David and reported,“ The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem,“ Get up. We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! Leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”The king’s servants said to him,“ Whatever my lord the king decides, we are your servants.”Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind 10 concubines to take care of the palace.So the king set out, and all the people followed him. They stopped at the last housewhile all his servants marched past him. Then all the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and the Gittites— 600 men who came with him from Gath— marched past the king.