Verse 1

A psalm of David, composed when he fled from his son Absalom.

Other Translations

Referenced Verses

  • Ps 17:7 : 7 Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.
  • Matt 10:21 : 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death.
  • Matt 27:25 : 25 And all the people answered, 'His blood be on us and on our children!'
  • 2 Sam 16:15 : 15 Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
  • 2 Sam 17:11-13 : 11 'This is my advice: Gather all Israel to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and you yourself lead them into battle.' 12 'We will come upon him wherever he is found, and we will fall on him like dew settling on the ground. Not even one of his men will survive.' 13 'If he retreats into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will pull it into the valley until not even a pebble remains.'
  • 2 Sam 15:1-9 : 1 After this, Absalom acquired for himself a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 Absalom would rise early and stand beside the road to the gate. Whenever a man came with a dispute to bring before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and ask, 'Which city are you from?' And the man would answer, 'Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.' 3 Then Absalom would say to him, 'Look, your claims are good and valid, but there is no one appointed by the king to hear you.' 4 And Absalom would add, 'If only I were appointed judge in the land, then every man who has a dispute or case could come to me, and I would ensure he receives justice.' 5 Whenever a man approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king for judgment, and he stole the hearts of the people of Israel. 7 At the end of forty years, Absalom said to the king, 'Please allow me to go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the LORD.' 8 For your servant made a vow while I was living in Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD.’ 9 The king said to him, 'Go in peace.' So he got up and went to Hebron. 10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel with this message: 'As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, say, “Absalom is king in Hebron!”' 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited and went innocently, unaware of anything. 12 While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his hometown of Giloh. And the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing. 13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, 'The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.' 14 David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, 'Arise, let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry and leave, or he will quickly overtake us, bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.' 15 The king’s servants replied to him, 'Your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.' 16 So the king set out, and all his household followed him on foot. But the king left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace. 17 The king went out with all the people following him, and they stopped at a place some distance away. 18 All his servants passed by him, along with all the Kerethites, Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath, marching past in front of the king.