10 One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

11 “You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed.[a] “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you 10 silver pieces[b] and a belt!”

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of 1,000 pieces of silver[c] in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’[d](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:11 Lit Joab said to the man who told him
  2. 2 Samuel 18:11 About 4 ounces of silver
  3. 2 Samuel 18:12 About 25 pounds of silver
  4. 2 Samuel 18:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read Protect, whoever, the young man Absalom; Hb obscure

10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike(A) him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels[a] of silver and a warrior’s belt.(B)

12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels[b] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 18:11 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams
  2. 2 Samuel 18:12 That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
  3. 2 Samuel 18:12 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts may be translated Absalom, whoever you may be.