And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; may the king and his servants please go with your servant.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Absalom came to the king, and said, “See now, your servant has sheep shearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
- KJV And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
- BSB And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”
- NKJV Then Absalom came to the king and said, “Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
- NLT He went to the king and said, “My sheep-shearers are now at work. Would the king and his servants please come to celebrate the occasion with me?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Absalom invites the king and his servants to the feast. He seeks an appearance of normal family celebration to advance his scheme.
Overview
Absalom's invitation to David lends respectability to the gathering and conceals his true motive. Whether he expected the king to decline is unclear, but the invitation positions him to then request that Amnon attend. The seemingly gracious gesture is part of a careful design leading to bloodshed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Jer 41:6–7Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.”
- 2 Sam 11:8–15David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and a gift from the king was sent after him.
- Ps 12:2Everyone lies to his neighbor. They speak with flattering lips, and with a double heart.
- Ps 55:21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 13:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.