28. Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, “Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!”
29. “Is the young man Absalom safe?” the king asked.Ahimaaz answered, “Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was.”
30. “Stand over there,” the king said; and he went over and stood there.
31. Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, “I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!”
32. “Is the young man Absalom safe?” the king asked.The slave answered, “I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you.”
33. The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!”