24. David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The watchman went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone.
25. He called down and told the king, and the king said, “If he is alone, he is bringing good news.” The runner came nearer and nearer.
26. Then the watchman saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look! There's another man running!”The king answered, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27. The watchman said, “I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz.”“He's a good man,” the king said, “and he is bringing good news.”
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!”