4. Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate and all the troops went out by their hundreds and thousands.
5. Then the king charged Joab, Abishai and Ittai saying, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom for my sake.” Now all the troops heard the king’s charge to all the commanders concerning Absalom.
6. Then the troops went out to the field to confront Israel but the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.
7. The people of Israel were defeated there before the followers of David, and the slaughter that day was great—20,000 men.
8. For the battle there was spread over the face of the entire countryside and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9. Now Absalom encountered some of David’s servants. When Absalom was riding on his mule, the mule went under the thick branches of the great oak, and his head got caught in the oak, so that he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
10. Then a certain man saw it and told Joab saying, “Look, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
11. Then Joab said to his informant, “Look here, you saw him, so why didn’t you strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt!”
12. But the man said to Joab, “Even if I had 1,000 pieces of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you, Abishai and Ittai saying, ‘Watch over the young man Absalom for me.’
13. Otherwise, I would have betrayed his soul—and nothing stays hidden from the king—and you yourself would have stood aloof.”
14. “I won’t wait for you!” Joab said. So he took three darts in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15. Then ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck and finished him off.
16. Then Joab blew the shofar and the troops returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the troops.
17. They took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the forest and piled over him a very large heap of stones. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his tent.