my and Joab heard that the king mourned for his son, they were ashamed
to enter the city in the habit of conquerors, but they all came in as
cast down, and in tears, as if they had been beaten. Now while the king
covered himself, and grievously lamented his son, Joab went in to him,
and comforted him, and said, "O my lord the king, thou art not aware
that thou layest a blot on thyself by what thou now doest; for thou
seemest to hate those that love thee, and undergo dangers for thee nay,
to hate thyself and thy family, and to love those that are thy bitter
enemies, and to desire the company of those that are no more, and who
have been justly slain; for had Absalom gotten the victory, and firmly
settled himself in the kingdom, there had been none of us left alive,
but all of us, beginning with thyself and thy children, had miserably
perished, while our enemies had not wept for his, but rejoiced over us,
and punished even those that pitied us in our misfortunes; and thou
art not ashamed to do this in the case of one that has been thy bitter
enemy, who, while he was thine own son hath proved so wicked to thee.
Leave off, therefore, thy unreasonable grief, and come abroad and be
seen of thy soldiers, and return them thanks for the alacrity they
showed in the fight; for I myself will this day persuade the people to
leave thee, and to give the kingdom to another, if thou continuest to
do thus; and then I shall make thee to grieve bitterly and in earnest."
Upon Joab's speaking thus to him, he made the king leave off his sorrow,
and brought him to the consideration of his affairs. So David changed
his habit, and exposed himself in a manner fit to be seen by the
multitude, and sat at the gates; whereupon all the people heard of it,
and ran together to him, and saluted him. And this was the present state
of David's affairs.

CHAPTER 11. How David, When He Had Recovered His Kingdom, Was Reconciled
To Shimei, And To Ziba; And Showed A Great Affection To Barzillai; And
How, Upon The Rise Of A Sedition, He Made Amasa Captain Of His Host, In
Order To Pursue Seba; Which Amasa Was Slain By Joab.

1. Now those Hebrews that had been With Absalom, and had retired out of
the battle, when they were all returned home, sent messengers to every
city to put them in mind of what benefits David had bestowed upon them,
and of that liberty which he had procured them, by delivering them from
many and great wars. But they complained, that wher