which the
Philistines had done to Saul; all the valiant men arose, and went all
night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall
of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took
their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven
days. 1 Samuel xxxi.

THE DEATH OF ABSALOM.

And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David set forth a third
part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the
hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part
under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I
will surely go forth with you myself also.

But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away,
they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for
us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better
that thou succor us out of the city.

And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the
king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and
by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying,
Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all
the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom.

So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was
in the wood of Ephraim; where the people of Israel were slain before the
servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day, of
twenty thousand men. For the battle was there scattered over the face of
all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the
sword devoured.

And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and
the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught
hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth;
and the mule that was under him went away.

And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold I saw Absalom
hanged in an oak.

And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him,
and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have
given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.

And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of
silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the
king's son: for