One of David’s sons did a bad thing to David’s daughter. He took her without marrying her and then hated her and was mean to her.

 

 

 

Her brother was angry but waited 2 years for his dad, David, to fix it and make it all better. David didn’t fix it, so the brother did. He killed the son who did the bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Then he had to run away.

 

 

 

After a while David missed his son and wanted to bring him home.

 

 

But then that son, whose name was Absalom, took the hearts of the people away from David, who was the king God put over His people.

 

 

 

 

Most of the nation of Israel followed the son who stole their hearts and the son even tried to take the kingdom from David.

 

 

 

 

But David prayed and trusted God to help him.

David knew that all these bad things happened because David opened the door to them by doing the bad thing to one of his soldiers by taking his wife and killing him.

 

 

 

Many people helped David as he left Jerusalem when his son tried to take the kingdom.

 

 

One man brought donkeys loaded with food lots of food for the people that went with David.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He brought bread and raisins, and fruit, and wine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One man cursed David and threw rocks at him.

 

 

 

 

One of David’s men wanted to kill the man that

cursed and threw rocks at David but David wouldn’t let him.

 

 

David said, Maybe God will take his curse and turn his curse into a blessing on me.

 

 

Another man wanted to come with David but David sent him back to be with his son to spy on him and report back, telling David what was happening in the palace.

Soon the man sent word for David to get quickly across the river with all the people who followed him because his son was coming quickly to kill him.

David crossed over the river and the people that were with him. Pretty soon his son came with a big army to fight against David.

 

The soldiers had David stay away from the battle because he was getting older and not so strong. His men thought their king was worth more than all of them.

 

God won over the enemies that fought against David, and David’s son died, who tried to take the kingdom from David.

 

 

 

When David heard that his son, Absalom, who tried to kill him, was dead, David cried and wailed real loud.

 

 

On and on he cried until his top general came in to him and said, Stop it! Do you love your enemies and hate your friends?

Today you make your friends ashamed, those who saved your life. I think you would be happy if your son had lived and all of us were dead!

Get up and go speak kind words to those who saved your life. If you don’t, not one of us will be here with you later. We will all leave you. That will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you.

 

 

 

 

 

So David went out and talked with his people.

 

 

 

 

Then all the people of Israel made David king again.

 

 

 

 

The king did kind things and gave big presents to the people who helped him.

 

 

Some time later there was no food in the land so David went to the Lord and asked Him why.

 

The Lord told David it was for Saul because he broke Israel’s promise to the people who lived in Gibeah.

David asked the people that Saul harmed, What can I do to make this right so God will bless His people Israel again?

 

 

They said, The man that killed so many of our people, take seven of his sons and hang them up to the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After David did that, God answered prayers for Israel again and sent food.