NSB(i)
1 Absalom provided a chariot and horses for himself. He had an escort of fifty men to run ahead of him.
2 He would rise early in the morning and stand by the road at the city gate. When someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. After the man told him what tribe he was from,
3 Absalom would say: »My friend, the law is on your side. However, there is no representative of the king to hear your case.«
4 He added: »How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me. I would give him justice.«
5 The man would approach Absalom and bow down before him. Then Absalom would reach out and hug and kiss him.
6 Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment. That way he won their loyalty.
7 After four years Absalom said to King David: »My lord let me go to Hebron and keep a promise I made to Jehovah.
8 »When I lived at Geshur in Syria (Aram), I promised Jehovah that if he would take me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron.«
9 »Go in peace,« the king said. »So Absalom went to Hebron.«
10 He sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel. He told them: »When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout: ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’«
11 Absalom had two hundred men who at his invitation traveled from Jerusalem with him. They knew nothing of the plot and went in good faith.
12 Absalom was offering sacrifices. He sent for Ahithophel, David’s adviser, to come from his home in Giloh. Meanwhile, the conspiracy grew stronger. The number of people siding with Absalom kept getting larger.