Polyglot Bible: 2 Samuel: 2 Samuel 18

This is a parallel biblical text presenting 2 Samuel 18 in two ancient versions side by side: the King James Version (English, with Strong's concordance numbers interspersed) and the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX). The chapter narrates the climactic battle between David's forces and the rebel army of his son Absalom, who had seized the throne. David divides his army into thirds under Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, and — overruled by his troops — stays behind at the gate while explicitly ordering all three commanders to spare Absalom's life. The battle in the Forest of Ephraim ends in a rout, with twenty thousand killed and the forest itself claiming more lives than the sword; Absalom is caught by his head in an oak tree when his mule runs beneath it, and Joab kills him with three darts despite a soldier's refusal to do so in light of the king's direct command. The chapter closes with David's famous lament — "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee" — framed by the tense sequence of two messengers racing to deliver news of the victory, each evasive about Absalom's fate until Cushi finally confirms it. The distinctive feature of this presentation is its scholarly apparatus: the KJV text is annotated with Strong's Hebrew lexicon numbers after nearly every word, making it a reference tool for word-level study rather than devotional reading.

Polyglot Bible: 2 Samuel: 2 Samuel 18

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