NET Bible
"If I had acted at risk of my own life– and nothing is hidden from the king!– you would have abandoned me.”"
— 2 Samuel 18:13, NET Bible
“Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.”
“Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. ”
“Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hidden from the king), then you yourself would have set yourself against me."”
“Yea and if I should have acted boldly against my own life, this could not have been hid from the king, and wouldst thou have stood by me?”
“And if I had falsely put him to death (and nothing may be kept secret from the king), you would have had nothing to do with me.”
“Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.”
When one of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying,“I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”
Joab replied to the man who was telling him this,“What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a commemorative belt!”
The man replied to Joab,“Even if I were receiving a thousand pieces of silver, I would not strike the king’s son! In our very presence the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai,‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’
If I had acted at risk of my own life– and nothing is hidden from the king!– you would have abandoned me.”
Joab replied,“I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree.
Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.
Then Joab blew the trumpet and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt.