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struction which she feared threatened both herself and her son, and that she felt assured her suit would not be rejected.

David was moved with compassion at her story, and told her to return home, while he would give the necessary orders to prevent the evils which she dreaded. But the woman seemed to desire a still stronger protestation on the part of the king to that effect. She would remove too all scruples he might possibly entertain for rescuing her son from the avenger of blood, and added therefore, with great solemnity, "My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless."

"Whosoever saith aught unto thee," rejoined the king, "bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more."

But this did not satisfy her. The danger to which she and her son were exposed was imminent. Immediate and decisive action was necessary. She appealed to the obligations which David was under to that God who had been so full of compassion towards him. "I pray thee," said she, "let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son."

"As the Lord liveth," replied David, “there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth," confirming what he had before promised with the solemnity of an oath, and thus satisfying the

woman that she might now press the ultimate object which she had in view.

"Let thy handmaid," said she, "I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king.”

"Say on," was the king's reply.

The woman then proceeded to expostulate with David, and to endeavor to convince him that he had already reproved himself for the want of mercy towards Absalom, by promising to protect her son who had killed his brother; and that to deny this mercy any longer to his own son was inflicting an injury upon the whole nation, whose desire was to see the offender restored to-favor. To this she added, that we are all subject to death, and when dead cannot be revived again-implying that any punishment which could be inflicted on Absalom, would not avail to bring Amnon to lifeand that God himself had devised means for the safety of the man-slayer, that though banished for a while he might not be for ever driven from his presence.

David now perceiving the drift of the woman, and suspecting who it was that had sent her to him, inquired, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this ?"

She acknowledged that it was; adding in the usual style of oriental compliment, "My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth."

The king yielded to the entreaty in behalf of his son, and addressing Joab, who was either

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present all the while, or was now sent for by David, told him to go after Absalom and bring him back again to Jerusalem.

Joab rejoiced at the success he had met with, and bowing himself to the earth, thanked the king for the great favor which had been conferred upon him. He doubtless congratulated himself too at having taken a course which would ingratiate him still more with the king, by opening the way for David's indulging his strong parental feelings towards Absalom, while it seemed as if he were only yielding to the urgent solicitations of Joab. It was an instance of consummate address on the part of the latter which has seldom, if ever, been equalled.

CHAPTER XXX.

DAVID IS RECONCILED TO ABSALOM. THE REBELLION OF THE LATTER. DAVID FLEES FROM JERU SALEM. HE SENDS ZADOK AND ABIATHAR BACK WITH THE ARK.

JOAB immediately went to Geshur, where Absalom was, and brought him back to Jerusalem. But although the king thus recalled his offending son from exile, he ordered him to go directly to his own house, and not to come into the presence of his father; intending in this public manner still further to show the detestation in which he held his crime.

Absalom, it seems, attracted a great deal of admiration on account of his personal beauty. "From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head," it is said, "there was no blemish in him." He was remarkable too for the luxuriant growth and quantity of his hair, and probably took great pains to dress and wear it in the most becoming manner. When he had occasion to cut it, it is supposed to have weighed about three pounds. He affords, as we shall see in the sequel, a striking instance of the worthlessness of mere beauty of person, if it is not accompanied with moral worth. And yet how prone the young are to admire others, or to value themselves, on ac

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count of such beauty, and to forget that it is only the qualities of the heart, virtuous and benevolent affections, with the corresponding conduct, that should command our approbation and esteem. God looketh on the heart. Examine your heart, my young friend. If that is not right with God, all your personal accomplishments, however great they may be, will only enhance your final ruin by proving incentives to vanity and additional allurements to sin.

Two years had now elapsed, and Absalom began to be very restless under the disgrace which he was still enduring. He sent for Joab to come to him, intending to induce him, if possible, to intercede with the king in his behalf. Joab paying no attention to the message, Absalom sent another which was alike unsuccessful. Becoming indignant at this, and determining at some rate or other to have the desired interview, he directed his servants to set on fire a field of barley belonging to Joab, and which was contiguous to his own, expecting that this would perhaps bring him, in the way of complaint for the outrage, if for no other reason. He was not disappointed in this. Joab immediately came to demand the cause of such an injury. Absalom's reply was brief and urgent. "Behold," said he, "I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still. Now therefore let me see