Today is the first day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today as we march forward together into this brand new month.

The sixth month of the year, the 150 second day of the year, some 151 steps we have taken together.

And we march with Step 152 into this brand new month, and may God shine His lights upon us and be gracious to us, and lead us in the way that we should go and may we be paying attention.

And may we obey His leading. And may we continue to gather around the global calf-hired together and take the next step forward together as we navigate this brand new month.

We are obviously picking up where we left off yesterday, and that leads us first back into the book of Second Samuel, where we are reading of a military coup attempt by David's son Absalom who wants to be king in his father's place, and that is going to require that his dad gets killed so that he can kind of take over.

And the battle lines are being drawn up in all kinds of little things are going on, and well, let's pick up the story.

Today, Second Samuel, Chapter 18, verse 1 through 19, verse 10.

David now mustered the men who were with him and appointed generals and captains to lead them.

He sent the troops out in three groups placing one group under Joab, one under Joab's brother Abishai, son of Ziraya, and one under it Thai, the man from Gath.

The king told his troops, I am going out with you, but his men objected strongly, you must not go, they urged.

If we had to turn and run, and even if half of us die, it will make no difference to Absalom's troops, they will be looking only for you.

You are worth 10,000 of us, and it is better that you stay here in the town and send help if we need it.

If you think that's the best plan, I'll do it. The king answered.

We stood alongside the gate of the town as all the troops marched out in groups of hundreds and of thousands, and the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and it Thai, for my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.

And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.

So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim, and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David's men.

It was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives.

The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest, and were killed by the sword.

During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree.

His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.

When a David's men saw what had happened and told Joab, I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree.

What? Joab demanded? You saw him there and didn't kill him?

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