2 Samuel 13:36
ESV
And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king 's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.
NIV
As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.
NASB
As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very profusely.
CSB
Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons entered and wept loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
NLT
They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and all his servants wept bitterly with them.
KJV
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
NKJV
So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king’s sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.
What does 2 Samuel 13:36 mean?
All of David's sons, perhaps as many as 19 of them, have returned from Absalom's feast. All but two of them, that is. Amnon is dead, killed on the orders of his brother Absalom in retribution for Amnon's rape of Absalom's full-sister Tamar. Absalom has also not returned, on the run from whatever consequences David might bring against him for the murder of his brother (2 Samuel 13:34).The first report to reach David from the scene of Absalom's feast was false: All of David's sons have been killed (2 Samuel 13:30). Now, though, nearly all have returned to David. Still, the scene is not one of joyful reunion, but of overwhelming sadness and shock, likely mixed with some sense of relief. Everyone present cries together loud and long, in part, because David's household has been torn apart because one brother murdered another.
Years before, after David sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David (2 Samuel 12:1–8). David repented sincerely (Psalm 51), and God promised not to take David's life, but He did take the life of Bathsheba's baby (2 Samuel 12:13–14).
God also put other curses on David. He said the sword would never depart from David's house (2 Samuel 12:10). Amnon's violence against Tamar and Absalom's against Amnon is the preview of this "sword." God also promised that evil would come from his own house, and that as he took Bathsheba in private, his betrayer would take his wives in public (2 Samuel 12:11–12).
Absalom has fled to the kingdom of his mother's father. He will stay there for three years (2 Samuel 13:37–38). Finally, David will invite him back to Jerusalem but refuse to forgive him for two years. By that time, Absalom's heart will be bitter, and he'll be ready to fill the remainder of God's curses.
