Now, though Absalom had been so wicked, his father loved him still, and had begged all his men to take care not to hurt the young man Absalom. So when one of the men saw Absalom caught by the hair in a tree he would not hurt him, and only went and told Absalom's cousin, Joab, who was the captain of David's army. [Illustration: ABSALOM] Joab had no pity; he thought Absalom richly deserved to die, and he was afraid the king would pardon him; so he went at once, with three darts in his hand, and killed Absalom as he hung in the tree. King David was grieved to the heart. No words can say how sad he was to think that his son had died in his sin, and never asked his pardon. He wept, and cried aloud, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" It was not like his grief for the innocent little baby he had lost before; for Absalom had been a bad man, and for that there is no comfort. And when all the people came joyfully to bring King David home to his palace, to be king again, still his heart mourned for his son Absalom. [Illustration: THE DEATH OF ABSALOM.--2 Sam. 18:9.] QUESTIONS. 1. What is the Fifth Commandment? 2. Do you hear of any one to-day who broke the Fifth Commandment? 3. How did Absalom break it? 4. Who was Absalom's father? 5. How had David to go away? 6. What did cruel men do? 7. Who came to help David? 8. What did he charge them? 9. Who won the battle? 10. What happened to Absalom? 11. Who saw him there? 12. Whom did the man tell? 13. Why did Joab kill Absalom? 14. Did Absalom deserve it? 15. How did his father behave? 16. What did he cry out? 17. Why was he more sorry than for his baby son? 18. What is sadder than even dying? 19. How should you behave to your parents? Twenty-third Sunday. _PREPARING FOR THE TEMPLE._ FIRST READING. "Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price."--_2 Samuel 24:24._ WHEN David was king his people did wrong again; and there came a plague upon them, so that a great number of them died all through the land of Israel. David and his priests, and all the good men, fasted and prayed, and entreated that God would turn His anger away. And while they were praying, David saw the Destroying Angel standing with his drawn sword over Jerusalem; but the plague had not begun there. Then David prayed the more; and God made known to him that he must offer up a sacrifice on the threshing-floor of Ornan, just by Jerusalem, and then the plague should be stopped. A threshing-floor was a flat rocky place on the top of a hill, where the sheaves of corn were laid out, and oxen drew boards, with the under side covered with spikes, to knock the grain out of the ears. Oman's threshing-floor was upon Mount Moriah, where Isaac had been so nearly sacrificed. He was threshing wheat on it when David came and desired to buy it for the sacrifice.