David's forces, under the command of Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, go into battle against the army of Absalom in the forest of Ephraim. Before the battle, David gives strict orders to all the commanders to "deal gently" with his son Absalom, despite Absalom's rebellion.

The battle ends in a decisive victory for David's army, with twenty thousand men killed. The forest claims more lives than the sword, demonstrating God's providential hand in the outcome.

As Absalom flees on his mule, his head (or hair) becomes caught in the branches of a great oak, leaving him suspended between heaven and earth. A soldier reports seeing him but refuses to kill him because of David's command. Joab, unwilling to let Absalom live, thrusts three javelins into him, and ten of Joab's armor-bearers finish the task. Absalom is buried in a large pit and covered with a heap of stones, a stark contrast to the monument he had built for himself.

Ahimaaz desires to carry the news to David, but Joab first sends a Cushite messenger because the news includes the death of the king's son. Ahimaaz eventually outruns the Cushite and reports the victory but avoids mentioning Absalom's death. The Cushite then truthfully informs David that Absalom is dead.

Rather than rejoicing over the victory that preserved his kingdom, David is overwhelmed with grief. He withdraws to the chamber above the gate and repeatedly cries, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" The chapter closes with David mourning the loss of his son, revealing the deep conflict between his role as king and his love as a father.