2 Samuel 17

1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom: 'Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night;

Then said Ahithophel unto Absolom: I pray thee, let me choose for myself, twelve thousand men, and arise, and pursue David to-night;

2 and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;

and let me come upon him, when, he, is weary, and weak-handed, so shall I strike him with terror, and all the people who are with him shall flee, —then will I smite the king alone:

3 and I will bring back all the people unto thee; when all shall have returned, save the man whom thou seekest, all the people will be in peace.'

that I may bring back all the people unto thee, —when all return—[save] the man whom thou art seeking, all the people, will be at peace.

4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

And the saying was right in the eyes of Absolom, —and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

5 Then said Absalom: 'Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.'

Then said Absolom, I pray you, call ye Hushai the Archite also, —and let us hear what is in, his, mouth, also.

6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spoke unto him, saying: 'Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner; shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou.'

And, when Hushai came in unto Absolom, Absolom spake unto him, saying—After this manner, hath Ahithophel spoken, shall we do what he saith? if not, thou, speak.

7 And Hushai said unto Absalom: 'The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good.'

Then said Hushai unto Absolom, —Not good, is the counsel that Ahithophel hath given—at this time.

8 Hushai said moreover: 'Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

And Hushai said—Thou, knowest thy father and his men—that, men of might, they are, and, embittered in soul, they are, like a bear bereaved of her young, in the field, —thy father also, is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some place; and it will come to pass, when they fall upon them at the first, and whosoever heareth it shall say: There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom;

Lo! by this time, hath, he, hidden himself in some pit, or other place, —and it shall be, as soon as he falleth upon them at the first, that he that hearkeneth for tidings will hear [of it], and will say—There is a defeat among the people that are following Absolom:

10 then even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.

then will, even the son of valour himself, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, utterly melt, —for all Israel do know that, a man of might, is thy father, and that, sons of valour, are they who are with him.

11 But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

Therefore I counsel—that there be a general gathering together unto thee of all Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, —and that, thine own presence, be going on in their midst.

12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one.

So shall we come upon him in some place where he hath been found, yea, we, shall be upon him, as when the dew falleth upon the ground, —and there shall not be left of him, or of the men that are with him, so much as one.

13 Moreover, if he withdraw himself into a city, then shall all Israel bring up ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the valley until there be not one small stone found there.'

But, if, into a city, he withdraw, then will all Israel bring up unto that city, ropes, —and we will drag it down unto the ravine, until there be not found in that place, so much as a small stone.

14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said: 'The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.' — For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

Then said Absolom and all the men of Israel, Better, is the counsel of Hushai the Archite, than the counsel of Ahithophel. Yahweh, indeed, had given charge to frustrate the wise counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yahweh might bring upon Absolom, ruin.

15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests: 'Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.

So Hushai said unto Zadok and unto Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus, did Ahithophel counsel Absolom and the elders of Israel, —and, thus and thus, have, I, counselled.

16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying: Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but in any wise pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.'

Now, therefore, send quickly, and tell David, saying, —Do not lodge to-night in the waste plains of the wilderness, thou must, even pass over, lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people who are with him.

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David; for they might not be seen to come into the city.

Now, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, were staying by En-rogel, and a maidservant was to go and tell them, and, they, were to go and tell King David, —for they might not be seen to enter the city.

18 But a lad saw them, and told Absalom; and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither.

And, though a young man did see them, and told Absolom, yet they both departed quickly, and entered the house of a man in Bahurim, and, he, had a well in his court, into which they went down;

19 And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed groats thereon; and nothing was known.

and the woman took and spread the cover over the face of the well, and spread thereon her pounded corn, —so nothing was known.

20 And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said: 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' And the woman said unto them: 'They are gone over the brook of water.' And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

Then came the servants of Absolom unto the woman in the house, and said—Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them—They have passed over the stream of water. And, when they had searched and not found, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David: 'Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.'

And it came to pass, after those had gone, that these came up out of the well, and went, and told King David, —and said unto David, —Arise ye and pass quickly over the water, for, thus and thus, hath Ahithophel counselled against you.

22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.

So David arose, and all the people who were with him, and passed over the Jordan, by the morning light, so much as one, was not lacking, who had not passed over the Jordan.

23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and got him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

Now, when, Ahithophel, saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose and went unto his own house, unto his own city, and gave charge unto his household, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the grave of his father.

24 When David was come to Mahanaim, Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

When, David, had come to Mahanaim, Absolom, had passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 And Absalom had set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Jesraelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.

Now Absolom had appointed, Amasa, instead of Joab, over the army, —Amasa, being the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Ishmaelite, who went in unto Abigail, daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, mother of Joab.

26 And Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

And Israel and Absolom encamped in the land of Gilead.

27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

And it came to pass, when David entered Mahanaim, that Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite, of Rogelim,

28 brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,

brought, sleeping rugs, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat and barley, and meal and roasted corn, —and beans and lentils, and parched pulse;

29 and honey, and curd, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat; for they said: 'The people is hungry, and faint, and thirsty, in the wilderness.'

and honey and cream, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat, —for they said, The people, are hungry and weary and thirsty, in the wilderness.