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:

Moreover Achithophel said unto Abshalom, Do let me now select twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this 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 I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will terrify him; so that all the people that are with him will flee; and I will smite the king alone;

3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest [is] as if all returned: [so] all the people shall be in peace.

And I will bring back all the people unto thee: when all return [except] the man whom thou seekest, all the people will be in peace.

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

And the thing was pleasing in the eyes of Abshalom, 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 Abshalom, Do call now also Chushai the Arkite, and let us hear what he likewise beareth in his mouth.

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

And when Chushai was come to Abshalom, Abshalom said unto him, as followeth, Such words as these hath Achithophel spoken: shall we do after his words? if not, do thou speak.

7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given [is] not good at this time.

And Chushai said unto Abshalom, The counsel that Achithophel hath given at this time is not good.

8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed 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 Chushai said, Thou well knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and are of an embittered spirit, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is also a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some [other] place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

Behold, he is now hidden in some one of the pits, or in some one of the [other] places: and it will come to pass, when some of them should fall at the first onset, that whosoever heareth it would say, There hath been slaughter among the people that follow Abshalom.

10 And he also [that is] valiant, whose heart [is] as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father [is] a mighty man, and [they] which [be] with him [are] valiant men.

And he also that is most valiant, whose heart is as the heart of the lion, would become quite discouraged; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they who are with him are valiant persons.

11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered 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.

But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba', like the sand that is by the sea in multitude: while thou in thy own person goest into the fight.

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 there shall not be left so much as one.

And when we come upon him in some one of the places where he may be found, we will encamp around him as the dew falleth on the earth: and there shall not be left of him and of all the men that are with him so much as one.

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

And if he should withdraw into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the stream, until there be not found there even one 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 appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

And Abshalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Chushai the Arkite is better than the counsel of Achithophel. But the Lord had ordained to frustrate the good counsel of Achithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring the evil upon Abshalom.

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.

Then said Chushai unto Zadok and to Ebyathar the priests, Thus and thus did Achithophel counsel Abshalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counseled.

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

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but rather pass over at once; lest the king be entirely ruined, and all the people that are with him.

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

Now Jonathan and Achima'az were staying by 'En-rogel; and a maid-servant had to go and tell them, that they should go and tell king David; for they dared not be seen to come into the city.

18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told it to Abshalom; but they went, both of them, quickly away, and came to the house of a man in Bachurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither.

19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

And the wife took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and scattered ground corn thereupon; so that nothing was perceived.

20 And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find [them], they returned to Jerusalem.

And Abshalom's servants came to the woman into the house, and they said, Where are Achima'az and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They are passed over the brook of water. And they sought, but could not find them; and 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 said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.

And it came to pass, after they were gone, that they came up out of the well, and went and told it to king David, and they said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Achithophel counseled against you.

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

Then did David arise, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan: by the time the morning was light, not even one was 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 gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

And when Achithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled the ass, and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and gave his charge to his household, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

Then came David to Machanayim: and Abshalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man’s son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.

And Abshalom placed 'Amassa instead of Joab as captain over the army: and 'Amassa was the son of a man, whose name was Yithra the Israelite, who had gone in to Abigal the daughter of Nachash, the sister of Zeruyah Joab's mother.

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

And Israel and Abshalom encamped in the land of Gil'ad.

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 was come to Machanayim, that Shobi the son of Nachash of Rabbah of the children of 'Ammon, and Machir the son of 'Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gil'adite of Rogelim,

28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans, and lentiles, and parched [pulse],

Brought beds, and bowls, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,

29 And honey, and butter, 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 weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

And honey, and cream, and sheep, and cow's cheese, 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.