2 Samuel 17
1 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I arise and pursue after David tonight,
Therfor Achitofel seide to Absolon, Y schal chese twelue thousynde of men `to me, and Y schal rise, and pursue Dauid in this nyyt.
2 and come on him, and he [will be] weary and feeble-handed, and I have caused him to tremble, and all the people who [are] with him have fled, and I have struck the king by himself,
And Y schal falle on hym, for he is wery, and with vnboundun hondis Y schal smyte hym. And whanne al the puple fleeth which is with hym, Y schal smyte the kyng `desolat, ether left aloone.
3 and I bring back all the people to you—as the turning back of the whole [except] the man whom you are seeking—[then] all the people are [at] peace.”
And Y schal lede ayen al the puple, as o man is wont to turne ayen; for thou sekist o man, and al the puple schal be in pees.
4 And the word is right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all [the] elderly of Israel.
And the word of him plesyde Absolon, and alle the grete men in birthe of Israel.
5 And Absalom says, “Now call for Hushai the Archite also, and we hear what [is] in his mouth—even he.”
Forsothe Absolon seide, Clepe ye also Chusy of Arath, and here we what also he seith.
6 And Hushai comes to Absalom, and Absalom speaks to him, saying, “According to this word Ahithophel has spoken; do we do his word? If not, you—speak.”
And whanne Chusi hadde come to Absolon, Absolon seide to hym. Achitofel spak siche a word; owen we do, ethir nay? what counsel yyuest thou?
7 And Hushai says to Absalom, “The counsel that Ahithophel has counseled [is] not good at this time.”
And Chusi seide to Absolon, This is not good counsel, which Achitofel yaf in this tyme.
8 And Hushai says, “You have known your father and his men, that they [are] heroes, and they are bitter in soul as a bereaved bear in a field, and your father [is] a man of war, and does not lodge with the people;
And eft Chusi seide, Thou knowist, that thi fadir, and the men that ben with him, ben moost stronge, and in bitter soule, as if a femal bere is fers in the forest, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid; but also thi fader is a man werriour, and he schal not dwelle with the puple.
9 behold, now, he is hidden in one of the pits, or in one of the places, and it has been at the falling among them at the commencement, that the hearer has heard and said, There has been a slaughter among the people who [are] after Absalom;
In hap now he is hid in the dichis, ethir in o place, in which he wole; and whanne ony man fallith in the bigynnyng, who euer schal here, he schal here, and schal seie, Wounde is maad in the puple that suede Absolon.
10 and he also, the son of valor, whose heart [is] as the heart of the lion, utterly melts, for all Israel knows that your father is a hero, and those with him [are] sons of valor.
And ech strongeste man, whos herte is as `the herte of a lioun, schal be discoumfortid for drede; for al the puple of Israel knowith, that thi fadir is strong, and that alle men ben stronge, that ben with him.
11 So that I have counseled: let all Israel be diligently gathered to you, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, and you yourself are going in the midst;
But this semeth to me to be riytful counsel; al Israel be gaderid to thee, fro Dan `til to Bersabee, vnnoumbrable as the soond of the see; and thou schalt be in the myddis of hem.
12 and we have come to him in one of the places where he is found, and we [are] on him as the dew falls on the ground, and there has not been left of him and of all the men who [are] with him even one.
And we schulen falle on hym, in what euer place he is foundun, and we schulen hile hym, as dew is wont to falle on the erthe; and we schulen not leeue of the men that ben with hym, `sotheli not oon.
13 And if he is gathered to a city, then they have caused all Israel to carry ropes to that city, and we have drawn it to the brook until there has not even been found a stone there.”
`That if he entrith in to ony citee, al Israel schal cumpasse that citee with roopis, and we schulen drawe it in to the stronde, that no thing be foundun, sotheli not a litil stoon therof.
14 And Absalom says—and all the men of Israel, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite [is] better than the counsel of Ahithophel”; and YHWH willed to make void the good counsel of Ahithophel for the sake of YHWH’s bringing the calamity to Absalom.
And Absolon seide, and alle the men of Israel, The counsel of Chusi of Arath is betere than the counsel of Achitofel; sotheli the profitable counsel of Achitofel was destried bi Goddis wille, that the Lord schulde brynge in yuel on Absolon.
15 And Hushai says to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “Thus and thus Ahithophel has counseled Absalom and the elderly of Israel, and thus and thus I have counseled;
And Chusi seide to Sadoch and to Abiathar, preestis, Achitofel yaf counsel to Absolon, and to the eldere men of Israel in this and this maner, and Y yaf sich and sich counsel.
16 and now, send quickly, and declare [it] to David, saying, Do not lodge in the plains of the wilderness tonight, and also, certainly pass over, lest there is a swallowing up of the king and of all the people who are with him.”
Now therfor sende ye soone, and telle ye to Dauid, and seie ye, Dwelle thou not this nyyt in the feeldi places of deseert, but passe thou with out delay; lest perauenture the kyng be destried, and al the puple which is with hym.
17 And Jonathan and Ahimaaz are standing at En-Rogel, and the maidservant has gone and declared [it] to them—and they go and have declared [it] to King David—for they are not able to be seen to go into the city.
Forsothe Jonathas and Achymaas stoden bisidis the welle of Rogel; an handmaide yede, and telde to hem, and thei yeden forth to telle the message to kyng Dauid; for thei myyten not be seyn, nether entre in to the citee.
18 And a youth sees them, and declares [it] to Absalom; and both of them go on quickly, and come to the house of a man in Bahurim, and he has a well in his court, and they go down there,
Forsothe a child siy hem, and he schewide to Absolon; sotheli thei entriden with swift goyng in to the hows of `sum man in Bahurym, that hadde a pit in his place, and thei yeden doun in to that pit.
19 and the woman takes and spreads the covering over the face of the well, and spreads the ground grain on it, and the thing has not been known.
Forsothe a womman took, and spred abrood an hilyng of the mouth of the pit as driynge `barli with the pile takun a wey, and so the thing was hid.
20 And the servants of Absalom come to the woman at the house, and say, “Where [are] Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman says to them, “They passed over the brook of water”; and they seek, and have not found, and return to Jerusalem.
And whanne the seruauntis of Absolon hadde come in to the hows, thei seiden to the womman, Where is Achymaas and Jonathas? And the womman answeride to hem, Thei passiden hastily, whanne `watir was tastid a litil. And whanne thei that souyten hem hadden not founde, thei turneden ayen in to Jerusalem.
21 And it comes to pass, after their going on, that they come up out of the well, and go and declare [it] to King David, and say to David, “Rise, and pass over the waters quickly, for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.”
And whanne thei `that souyten hadden go, thei stieden fro the pit; and thei yeden, and telden to kyng Dauid, and seiden, Rise ye, passe ye soone the flood, for Achitofel yaf sich counsel ayens you.
22 And David rises, and all the people who [are] with him, and they pass over the Jordan, until the morning light, until not one has been lacking who has not passed over the Jordan.
Therfor Dauid roos, and al the puple that was with hym, and thei passiden Jordan, til it was cleer dai, bifor that the word was pupplischid; and sotheli not oon was left, that `passide not the flood.
23 And Ahithophel has seen that his counsel was not done, and he saddles the donkey, and rises and goes to his house, to his city, and gives charge to his household, and strangles himself, and dies, and he is buried in the burying-place of his father.
Forsothe Achitofel siy, that his counsel was not doon, and he sadlide his asse, and roos, and yede in to his hows, and in to his citee; and whanne his hows was disposid, he perischide bi hangyng, and he was biried in the sepulcre of his fadir.
24 And David came to Mahanaim, and Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him;
Sotheli Dauid cam in to the castels, and Absolon passide Jordan, he and alle the men of Israel with hym.
25 and Absalom has set Amasa over the host instead of Joab, and Amasa [is] a man’s son whose name is Ithra the Israeli who has gone in to Abigail, daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, mother of Joab;
Forsothe Absolon ordeynede Amasan for Joab on the oost; forsothe Amasan was the sone of a man that was clepid Jethra of Jeyrael, which entride to Abigail, douyter of Naas, the sistir of Saruye, that was the modir of Joab.
26 and Israel encamps with Absalom [in] the land of Gilead.
And Israel settide tentis with Absolon in the lond of Galaad.
27 And it comes to pass at the coming in of David to Mahanaim, that Shobi son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir son of Ammiel, from Behold-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite, from Rogelim,
And whanne Dauid hadde come in to castels, Sobi, the sone of Naas of Rabath, of the sones of Amon, and Machir, the sone of Amyel, of Lodobar, and Berzellai, of Galaad,
28 [have brought] bed, and basin, and earthen vessel, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and roasted [grain], and beans, and lentiles, and roasted [pulse],
of Rogelym, brouyten to hym beddyngis, and tapitis, and erthun vessels, wheete, and barli, and mele, and flour, and benys, and lente, and fried chichis, and hony,
29 and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of cows; they have brought [these] near for David, and for the people who [are] with him to eat, for they said, “Your people [are] hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.”
and botere, and scheep, and fatte calues. And thei yauen to Dauid, and to the puple that weren with hym, to ete; for thei supposiden the puple to be maad feynt for hungur and thirst in deseert.
