2 Samuel 17

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

And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Let me now choose out for myself twelve thousand men, and I will arise and follow after David this night:

2 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:

and I will come upon him when he [is] weary and weak-handed, and I will strike him with terror; and all the people with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only of all.

3 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.

And I will bring back all the people to thee, as a bride returns to her husband: only thou seekest the life of one man, and all the people shall have peace.

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

And the saying [was] right in the eyes of Abessalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

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

And Abessalom said, Call now also Chusi the Arachite, and let us hear what [is] in his mouth, even in his also.

6 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.

And Chusi went in to Abessalom, and Abessalom spoke to him, saying, After this manner spoke Achitophel: shall we do according to his word? but if not, do thou speak.

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

And Chusi said to Abessalom, This counsel which Achitophel has counselled this one time [is] not good.

8 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.

And Chusi said, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are very mighty, and bitter in their spirit, as a bereaved bear in the field, [and as a wild boar in the plain]: and thy father [is] a man of war, and will not give the people rest.

9 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:

For, behold, he is now hidden in one of the hills or in some [other] place: and it shall come to pass when he falls upon them at the beginning, that [some one] will certainly hear, and say, There has been a slaughter among the people that follow after Abessalom.

10 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.

Then even he [that is] strong, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, —it shall utterly melt: for all Israel knows that thy father [is] mighty, and they that are with him [are] mighty men.

11 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.

For thus I have surely given counsel, that all Israel be generally gathered to thee from Dan even to Bersabee, as the sand that is upon the sea-shore for multitude: and that thy presence go in the midst of them.

12 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.

And we will come upon him in one of the places where we shall find him, and we will encamp against him, as the dew falls upon the earth; and we will not leave of him and of his men so much as one.

13 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.

And if he shall have taken refuge with his army in a city, then shall all Israel take ropes to that city, and we will draw it even into the river, that there may not be left there even a stone.

14 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.

And Abessalom, and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Chusi the Arachite [is] better than the counsel of Achitophel. For the Lord ordained to disconcert the good counsel of Achitophel, that the Lord might bring all evil upon Abessalom.

15 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.

And Chusi the Arachite said to Sadoc and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus Achitophel counselled Abessalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.

16 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.

And now send quickly and report to David, saying, Lodge not this night in Araboth of the wilderness: even go and make haste, lest [one] swallow up the king, and all the people with him.

17 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.

And Jonathan and Achimaas stood by the well of Rogel, and a maid-servant went and reported to them, and they go and tell king David; for they might not be seen to enter into the city.

18 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;

But a young man saw them and told Abessalom: and the two went quickly, and entered into the house of a man in Baurim; and he had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

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

And a woman took a covering, and spread it over the mouth of the well, and spread out ground corn upon it to dry, and the thing was not known.

20 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.

And the servants of Abessalom came to the woman into the house, and said, Where [are] Achimaas and Jonathan? and the woman said to them, They are gone a little way beyond the water. And they sought and found them not, and returned to Jerusalem.

21 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.

And it came to pass after they were gone, that they came up out of the pit, and went on their way; and reported to king David, and said to David, Arise ye and go quickly over the water, for thus has Achitophel counselled concerning you.

22 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.

And David rose up and all the people with him, and they passed over Jordan till the morning light; there was not one missing who did not pass over Jordan.

23 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.

And Achitophel saw that his counsel was not followed, and he saddled his ass, and rose and departed to his house into his city; and he gave orders to his household, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

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

And David passed over to Manaim: and Abessalom crossed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 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.

And Abessalom appointed Amessai in the room of Joab over the host. And Amessai was the son of a man whose name was Jether of Jezrael: he went in to Abigaia the daughter of Naas, the sister of Saruia the mother of Joab.

26 And Israel and Absolom encamped in the land of Gilead.

And all Israel and Abessalom encamped in the land of Galaad.

27 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,

And it came to pass when David came to Manaim, that Uesbi the son of Naas of Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, and Machir son of Amiel of Lodabar, and Berzelli the Galaadite of Rogellim,

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

brought ten embroidered beds, (with double coverings, ) and ten caldrons, and earthenware, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and meal, and beans, and pulse,

29 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.

and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheeses of kine: and they brought them to David and to his people with him to eat; for [one] said, The people [is] faint and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.