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 Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me, I pray, choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David to-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 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;

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. The man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: all the people shall be in 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 Absalom, 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 Absalom said, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and we will hear also what he says.

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 Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom spoke to him saying, Ahithophel has spoken after this manner: shall we carry out his word? If not, speak thou.

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

And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this 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 Hushai said, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are of exasperated spirit, 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.

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:

Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or some such place; and it will come to pass, when some of them fall at the first, whoever heareth it will say, There has been slaughter among the people that follow Absalom,

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.

and even the valiant man whose heart is as the heart of a lion shall utterly melt; for all Israel knows that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant 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.

But I counsel that all Israel be speedily gathered to 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.

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 shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left 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 withdraw into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the torrent, until there be not one small stone found there.

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 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. And Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, in order that Jehovah might bring evil upon Absalom.

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 Hushai said to 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.

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 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.

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 Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel; and the maid went and told them; and they went and told king David, for they might not be seen to come 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 lad saw them, and told Absalom. Then they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down there.

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 the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn on it; 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 Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone over the brook of water. And they sought and could not find [them], 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 had departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said to David, Arise and pass quickly over the water; for thus has Ahithophel counselled against 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.

Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan; by the morning light there was not one of them missing that had not gone over the 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 when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose and went to his house, to his city, and gave charge to his household, and hanged himself, and he died; and he 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 came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over the 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 Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab; which Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

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

And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

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 as soon as David came to Mahanaim, 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,

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 beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans, and lentils, and parched [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 cream, and sheep, and cheese of kine to David, and to the people that were with him, to eat; for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.