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 Absalom: I will choose me twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue 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 coming upon him (for he is now weary, and weak handed) I will defeat him: and when all the people is put to flight that is with him, I will kill the king who will be left alone.

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, as if they were but one man: for thou seekest but one man: and 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 his saying pleased Absalom, and all the ancients 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.

But Absalom said: Call Chusai the Arachite, and let us hear what he also saith.

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 when Chusai was come to Absalom, Absalom said to him: Achitophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do it or not? what counsel dost thou give?

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

And Chusai said to Absalom: The counsel that Achitophel hath 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 again Chusai said: Thou knowest thy father, and the men that are with him, that they are very valiant, and bitter in their mind, as a bear raging in the wood when her whelps are taken away: and thy father is a warrior, 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:

Perhaps he now lieth hid in pits, or in some other place where he list: and when any one shall fall at the first, every one that heareth it shall say: There is a slaughter among the people that followed 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 the most valiant man whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall melt for fear: for all the people of Israel know thy father to be a valiant man, and that all who are with him are valiant.

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 this seemeth to me to be good counsel: Let all Israel be gathered to thee, from Dan to Bersabee, as the sand of the sea which cannot be numbered: and thou shalt be 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 shall come upon him in what place soever he shall be found: and we shall cover him, as the dew falleth upon the ground, and we shall not leave of the men that are with him, not 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 enter into any city, all Israel shall cast ropes round about that city, and we will draw it into the river, so that there shall not be found so much as one small stone thereof.

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 Chusai the Arachite is better than the counsel of Achitophel: and by the will of the Lord the profitable counsel of Achitophel was defeated, that the Lord 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 Chusai said to Sadoc and Abiathar the priests: Thus and thus did Achitophel counsel Absalom, and the ancients of Israel: and thus and thus did I counsel them.

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.

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying: Tarry not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but without delay pass over: lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that is 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 stayed by the fountain Rogel: and there went a maid and told them: and they went forward, to carry the message to king David, for they might not be seen, nor 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 certain boy saw them, and told Absalom: but they making haste went into the house of a certain man in Bahurim, who 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, and spread a covering over the mouth of the well, as it were to dry sodden barley: and so 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 when Absalom’s servants were come into the house, they said to the woman: Where is Achimaas and Jonathan? and the woman answered them: They passed on in haste, after they had tasted a little water. But they that sought them, when they found them not, returned into 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 when they were gone, they came up out of the well, and going on told king David, and said: Arise, and pass quickly over the river: for this manner of counsel has Achitophel given 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.

So David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan, until it grew light, and not one of them was left that was not gone over the river.

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.

But Achitophel seeing that his counsel was not followed, saddled his ass, and arose and went home to his house and to his city, and putting his house in order, hanged himself, 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.

But David came to the camp, and Absalom passed over the Jordan, be 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.

Now Absalom appointed Amasa in Joab’s stead over the army: and Amasa was the son of a man who was called Jethra of Jezrael, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Naas, the sister of Sarvia who was the mother of Joab.

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

And Israel camped with Absalom 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 when David was come to the camp, Sobi the son of Naas of Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammihel of Lodabar, and Berzellai the Galaadite 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 him beds, and tapestry, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and fried 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 fat calves, and they gave to David and the people that were with him, to eat: for they suspected that the people were faint with hunger and thirst in the wilderness.