2 Samuel 17
1 Therfor Achitofel seide to Absolon, Y schal chese twelue thousynde of men `to me, and Y schal rise, and pursue Dauid in this nyyt.
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 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.
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 strike the king only of all.
3 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.
And I will bring back all the people to you, as a bride returns to her husband: only you seek the life of one man, and all the people shall have peace.
4 And the word of him plesyde Absolon, and alle the grete men in birthe of Israel.
And the saying [was] right in the eyes of Abessalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.
5 Forsothe Absolon seide, Clepe ye also Chusy of Arath, and here we what also he seith.
And Abessalom said, Call now also Chusi the Arachite, and let us hear what [is] in his mouth, even in his also.
6 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?
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 you speak.
7 And Chusi seide to Absolon, This is not good counsel, which Achitofel yaf in this tyme.
And Chusi said to Abessalom, This counsel which Achitophel has counselled this one time [is] not good.
8 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.
And Chusi said, You know your 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 your father [is] a man of war, and will not give the people rest.
9 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.
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 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.
Then even he [that is] strong, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, —it shall utterly melt: for all Israel knows that your father [is] mighty, and they that are with him [are] mighty men.
11 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.
For thus I have surely given counsel, that all Israel be generally gathered to you from Dan even to Bersabee, as the sand that is upon the sea-shore for multitude: and that your presence go in the midst of them.
12 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.
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 `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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
And Jonathan and Achimaas stood by the well of Rogel, and a maidservant went and reported to them, and they go and tell king David; for they might not be seen to enter into the city.
18 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 you and go quickly over the water, for thus has Achitophel counselled concerning you.
22 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.
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 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.
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 Sotheli Dauid cam in to the castels, and Absolon passide Jordan, he and alle the men of Israel with hym.
And David passed over to Manaim: and Abessalom crossed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25 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.
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 settide tentis with Absolon in the lond of Galaad.
And all Israel and Abessalom encamped in the land of Galaad.
27 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,
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 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,
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 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.
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.
