2 Samuel 17

1 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, 'Let me choose, I pray thee, twelve thousand men, and I arise and pursue after 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 come upon him, and he weary and feeble-handed, and I have caused him to tremble, and all the people have fled who [are] with him, and I have smitten the king by himself,

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 I bring back all the people unto thee — as the turning back of the whole [is] the man whom thou art seeking — all the people are peace.

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 thing is right in the eyes of Absalom, 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 And Absalom saith, 'Call, I pray thee, also for Hushai the Archite, and we hear what [is] in his mouth — even he.'

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

6 And Hushai cometh in unto Absalom, and Absalom speaketh unto him, saying, 'According to this word hath Ahithophel spoken; do we do his word? if not, thou — speak 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 Hushai saith unto Absalom, 'Not good [is] the counsel that Ahithophel hath counselled at this time.'

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

8 And Hushai saith, 'Thou hast known thy father and his men, that they [are] heroes, and they are bitter in soul as a bereaved bear in a field, and thy father [is] a man of war, and doth not lodge with the people;

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 lo, now, he is hidden in one of the pits, or in one of the places, and it hath been, at the falling among them at the commencement, that the hearer hath heard, and said, There hath been a slaughter among the people who [are] after Absalom;

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 he also, the son of valour, whose heart [is] as the heart of the lion, doth utterly melt, for all Israel doth know that thy father is a hero, and sons of valour [are] those 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 'So that I have counselled: Let all Israel be diligently gathered unto thee, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, and thou thyself art going in the midst;

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 have come in unto him in one of the places where he is found, and we [are] upon him as the dew falleth on the ground, and there hath not been left of him and of all the men who [are] with him even 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 And if unto a city he is gathered, then they have caused all Israel to bear unto that city ropes, and we have drawn it unto the brook till that there hath not been found there even a 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 And Absalom saith — and all the men of Israel — 'Better [is] the counsel of Hushai the Archite than the counsel of Ahithophel;' and Jehovah willed to make void the good counsel of Ahithophel for the sake of Jehovah's bringing unto Absalom the evil.

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 Hushai saith unto Zadok and unto Abiathar the priests, 'Thus and thus hath Ahithophel counselled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus I have 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 and now, send hastily, and declare to David, saying, Lodge not to-night in the plains of the wilderness, and also, certainly pass over, lest there be a swallowing up of the king and of 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 And Jonathan and Ahimaaz are standing at En-Rogel, and the maid-servant hath gone and declared to them — and they go and have declared [it] to king David — for they are not able to be seen to go in to the city.

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 And a youth seeth them, and declareth to Absalom; and they go on both of them hastily, and come in unto the house of a man in Bahurim, and he hath a well in his court, and they go down there,

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 taketh and spreadeth the covering over the face of the well, and spreadeth on it the ground corn, and the thing hath not been 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 And the servants of Absalom come in unto the woman to the house, and say, 'Where [are] Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' and the woman saith to them, 'They passed over the brook of water;' and they seek, and have not found, and turn back 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 cometh to pass, after their going on, that they come up out of the well, and go and declare to king David, and say unto David, 'Rise ye, and pass over hastily the waters, for 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 you and go quickly over the water, for thus has Achitophel counselled concerning you.

22 And David riseth, and all the people who [are] with him, and they pass over the Jordan, till the light of the morning, till one hath not been lacking who hath 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 And Ahithophel hath seen that his counsel was not done, and he saddleth the ass, and riseth and goeth unto his house, unto his city, and giveth charge unto his household, and strangleth himself, and dieth, and he is buried in the burying-place 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 And David came to Mahanaim, and Absalom 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 and Amasa hath Absalom set instead of Joab over the host, and Amasa [is] a man's son whose name is Ithra the Israelite who hath gone 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 encampeth with Absalom [in] the land of Gilead.

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

27 And it cometh to pass at the coming in of David to Mahanaim, that Shobi, son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the Bene-Ammon, and Machir son of Ammiel, from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite, from 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 couch, and basin, and earthen vessel, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and roasted [corn], and beans, and lentiles, and roasted [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 butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, have brought nigh for David, and for the people who [are] with him to eat, for they said, 'Thy people [is] 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.