1
Moreover Ahithophel[H302]said[H559] unto Absalom[H53], Let me now choose out[H977]twelve[H8147]thousand[H505]men[H376], and I will arise[H6965] and pursue[H7291]after[H310]David[H1732] this night[H3915]:
2
And I will come[H935] upon him while he is weary[H3023] and weak[H7504]handed[H3027], and will make him afraid[H2729]: and all the people[H5971] that are with him shall flee[H5127]; and I will smite[H5221] the king[H4428] only:
3
And I will bring back[H7725] all the people[H5971] unto thee: the man[H376] whom thou seekest[H1245] is as if all returned[H7725]: so all the people[H5971] shall be in peace[H7965].
4
And the saying[H1697]pleased[H3474]Absalom[H53]well[H5869], and all the elders[H2205] of Israel[H3478].
5
Then said[H559]Absalom[H53], Call[H7121] now Hushai[H2365] the Archite[H757] also, and let us hear[H8085] likewise what he saith[H6310].
6
And when Hushai[H2365] was come[H935] to Absalom[H53], Absalom[H53]spake[H559] unto him, saying[H559], Ahithophel[H302] hath spoken[H1696] after this manner[H1697]: shall we do[H6213] after his saying?[H1697] if not; speak[H1696] thou.
7
And Hushai[H2365]said[H559] unto Absalom[H53], The counsel[H6098] that Ahithophel[H302] hath given[H3289] is not good[H2896] at this time[H6471].
8
For, said[H559]Hushai[H2365], thou knowest[H3045] thy father[H1] and his men[H582], that they be mighty men[H1368], and they be chafed[H4751] in their minds[H5315], as a bear[H1677]robbed[H7909] of her whelps in the field[H7704]: and thy father[H1] is a man[H376] of war[H4421], and will not lodge[H3885] with the people[H5971].
9
Behold, he is hid[H2244] now in some[H259]pit[H6354], or in some[H259] other place[H4725]: and it will come to pass, when some[H259] of them be overthrown[H5307] at the first[H8462], that whosoever[H8085]heareth[H8085] it will say[H559], There is a slaughter[H4046] among the people[H5971] that follow[H310]Absalom[H53].
10
And he also that is valiant[H1121], whose heart[H3820] is as the heart[H3820] of a lion[H738], shall utterly[H4549]melt[H4549]: for all Israel[H3478]knoweth[H3045] that thy father[H1] is a mighty man[H1368], and they which be with him are valiant[H2428]men[H1121].
11
Therefore I counsel[H3289] that all Israel[H3478] be generally[H622]gathered[H622] unto thee, from Dan[H1835] even to Beersheba[H884], as the sand[H2344] that is by the sea[H3220] for multitude[H7230]; and that thou go[H1980] to battle[H7128] in thine own person[H6440].
12
So shall we come[H935] upon him in some[H259]place[H4725] where he shall be found[H4672], and we will light[H5168] upon him as[H1571] the dew[H2919]falleth[H5307] on the ground[H127]: and of him and of all the men[H582] that are with him there shall not be left[H3498] so much as[H1571]one[H259].
13
Moreover, if[H518] he be gotten[H622] into a city[H5892], then shall all Israel[H3478]bring[H5375]ropes[H2256] to that city[H5892], and we will draw[H5498] it into the river[H5158], until there be not one[H1571] small stone[H6872]found[H4672] there.
14
And Absalom[H53] and all the men[H376] of Israel[H3478]said[H559], The counsel[H6098] of Hushai[H2365] the Archite[H757] is better[H2896] than the counsel[H6098] of Ahithophel[H302]. For the LORD[H3068] had appointed[H6680] to defeat[H6565] the good[H2896]counsel[H6098] of Ahithophel[H302], to the intent[H5668] that the LORD[H3068] might bring[H935]evil[H7451] upon Absalom[H53].
15
Then said[H559]Hushai[H2365] unto Zadok[H6659] and to Abiathar[H54] the priests[H3548], Thus and thus did Ahithophel[H302]counsel[H3289]Absalom[H53] and the elders[H2205] of Israel[H3478]; and thus and thus have I counselled[H3289].
16
Now therefore send[H7971]quickly[H4120], and tell[H5046]David[H1732], saying[H559], Lodge[H3885] not this night[H3915] in the plains[H6160] of the wilderness[H4057], but speedily[H5674] pass over[H5674]; lest the king[H4428] be swallowed up[H1104], and all the people[H5971] that are with him.
17
Now Jonathan[H3083] and Ahimaaz[H290]stayed[H5975] by Enrogel[H5883]; for they might[H3201] not be seen[H7200] to come[H935] into the city[H5892]: and a wench[H8198]went[H1980] and told[H5046] them; and they went[H3212] and told[H5046]king[H4428]David[H1732].
18
Nevertheless a lad[H5288]saw[H7200] them, and told[H5046]Absalom[H53]: but they went[H3212]both[H8147] of them away quickly[H4120], and came[H935] to a man's house[H1004] in Bahurim[H980], which had a well[H875] in his court[H2691]; whither[H8033] they went[H3212]down[H3381].
19
And the woman[H802]took[H3947] and spread[H6566] a covering[H4539] over the well's mouth[H6440], and spread[H7849] ground corn[H7383] thereon; and the thing[H1697] was not known[H3045].
20
And when Absalom's servants[H5650]came[H935] to the woman[H802] to the house[H1004], they said[H559], Where is Ahimaaz[H290] and Jonathan?[H3083] And the woman[H802]said[H559] unto them, They be gone over[H5674] the brook[H4323] of water[H4325]. And when they had sought[H1245] and could not find[H4672] them, they returned[H7725] to Jerusalem[H3389].
21
And it came to pass, after[H310] they were departed[H3212], that they came up[H5927] out of the well[H875], and went[H3212] and told[H5046]king[H4428]David[H1732], and said[H559] unto David[H1732], Arise[H6965], and pass quickly[H4120]over[H5674] the water[H4325]: for thus hath Ahithophel[H302]counselled[H3289] against you.
22
Then David[H1732]arose[H6965], and all the people[H5971] that were with him, and they passed over[H5674]Jordan[H3383]: by the morning[H1242]light[H216] there lacked[H5737] not one[H259] of them that was not gone over[H5674]Jordan[H3383].
23
And when Ahithophel[H302]saw[H7200] that his counsel[H6098] was not followed[H6213], he saddled[H2280] his ass[H2543], and arose[H6965], and gat him home[H3212] to his house[H1004], to his city[H5892], and put his household[H1004] in order[H6680], and hanged[H2614] himself, and died[H4191], and was buried[H6912] in the sepulchre[H6913] of his father[H1].
24
Then David[H1732]came[H935] to Mahanaim[H4266]. And Absalom[H53] passed over[H5674]Jordan[H3383], he and all the men[H376] of Israel[H3478] with him.
25
And Absalom[H53]made[H7760]Amasa[H6021] captain of the host[H6635] instead of Joab[H3097]: which Amasa[H6021] was a man's son[H1121], whose name[H8034] was Ithra[H3501] an Israelite[H3481], that went in[H935] to Abigail[H26] the daughter[H1323] of Nahash[H5176], sister[H269] to Zeruiah[H6870]Joab[H3097]'s mother[H517].
26
So Israel[H3478] and Absalom[H53]pitched[H2583] in the land[H776] of Gilead[H1568].
27
And it came to pass, when David[H1732] was come[H935] to Mahanaim[H4266], that Shobi[H7629] the son[H1121] of Nahash[H5176] of Rabbah[H7237] of the children[H1121] of Ammon[H5983], and Machir[H4353] the son[H1121] of Ammiel[H5988] of Lodebar[H3810], and Barzillai[H1271] the Gileadite[H1569] of Rogelim[H7274],
28Brought[H5066]beds[H4904], and basons[H5592], and earthen[H3335]vessels[H3627], and wheat[H2406], and barley[H8184], and flour[H7058], and parched[H7039] corn, and beans[H6321], and lentiles[H5742], and parched[H7039] pulse,
29
And honey[H1706], and butter[H2529], and sheep[H6629], and cheese[H8194] of kine[H1241], for David[H1732], and for the people[H5971] that were with him, to eat[H398]: for they said[H559], The people[H5971] is hungry[H7457], and weary[H5889], and thirsty[H6771], in the wilderness[H4057].