Chapter 17

Moreover Ahithophel said⁴ unto Absalom, Let me now choose⁴ out twelve ⁶²⁴⁰ thousand men, and I will arise⁴ and pursue⁴ after David this night:

And I will come⁴ upon him while he [is] weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid:⁵² and all the people that [are] with him shall flee;¹ and I will smite⁵² the king only:

And I will bring back⁵⁵ all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest¹⁸ [is] as if all returned:² [so] all the people shall be in peace.

And the saying pleased^{4 5869} Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

Then said⁴ Absalom, Call³ now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear⁴ likewise what he saith.

And when Hushai was come⁴ to Absalom, Absalom spake⁴ unto him, saying,² Ahithophel hath spoken¹⁴ after this manner: shall we do⁴ [after] his saying? if not; speak¹⁶ thou.

And Hushai said⁴ unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given¹ [is] not good at this time.

For, said⁴ Hushai, thou knowest¹ thy father and his men, that they [be] mighty men, and they [be] chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father [is] a man of war, and will not lodge⁴ with the people.

Behold, he is hid¹² now in some pit, or in some [other] place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown² at the first, that whosoever⁶ heareth¹ it will say,¹ There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

And he also [that is] valiant, ²⁴²⁸ whose heart [is] as the heart of a lion, shall utterly⁹ melt:¹¹ for all Israel knoweth⁶ that thy father [is] a mighty man, and [they] which [be] with him [are] valiant men.

Therefore I counsel¹ that all Israel be generally⁹ gathered¹¹ unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude; and that thou go⁶ to battle in thine own person.

So shall we come¹ upon him in some place where he shall be found,⁸ and we will light upon him as the dew falleth⁴ on the ground: and of him and of all the men that [are] with him there shall not be left⁸ so much as one.

Moreover, if he be gotten¹¹ into a city, then shall all Israel bring⁵² ropes to that city, and we will draw¹ it into the river, until there be not one small stone found⁸ there.

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said,⁴ The counsel of Hushai the Archite [is] better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed¹⁴ to defeat⁵³ the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring⁵³ evil upon Absalom.

Then said⁴ Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel¹ Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.¹

Now therefore send³ quickly, and tell⁵⁴ David, saying,² Lodge⁴ not this night in the plains ⁵⁶⁷⁹ of the wilderness, but speedily² pass over;⁴ lest the king be swallowed up,²⁹ and all the people that [are] with him.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed⁶ by Enrogel; for they might⁴ not be seen⁹ to come² into the city: and a wench went¹ and told⁵² them; and they went⁴ and told⁵² king David.

Nevertheless a lad saw⁴ them, and told⁵⁵ Absalom: but they went⁴ both of them away quickly, and came⁴ to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.⁴

And the woman took⁴ and spread⁴ a covering over the well's mouth, and spread⁴ ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.⁸

And when Absalom's servants came⁴ to the woman to the house, they said,⁴ Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said⁴ unto them, They be gone over¹ the brook of water. And when they had sought¹⁷ and could not find¹ [them], they returned⁴ to Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, after they were departed,² that they came up⁴ out of the well, and went⁴ and told⁵⁵ king David, and said⁴ unto David, Arise,³ and pass quickly over³ the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled¹ against you.

Then David arose,⁴ and all the people that [were] with him, and they passed over⁴ Jordan: by the morning light there lacked⁸ not one of them that was not gone over¹ Jordan.

And when Ahithophel saw¹ that his counsel was not followed,⁸ he saddled⁴ [his] ass, and arose,⁴ and gat⁴ him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order,¹⁷ and hanged¹¹ himself, and died,⁴ and was buried¹¹ in the sepulchre of his father.

Then David came¹ to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over¹ Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

And Absalom made¹ Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa [was] a man's son, whose name [was] Ithra an Israelite, that went in¹ to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.

So Israel and Absalom pitched⁴ in the land of Gilead.

And it came to pass, when David was come² to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

Brought⁵² beds, and basons, and earthen⁶ vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched [corn], and beans, and lentiles, and parched [pulse],

And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that [were] with him, to eat:² for they said,¹ The people [is] hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.