2Samuel 17

Hushai’s Counsel

17MOREOVER, AHITHOPHEL said to Absalom, Let me choose 12,000 men and I will set out and pursue David this night.H302H559H53H977H8147H6240H505H376H6965H7291H310H1732H39152I will come upon him while he is exhausted and weak, and cause him to panic; all the people with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone.H935H3023H7504H3027H2729H5971H5127H5221H44283I will bring back all the people to you. [The removal of] the man whom you seek is the assurance that all will return; and all the people will be at peace.H7725H5971H376H1245H7725H5971H79654And what he said pleased Absalom well and all the elders of Israel.H1697H3474H53H5869H2205H34785Absalom said, Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he says.H559H53H7121H2365H757H8085H63106When Hushai came, Absalom said to him, Ahithophel has counseled thus. Shall we do what he says? If not, speak up.H2365H935H53H53H559H559H302H1696H1697H6213H1697H16967And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time.H2365H559H53H6098H302H3289H2896H64718For, said Hushai, you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered {and} enraged like a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.H559H2365H3045H1H582H1368H4751H5315H1677H7909H7704H1H376H4421H3885H59719Behold, he is hidden even now in some pit or other place; and when some of them are overthrown at the first, whoever hears it will say, There is a slaughter among the followers of Absalom.H2244H259H6354H259H4725H5307H8462H8085H8085H559H4046H5971H310H5310And even he who is brave, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and that those who are with him are brave men.H1121H2428H3820H3820H738H4549H4549H3478H3045H1H1368H2428H112111Therefore I counsel that all [the men of] Israel be gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in your own person.H3289H3478H622H622H1835H884H2344H3220H7230H1980H7128H644012So shall we come upon [David] some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew settles [unseen and unheard] on the ground; and of him and of all the men with him there shall not be left so much as one.H935H259H4725H4672H5168H2919H5307H127H582H3498H1571H25913If he withdraws into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the ravine until not one pebble is left there.H518H622H5892H3478H5375H2256H5892H5498H5158H1571H6872H467214Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.H53H376H3478H559H6098H2365H757H2896H6098H302H3068H6680H6565H2896H6098H302H5668H3068H935H7451H53

Hushai’s Warning Saves David

15Then said Hushai to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus have I counseled.H559H2365H6659H54H3548H302H3289H53H2205H3478H328916Now send quickly and tell David, Lodge not this night at the fords [at the Jordan] of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king be swallowed up and all the people with him.H7971H4120H5046H1732H559H3885H3915H6160H5679H4057H5674H5674H4428H1104H597117Now [the youths] Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En-rogel, for they must not be seen coming into the city. But a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told King David.H3083H290H5975H5883H3201H7200H935H5892H8198H1980H5046H3212H5046H4428H173218But a lad saw them and told Absalom; but they left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, and they went down into it.H5288H7200H5046H53H3212H8147H4120H935H376H1004H980H875H2691H8033H338119And the woman spread a covering over the well's mouth and spread ground corn on it; and the thing was not discovered.H802H3947H6566H4539H875H6440H7849H7383H1697H304520For when Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They went over the brook of water. When they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.H53H5650H935H802H1004H559H290H3083H802H559H5674H4323H4325H1245H4672H7725H338921After they had departed, the boys came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said, Arise and pass quickly over the river Jordan; for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.H310H3212H5927H875H3212H5046H4428H1732H559H1732H6965H4120H5674H4325H302H328922David arose and all the people with him and passed over the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed.H1732H6965H5971H5674H3383H1242H216H5737H259H5674H338323But when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, went home to his city, put his household in order, and hanged himself and died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.H302H7200H6098H6213H2280H2543H6965H3212H1004H5892H1004H6680H2614H4191H6912H6913H124Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.H1732H935H4266H53H5674H3383H376H347825Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of an [Ishmaelite] named Ithra, who married Abigail daughter of Nahash, [half sister of David and] sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.H53H7760H6021H6635H3097H6021H376H1121H8034H3501H3481H935H26H1323H5176H269H6870H3097H51726So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.H3478H53H2583H776H156827When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of RogelimH1732H935H4266H7629H1121H5176H7237H1121H5983H4353H1121H5988H3810H1271H1569H727428Brought beds, basins, earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched [pulse--seeds of peas and beans],H5066H4904H5592H3335H3627H2406H8184H7058H7039H6321H5742H703929Honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of cows for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.H1706H2529H6629H8194H1241H1732H5971H398H559H5971H7457H5889H6771H4057