17:1 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:
17:2 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
smite the king only of all.
17:3 And I will bring back all the people to thee, as a bride returns to her
husband: only thou seekest the life of one man, and all the people shall
have peace.
17:4 And the saying [was] right in the eyes of Abessalom, and in the eyes of
all the elders of Israel.
17:5 And Abessalom said, Call now also Chusi the Arachite, and let us hear
what [is] in his mouth, even in his also.
17:6 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 thou speak.
17:7 And Chusi said to Abessalom, This counsel which Achitophel has
counseled this one time [is] not good.
17:8 And Chusi said, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are very
mighty, and bitter in their spirit, as a bereaved bear I the field, [[and as
a wild boar in the plain]]: and thy father [is] a man of war, and will not
give the people rest.
17:9 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.
17:10 Then even he [that is] strong, whose heart is as the heart of a
lion,-- it shall utterly melt: for all Israel knows that thy father [is]
mighty, and they that are with him [are] mighty men.
17:11 For thus I have surely given counsel, that all Israel be generally
gathered to thee from Dan even to Bersabee, as the sand that is upon the
sea-shore for multitude: and that thy presence go in the midst of them.
17:12 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.
17:13 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.
17:14 And Abessalom, and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Chusi
the Arachite [is] better than the counsel of Achitophel. For Yehovah
ordained to disconcert the good counsel of Achitophel, that Yehovah might
bring all evil upon Abessalom.
17:15 And Chusi the Arachite said to Sadoc and Abiathar the priests, Thus
and thus Achitophel counseled Abessalom and the elders of Israel; and thus
and thus have I counseled.
17:16 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.
17:17 And Jonathan and Achimaas stood by the well of Rogel, and a
maid-servant went and reported to them, and they go and tell king David; for
they might not be seen to enter into the city.
17:18 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.
17:19 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.
17:20 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.
17:21 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 ye and go quickly over the water, for thus has Achitophel counseled
concerning you.
17:22 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.
17:23 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.
17:24 And David passed over to Manaim: and Abessalom crossed over Jordan, he
and all the men of Israel with him.
17:25 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.
17:26 And all Israel and Abessalom encamped in the land of Galaad.
17:27 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,
17:28 brought ten embroidered beds, (with double coverings,) and ten
caldrons, and earthenware, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and meal, and
beans, and pulse,
17:29 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. |
17:1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom,
Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after
David this night:
17:2 And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will
make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will
smite the king only:
17:3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou
seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
17:4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
17:5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear
likewise what he saith.
17:6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying,
Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if
not; speak thou.
17:7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is
not good at this time.
17:8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest 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 lodge with
the people.
17:9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will
come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever
heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow
Absalom.
17:10 And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion,
shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man,
and they which be with him are valiant men.
17:11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee,
from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude;
and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
17:12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and
we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of
all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
17:13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring
ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not
one small stone found there.
17:14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the
Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Yehovah had appointed
to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yehovah might
bring evil upon Absalom.
17:15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus
did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus
have I counseled.
17:16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this
night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king
be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.
17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen
to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and
told king David.
17:18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of
them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in
his court; whither they went down.
17:19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and
spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
17:20 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said,
Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone
over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them,
they returned to Jerusalem.
17:21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out
of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and
pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counseled against you.
17:22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they
passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that
was not gone over Jordan.
17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled
his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his
household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the
sepulchre of his father.
17:24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and
all the men of Israel with him.
17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which
Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to
Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
17:26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
17:27 And it came to pass, when David was come 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,
17:28 Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley,
and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
17:29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and
for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is
hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. |