²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^(A) Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^(B) You and Abiathar return with your two sons.

¹⁷ Jonathan^(A) and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel.^(B) A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city.

⁹ (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire^(A) of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)^(B)

¹¹ Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad^(A) the prophet, David’s seer:^(B)

³⁶ Their two sons, Ahimaaz^(A) son of Zadok and Jonathan^(B) son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^(A) then you can help me by frustrating^(B) Ahithophel’s advice.