¹⁴ So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For ^(A)the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.

³⁴ But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ^(A)‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

¹⁹ For it is written:

^20 (B)Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the ^[a]disputer of this age? ^(C)Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

⁸ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than ^(A)the sons of light.

³¹ Then someone told David, saying, ^(A)“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, ^(B)turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

²⁸ And He said, ^(A)“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but ^[a]Israel; for you have ^(B)struggled with God and ^(C)with men, and have prevailed.”