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2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
Legacy Standard Bible

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 (A)Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And it happened that when (B)Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (C)Hushai said to Absalom, “(D)Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your lovingkindness to your friend? (E)Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom Yahweh, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Besides, (F)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “(G)Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, (H)and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines (I)in the sight of all Israel. 23 (J)Now the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if one asked of the word of God; (K)so was all the counsel of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

Absalom Calls for Hushai’s Counsel

17 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 2 (L)And I will come upon him while he is weary with his hands falling limp and throw him into utter fright, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then (M)I will strike down the king alone, 3 and I will cause all the people to return to you. [a]The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at (N)peace.” 4 And the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Then Absalom said, “Call now (O)Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what is also in his mouth.” 6 Then Hushai came to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken [b]thus. Shall we [c]carry out his word? If not, you speak.” 7 And Hushai said to Absalom, “(P)This time the counsel that Ahithophel has counseled is not good.” 8 Then Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are bitter of soul, (Q)like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not spend the night with the people. 9 Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the [d]caves or in another place; and it will be [e]when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 And even the one who is a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, (R)will utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are men of valor. 11 But I counsel that all Israel be utterly gathered to you, (S)from Dan even to Beersheba, (T)as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that [f]you personally go into battle. 12 So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will set down on him (U)as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall carry ropes to that city, and we will (V)drag it into the [g]valley until not even a small stone is found there.” 14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For (W)Yahweh had [h]ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom.

Hushai Informs David

15 Then (X)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “[i]This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and [j]this is what I have counseled. 16 So now, send quickly and inform David, saying, ‘(Y)Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17 (Z)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at (AA)En-rogel, and a servant-woman would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18 But a boy did see them and informed Absalom; so the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man (AB)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down [k]into it. 19 And (AC)the woman [l]took a covering and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered crushed grain on it, so that nothing was known. 20 Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And (AD)the woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 Now it happened after they went away, that they came up out of the well and went and informed King David; and they said to David, “(AE)Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.” 22 Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by [m]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 Now Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not [n]followed. So he [o]saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to (AF)his city, and [p](AG)set his house in order, and (AH)strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 17:3 Lit Like the return of the whole is the man whom you seek
  2. 2 Samuel 17:6 Lit according to this word
  3. 2 Samuel 17:6 Lit do
  4. 2 Samuel 17:9 Lit pits
  5. 2 Samuel 17:9 Lit according to a falling among them
  6. 2 Samuel 17:11 Lit your face go
  7. 2 Samuel 17:13 Or wadi
  8. 2 Samuel 17:14 Lit commanded
  9. 2 Samuel 17:15 Lit Thus and thus
  10. 2 Samuel 17:15 Lit Thus and thus
  11. 2 Samuel 17:18 Lit there
  12. 2 Samuel 17:19 Lit took and spread the covering
  13. 2 Samuel 17:22 Lit the light of the morning
  14. 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit done
  15. 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit bound
  16. 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit gave charge to
Listen to 2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
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2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
Christian Standard Bible

Absalom’s Advisers

15 Now Absalom and all the Israelites came to Jerusalem. Ahithophel was also with him. 16 When David’s friend Hushai the Archite came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” (A)

17 “Is this your loyalty to your friend?” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

18 “Not at all,” Hushai answered Absalom. “I am on the side of the one that the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. I will stay with him. 19 Furthermore, whom will I serve if not his son? As I served in your father’s presence, I will also serve in yours.”(B)

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me your advice. What should we do?”

21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace.(C) When all Israel hears that you have become repulsive to your father, everyone with you will be encouraged.”[a] 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.(D)

23 Now the advice Ahithophel gave in those days was like someone asking about a word from God(E)—such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out in pursuit of David tonight. 2 I will attack him while he is weary and discouraged,[b] throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will scatter. I will strike down only the king(F) 3 and bring all the people back to you. When everyone returns except the man you’re looking for, all[c] the people will be at peace.” 4 This proposal seemed right to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.”

6 So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom told him, “Ahithophel offered this proposal. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, what do you say?”

7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given this time is not good.” 8 Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs.(G) Your father is an experienced soldier who won’t spend the night with the people. 9 He’s probably already hiding in one of the caves[d] or some other place. If some of our troops fall[e] first, someone is sure to hear and say, ‘There’s been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion(H) will lose heart[f] because all Israel knows that your father and the valiant men with him are warriors. 11 Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba—as numerous as the sand by the sea(I)—be gathered to you and that you personally go into battle. 12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. Not even one will be left—neither he nor any of the men with him. 13 If he retreats to some city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag its stones[g] into the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.” 14 Since the Lord had decreed(J) that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined(K) in order to bring about Absalom’s ruin, Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than Ahithophel’s advice.”

David Informed of Absalom’s Plans

15 Hushai then told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what[h] Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what[i] I advised. 16 Now send someone quickly and tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night at the wilderness ford,[j] but be sure to cross over the Jordan,[k](L) or the king and all the people with him will be devoured.’”

17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, because they dared not be seen entering the city. 18 However, a young man did see them and informed Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 19 Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.

20 Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

“They passed by toward the water,”[l] the woman replied to them. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went and informed King David. They told him, “Get up and immediately ford the river, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.” 22 So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He set his house in order and hanged himself.(M) So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

Footnotes

  1. 16:21 Lit father, the hands of everyone with you will be strong
  2. 17:2 Lit and weak of hands
  3. 17:3 LXX reads to you as a bride returns to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all
  4. 17:9 Or pits, or ravines
  5. 17:9 Lit And it will be when a falling on them at
  6. 17:10 Lit melt
  7. 17:13 Lit drag it
  8. 17:15 Lit “Like this and like this
  9. 17:15 Lit and like this and like this
  10. 17:16 Some Hb mss; MT reads plains
  11. 17:16 the Jordan supplied for clarity
  12. 17:20 Or brook; Hb obscure
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