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The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai

15 Now Absalom and all of the Israelite people entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 When Hushai the Arkite, the friend of David, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

17 Then Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this the extent of your commitment to your friend? Why have you not gone with your friend?”

18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom the Lord, this people, and all men of Israel have chosen, his I will be and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore, whom shall I serve? Should it not be his son? As I served your father, so shall I be with you.”

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

21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Lie with your father’s concubines, whom he left to watch over the palace. When all Israel hears that you have made yourself abhorred by your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they set up a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all of Israel.

23 In those days, the advice that Ahithophel gave was as when one inquired a word from God. Such was all of the advice of Ahithophel, whether that which he gave to David or to Absalom.

17 Ahithophel also said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men so that I may arise and pursue David tonight. I will overtake him while he is weary and weak and strike him with terror; all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike only the king, and I will return all of the people to you. When all return except the man whom you are seeking, all of the people will be at peace.” The advice pleased Absalom and all of the elders of Israel.

So Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Arkite so that we may hear what he has to say as well.” When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel had advised. Should we do this thing? If not, you should tell us.”

Hushai said to Absalom, “At this time, the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.” Moreover, Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are warriors, and they have been provoked like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is a veteran of warfare. He will not spend the night with the people. Even now, he has hidden himself in a ravine or some other place, and when one of them falls in the first attack, whoever hears will say, ‘It was a defeat for the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 Then even the valiant one, whose heart is like that of a lion, will completely despair, for all of Israel knows that your father is a warrior, and those who are with him are brave.

11 “Therefore my advice is for all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, to be completely gathered to you like the multitude of the sand along the shoreline and for you to go to battle in person. 12 We will come upon him in one of the places where he may be found, and we will fall upon him like the dew upon the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will remain, not a single one. 13 If he withdraws into a city, then all of Israel will bring ropes to that city. We will raze it until it is a valley, until there cannot be found there even a pebble.”

14 Then Absalom and all of the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had decided to undermine the prudent advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity to Absalom.

Hushai Warns David to Escape

15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do one thing, but I advised them to do another thing. 16 Now quickly send someone to report to David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but instead cross over. Otherwise, the king and all of the people who are with him will be swallowed up.’ ”

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. A servant girl would go report to them, and they would go report to King David, because they could not be seen entering the city. 18 But a young man saw them and reported this to Absalom. So the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 19 The wife took a covering and spread it over the opening of the well. Then she scattered grain over it so that nothing could be discerned.

20 The servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

She said, “They crossed over the brook of water.” When they searched, they could not find them. So they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After they left, they came up from the well, went, and reported to King David. They said to David, “Arise and quickly cross over the water because thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” 22 So David and all of the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, there was not one left who had not crossed over the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice was not followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his own city. He gave instruction to his household, then he hanged himself and died; he was interred in the tomb of his father.

Hushai Comes to Absalom

15 Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had come to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 When Hushai the Arkite the friend of David came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king, long live the king!” 17 Absalom said to Hushai, “This is your loyal love with your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No, rather, whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, to him[a] I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore,[b] for whom have I served? Is it not in the presence of his son that I have served before your father? So shall I serve you!”[c] 20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go to the concubines of your father whom he left behind to watch over the house, then all of Israel will hear that you made yourself odious to your father, and all of your followers will be motivated!”[d] 22 Then they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he went in to the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel. 23 The counsel that Ahithophel gave in those days was regarded as when a man[e] inquired of the word of God, so all the counsel of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and by Absalom.

Hushai Frustrates the Counsel of Ahithophel

17 Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue after David tonight.[f] I will come upon him while he is weary and weak.[g] I will startle him, and all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king while he is alone. Then I will return all the people to you; when all have returned, the man whom you are seeking will be dead,[h] but all the people will be safe.” The word was right in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel. Then Absalom said, “Please call also for Hushai the Arkite, and let us hear what he has to say[i] also.” So Hushai came to Absalom, who said to him, “Shall we do according to this word that Ahithophel has spoken? If not, then you tell us.” Then Hushai said to Absalom, “The counsel that Ahithophel gave is not good at this time.”[j] Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty warriors and they are enraged[k] as a bear robbed of her offspring in the field. Your father is a man of war, so he will not spend the night with the troops. Now he has hidden himself in one of the caves or in one of the places. At the moment he falls on them[l] the first time, whoever hears[m] the report will say, ‘There has been a defeat among the people who follow after Absalom.’ 10 And he is also a valiant warrior,[n] whose heart is like the heart of the lion. He[o] will certainly melt[p] with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty warrior and those who are with him are valiant warriors.[q] 11 I give the advice that all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba should be completely gathered to you, as the sand which is on the seashore for abundance, with you personally[r] going into the battle. 12 Then we will come to him in one of the places where he may be found, and we shall come upon him as the dew falls on the ground. He and all the men who are with him will not survive, not even one! 13 Even if he withdraws to a city, all Israel will bring up ropes to that city, and they will drag him away to the valley until there is not even a pebble to be found.” 14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” (Now Yahweh had ordained to frustrate the good counsel of Ahithophel in order for Yahweh to bring misery upon Absalom).

Hushai Sends Word to David

15 Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so[s] Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, but thus and so[t] I have advised. 16 So then, send quickly and tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night at the fords of the wilderness! Moreover, by all means cross over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel, so a servant girl used to go and tell them, then they would go and tell King David, for they were not able to be seen coming to the city. 18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom, so both of them went quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim. Now he had a well in his courtyard, so they went down there. 19 Then the woman took and spread a covering over the opening of the well; then she spread out dried grain on it, so nothing was discovered. 20 When the servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And she said to them, “They crossed over the brook of water.” So they searched but could not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. 21 After they left, they came up from the well and went and told King David. They said to David, “Set out and cross over the water quickly, for thus Ahithophel has advised against you.” 22 So David and all the people who were with him set out, and they crossed over the Jordan until morning light until there was no one[u] missing who had not crossed over the Jordan. 23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled the donkey, and he set out and went up to his house in his city. After he set his house in order,[v] he hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors.[w]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 16:18 According to the reading tradition (Qere); Kethib has “no”
  2. 2 Samuel 16:19 Literally “And the second thing
  3. 2 Samuel 16:19 Literally “So shall I be in your presence”
  4. 2 Samuel 16:21 Literally “the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened”
  5. 2 Samuel 16:23 Qere reads “a man inquired”; Kethib omits “a man”
  6. 2 Samuel 17:1 Literally “the night”
  7. 2 Samuel 17:2 Literally “slack of hands”
  8. 2 Samuel 17:3 According to the MT; the LXX has “and I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except the life of the one man whom you are seeking”
  9. 2 Samuel 17:5 Literally “what is in his mouth”
  10. 2 Samuel 17:7 Literally “at this occurrence”
  11. 2 Samuel 17:8 Literally “are bitter of soul”
  12. 2 Samuel 17:9 I.e., Absalom’s troops
  13. 2 Samuel 17:9 Literally “and the one who hears hears”
  14. 2 Samuel 17:10 Literally “son of ability”
  15. 2 Samuel 17:10 i.e., one of Absalom’s troops
  16. 2 Samuel 17:10 Literally “melting he will melt”
  17. 2 Samuel 17:10 Literally “son of ability”
  18. 2 Samuel 17:11 Literally “your face”
  19. 2 Samuel 17:15 Literally “so this and so this”
  20. 2 Samuel 17:15 Literally “so this and so this”
  21. 2 Samuel 17:22 Literally “until one was not missing”
  22. 2 Samuel 17:23 Literally “And he commanded to his household”
  23. 2 Samuel 17:23 Or “fathers”