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2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
New English Translation

The Advice of Ahithophel

15 Now when Absalom and all the men[a] of Israel arrived in Jerusalem, Ahithophel was with him. 16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,[b] “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” 18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.[c] 19 Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”[d]

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Sleep with[e] your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.”[f] 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof,[g] and Absalom slept with[h] his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation.[i] Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.[j]

The Death of Ahithophel

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out 12,000 men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 2 When I catch up with[k] him he will be exhausted and worn out.[l] I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.[m] The entire army will return unharmed.”[n]

4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders[o] of Israel. 5 But Absalom said, “Call for[p] Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”[q] 6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”[r] 8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men—they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.[s] Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. 9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first,[t] whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ 10 If that happens even the bravest soldier—one who is lion-hearted—will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. 11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba—in number like the sand by the sea—be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. 12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive—not one of them! 13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided[u] to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders[v] of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised. 16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him,[w] “Don’t spend the night at the fords[x] of the wilderness tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over,[y] or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”[z]

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. 18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. 19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men[aa] searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan[ab] climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream[ac] quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”[ad] 22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River.[ae] By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave[af] of his father.

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Samuel 16:15 tn Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”
  2. 2 Samuel 16:16 tn Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  3. 2 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “No for with the one whom the Lord has chosen, and this people, and all the men of Israel, I will be and with him I will stay.” The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading לוֹ (lo, “[I will be] to him”) rather than the MT לֹא (loʾ, “[I will] not be”), which makes very little sense here.
  4. 2 Samuel 16:19 tn Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”
  5. 2 Samuel 16:21 tn Heb “approach,” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach,” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  6. 2 Samuel 16:21 tn Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
  7. 2 Samuel 16:22 sn That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.
  8. 2 Samuel 16:22 tn Heb “approached.” See note at v. 21.
  9. 2 Samuel 16:23 tn Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”
  10. 2 Samuel 16:23 tn Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”
  11. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
  12. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
  13. 2 Samuel 17:3 tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.
  14. 2 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
  15. 2 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “elders.”
  16. 2 Samuel 17:5 tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
  17. 2 Samuel 17:5 tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
  18. 2 Samuel 17:7 tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
  19. 2 Samuel 17:8 tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
  20. 2 Samuel 17:9 tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
  21. 2 Samuel 17:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
  22. 2 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “elders.”
  23. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
  24. 2 Samuel 17:16 tc The MT reads “the rift valleys (עֲרָבוֹת, ʿaravot) of the wilderness.” The plural form typically refers to the gently sloping plains at the basin of the rift valley just north of the Dead Sea (while the larger rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba). Many translations render as the “fords” (NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV) assuming the reversal of two letters as עֲבָרוֹת (ʿavarot, “fords, crossing”).
  25. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
  26. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
  27. 2 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  28. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  29. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “the water.”
  30. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
  31. 2 Samuel 17:22 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  32. 2 Samuel 17:23 tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
Listen to 2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
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2 Samuel 16:15-17:23
New American Standard Bible

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 (A)Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 Now it came about, 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 But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your [a]loyalty to your friend? (E)Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 So Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whomever the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I shall be, and with him I shall remain. 19 Besides, (F)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? Just as I have served in your father’s presence, so I shall be in your presence.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What should we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “(G)Have relations with your father’s concubines, whom he has left behind to take care of the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive 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 had relations with his father’s concubines (I)in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now (J)the advice of Ahithophel, which he [b]gave in those days, was taken as though one inquired of the word of God; (K)so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

Hushai’s Counsel

17 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose twelve thousand men and let me set out and pursue David tonight. 2 (L)And I will [c]attack him while he is weary and [d]exhausted and startle him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then (M)I will strike and kill the king when he is alone, 3 and I will bring all the people back to you. [e]The return of everyone depends on the man whom you are seeking; then all the people will be at (N)peace.” 4 And the [f]plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Nevertheless, Absalom said, “Now call (O)Hushai the Archite also, and let’s hear what [g]he has to say.” 6 When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to [h]him, “Ahithophel has [i]proposed this plan. Should we [j]carry out his plan? If not, say so yourself.” 7 So Hushai said to Absalom, “(P)This time the advice that Ahithophel has [k]given is not good.” 8 Then Hushai said, “You yourself know your father and his men, that they are warriors and they are [l]fierce, (Q)like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. And your father is an [m]expert in warfare, and he will not spend the night with the people. 9 Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the ravines, or in another place; and it will be that when he falls on them at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom!’ 10 And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, (R)will completely despair; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. 11 But I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, (S)from Dan even to Beersheba, (T)like the sand that is by the sea in abundance; and that [n]you personally go into battle. 12 Then we will come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will [o]fall on him (U)just 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 And if he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will (V)drag it into the [p]valley until not even a pebble is found there.” 14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For (W)the Lord had ordained to foil the good advice of Ahithophel, in order for the Lord to bring disaster on Absalom.

Hushai’s Warning Saves David

15 Then (X)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “[q]This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do, and [r]this is what I have advised. 16 Now then, send a messenger quickly and tell David, saying, ‘(Y)Do not spend the night at the river crossing places of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be [s]destroyed.’” 17 (Z)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at (AA)En-rogel, and a female servant would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not allow themselves to be seen entering the city. 18 But a boy did see them, and he told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man (AB)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down [t]into it. 19 And (AC)the woman [u]took a cover and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered barley meal 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 did not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 It came about after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and reported to King David; and they said to David, “(AE)Set out and cross over the water quickly, because this is what Ahithophel has advised against you.” 22 Then David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan; by [v]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been [w]followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to (AF)his city, and [x](AG)set his house in order, and (AH)hanged himself; so he died and was buried in his father’s grave.

Notas al pie

  1. 2 Samuel 16:17 Or faithfulness
  2. 2 Samuel 16:23 Lit advised
  3. 2 Samuel 17:2 Lit come upon
  4. 2 Samuel 17:2 Lit slack of hands
  5. 2 Samuel 17:3 Lit As the return of the whole is the man whom you seek
  6. 2 Samuel 17:4 Lit word was pleasing in the sight of
  7. 2 Samuel 17:5 Lit is in his mouth—even he
  8. 2 Samuel 17:6 Lit him, saying
  9. 2 Samuel 17:6 Lit spoken according to this word
  10. 2 Samuel 17:6 Lit do his word
  11. 2 Samuel 17:7 Lit advised
  12. 2 Samuel 17:8 Lit bitter of soul
  13. 2 Samuel 17:8 Lit man of war
  14. 2 Samuel 17:11 Lit your face goes
  15. 2 Samuel 17:12 Lit settle down
  16. 2 Samuel 17:13 Or wadi; i.e., a dry stream bed
  17. 2 Samuel 17:15 Lit According to this and this
  18. 2 Samuel 17:15 Lit According to this and this
  19. 2 Samuel 17:16 Lit swallowed up
  20. 2 Samuel 17:18 Lit there
  21. 2 Samuel 17:19 Lit took and spread the covering
  22. 2 Samuel 17:22 Lit the light of the morning
  23. 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit done
  24. 2 Samuel 17:23 Lit ordered in regard to
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