Defilement Comes from Within^(A)

7 Then ^(B)the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. ² Now ^[a]when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with ^(C)unwashed hands, ^[b]they found fault. ³ For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands ^[c]in a special way, holding the ^(D)tradition of the elders. ⁴ When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.

^5 (E)Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?”

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(F)hypocrites, as it is written:

⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—^[d]the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

⁹ He said to them, “All too well ^(H)you ^[e]reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, ^(I)‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ^(J)‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, ^(K)“Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban”—’ (that is, a gift to God), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai

17 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ² I will come upon him while he is ^(A)weary and weak, and make him ^[a]afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will ^(B)strike only the king. ³ Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace.” ⁴ And the saying pleased Absalom and all the ^(C)elders of Israel.

The Advice of Hushai

⁵ Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he ^(D)says too.” ⁶ And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”

⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. ⁸ For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like ^(E)a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. ⁹ Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰ And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will ^(F)melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, ^(G)from Dan to Beersheba, ^(H)like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹² So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. ¹³ Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will ^(I)pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”

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

Hushai Warns David to Escape

^15 (K)Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. ¹⁶ Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night ^(L)in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ” ^17 (M)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz ^(N)stayed at ^(O)En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. ¹⁸ Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house ^(P)in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. ^19 (Q)Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. ²⁰ And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

So ^(R)the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.”

And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. ²¹ Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, ^(S)“Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” ²² So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to ^(T)his house, to his city. Then he ^[b]put his ^(U)household in order, and ^(V)hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴ Then David went to ^(W)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ And Absalom made ^(X)Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was ^[c]Jithra, an ^[d]Israelite, who had gone in to ^(Y)Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶ So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that ^(Z)Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, ^(AA)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and ^(AB)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸ brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, ²⁹ honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty ^(AC)in the wilderness.”

Warring Kings of North and South

11 “Also ^(A)in the first year of ^(B)Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) ² And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. ³ Then ^(C)a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and ^(D)do according to his will. ⁴ And when he has arisen, ^(E)his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity ^(F)nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

Warring Kings of North and South

⁵ “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion. ⁶ And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her ^[a]authority, and neither he nor his ^[b]authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times. ⁷ But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. ⁸ And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their ^[c]princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.

⁹ “Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land. ¹⁰ However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come ^(G)and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return ^(H)to his fortress and stir up strife.

¹¹ “And the king of the South shall be ^(I)moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the ^(J)multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. ¹² When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be ^[d]lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail. ¹³ For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.

¹⁴ “Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, ^[e]violent men of your people shall exalt themselves ^[f]in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall ^(K)fall. ¹⁵ So the king of the North shall come and ^(L)build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the ^[g]forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. ¹⁶ But he who comes against him ^(M)shall do according to his own will, and ^(N)no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his ^[h]power.

¹⁷ “He shall also ^(O)set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and ^[i]upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, ^(P)or be for him. ¹⁸ After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him. ¹⁹ Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall ^(Q)stumble and fall, ^(R)and not be found.