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 ¹³ Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will ^(I)pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”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.

Shimei Curses David

⁵ Now when King David came to ^(A)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(B)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. ⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷ Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You ^[a]bloodthirsty man, ^(C)you ^[b]rogue! ⁸ The Lord has ^(D)brought upon you all ^(E)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a ^[c]bloodthirsty man!”

⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^(F)dead dog ^(G)curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”

¹⁰ But the king said, ^(H)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because ^(I)the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ ^(J)Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

¹¹ And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how ^(K)my son who ^(L)came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. ¹² It may be that the Lord will look on ^[d]my affliction, and that the Lord will ^(M)repay me with ^(N)good for his cursing this day.” ¹³ And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and ^[e]kicked up dust. ¹⁴ Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they ^(A)had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired ^(B)the Syrians of ^(C)Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of ^(D)Maacah one thousand men, and from ^(E)Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷ Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of ^(F)the mighty men. ⁸ Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And ^(G)the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

⁹ When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. ¹⁰ And the rest of the people he put under the command of ^(H)Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. ¹¹ Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ^12 (I)Be of good courage, and let us ^(J)be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may ^(K)the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to ^(L)Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together. ¹⁶ Then ^[a]Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ^[b]the River, and they came to Helam. And ^[c]Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. ¹⁷ When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him. ¹⁸ Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand ^(M)horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. ¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants to ^[d]Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and ^(N)served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.