Deliver Me, O Lord, from Evil Men

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Deliver Me from My Enemies

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A ^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, ^(C)when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

Hushai Saves David

17 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “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 discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. ^(B)I will strike down only the king,

²¹ After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, ^(A)“Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.”

¹² So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left. ¹³ If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” ¹⁴ And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” ^(A)For the Lord had ordained^[a] to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.

²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to ^(A)your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and ^(B)the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom ^(C)on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines ^(D)in the sight of all Israel.