2 Samuel 17:15-29

New American Standard Bible

Hushai’s Warning Saves David

¹⁵ Then ^(A)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “^[a]This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do, and ^[b]this is what I have advised. ¹⁶ Now then, send a messenger quickly and tell David, saying, ‘^(B)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 ^[c]destroyed.’” ^17 (C)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at ^(D)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 ^(E)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down ^[d]into it. ¹⁹ And ^(F)the woman ^[e]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 ^(G)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, “^(H)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 ^[f]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been ^[g]followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to ^(I)his city, and ^[h](J)set his house in order, and ^(K)hanged himself; so he died and was buried in his father’s grave.

²⁴ Then David came to ^(L)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ Absalom put ^(M)Amasa ^[i]in command of the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was ^[j]Ithra the Israelite, who ^[k]had relations with Abigail the daughter of ^(N)Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶ And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi ^(O)the son of Nahash from ^(P)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, ^(Q)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and ^(R)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸ brought ^(S)beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted seeds, ²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him, ^(T)to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and exhausted and thirsty in the wilderness.”