Book of Common Prayer

Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Saving Goodness.

The Lord Exalted for His Goodness.

A Psalm of Praise, of David.

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 (A)And I will ^[a]attack him while he is weary and ^[b]exhausted and startle him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then ^(B)I will strike and kill the king when he is alone, ³ and I will bring all the people back to you. ^[c]The return of everyone depends on the man whom you are seeking; then all the people will be at ^(C)peace.” ⁴ And the ^[d]plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵ Nevertheless, Absalom said, “Now call ^(D)Hushai the Archite also, and let’s hear what ^[e]he has to say.” ⁶ When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to ^[f]him, “Ahithophel has ^[g]proposed this plan. Should we ^[h]carry out his plan? If not, say so yourself.” ⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom, “^(E)This time the advice that Ahithophel has ^[i]given is not good.” ⁸ Then Hushai said, “You yourself know your father and his men, that they are warriors and they are ^[j]fierce, ^(F)like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. And your father is an ^[k]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, ^(G)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, ^(H)from Dan even to Beersheba, ^(I)like the sand that is by the sea in abundance; and that ^[l]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 ^[m]fall on him ^(J)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 ^(K)drag it into the ^[n]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 ^(L)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 ^(M)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “^[o]This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do, and ^[p]this is what I have advised. ¹⁶ Now then, send a messenger quickly and tell David, saying, ‘^(N)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 ^[q]destroyed.’” ^17 (O)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at ^(P)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 ^(Q)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down ^[r]into it. ¹⁹ And ^(R)the woman ^[s]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 ^(S)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, “^(T)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 ^[t]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

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

⁶ Just as ^(A)Abraham ^(B)believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ⁷ Therefore, recognize that ^(C)it is those who are of faith who are ^(D)sons of Abraham. ⁸ The Scripture, foreseeing that God ^[a]would justify the ^[b]Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “^(E)All the nations will be blessed in you.” ⁹ So then, ^(F)those who are of faith are blessed with ^[c]Abraham, the believer.

¹⁰ For all who are of works of ^[d]the Law are under a curse; for it is written: “^(G)Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all the things written in the book of the Law, to do them.” ¹¹ Now, that ^(H)no one is justified ^[e]by ^[f]the Law before God is evident; for, “^[g](I)the righteous one will live by faith.” ^12 [h]However, the Law is not ^[i]of faith; on the contrary, “^(J)The person who performs ^[j]them will live by ^[k]them.” ¹³ Christ ^(K)redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written: “^(L)Cursed is everyone who hangs on ^(M)a ^[l]tree”— ¹⁴ in order that ^(N)in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, so that we ^(O)would receive ^(P)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

³⁰ “^(A)I can do nothing ^[a]on My own. As I hear, I judge; and ^(B)My judgment is ^[b]righteous, because I do not seek My own will but ^(C)the will of Him who sent Me.

³¹ “^(D)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not ^[c]true. ³² There is ^(E)another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Testimony of John the Baptist

³³ You have sent messengers to John, and he ^(F)has testified to the truth. ³⁴ But ^(G)the testimony I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was ^(H)the lamp that was burning and shining, and you ^(I)were willing to rejoice for ^[d]a while in his light.

Testimony of Works

³⁶ But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for ^(J)the works which the Father has given Me ^(K)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father ^(L)has sent Me.

Testimony of the Father

³⁷ And the Father who sent Me, ^(M)He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. ³⁸ Also you do not have ^(N)His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He ^(O)sent.

Testimony of the Scripture

^39 [e](P)You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is ^(Q)those very Scriptures that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. ^41 (R)I do not receive glory from people; ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not ^[f]receive Me; ^(S)if another comes in his own name, you will ^[g]receive him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you ^[h](T)accept ^[i]glory from one another and you do not seek ^(U)the ^[j]glory that is from ^(V)the one and only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is ^(W)Moses, in whom you have put your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for ^(X)he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But ^(Y)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”