Book of Common Prayer

Praise to God for His Everlasting Mercy

A Song of God’s Majesty and Love

^(A)A Praise of David.

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 ¹³ Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will ^(I)pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”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

⁶ just as Abraham ^(A)“believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only ^(B)those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And ^(C)the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ^(D)“In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

The Law Brings a Curse

¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ^(E)“Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” ¹¹ But that no one is ^[a]justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ^(F)“the just shall live by faith.” ¹² Yet ^(G)the law is not of faith, but ^(H)“the man who does them shall live by them.”

^13 (I)Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ^(J)“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), ^14 (K)that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the ^(L)Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive ^(M)the promise of the Spirit through faith.

^30 (A)I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because ^(B)I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Fourfold Witness

^31 (C)“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not ^[a]true. ^32 (D)There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. ³³ You have sent to John, ^(E)and he has borne witness to the truth. ³⁴ Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. ³⁵ He was the burning and ^(F)shining lamp, and ^(G)you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. ³⁶ But ^(H)I have a greater witness than John’s; for ^(I)the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very ^(J)works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. ³⁷ And the Father Himself, who sent Me, ^(K)has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, ^(L)nor seen His form. ³⁸ But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. ^39 (M)You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and ^(N)these are they which testify of Me. ^40 (O)But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

^41 (P)“I do not receive honor from men. ⁴² But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³ I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. ^44 (Q)How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek ^(R)the honor that comes from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; ^(S)there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; ^(T)for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you ^(U)do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”