1Moreover Ahithophel302 said559 unto Absalom53, Let me now choose out977 twelve8147 6240 thousand505 men376, and I will arise6965 and pursue7291 after310 David1732 this night3915:
2And I will come935 upon him while he is weary3023 and weak7504 handed3027, and will make him afraid2729: and all the people5971 that are with him shall flee5127; and I will smite5221 the king4428 only:
3And I will bring back7725 all the people5971 unto thee: the man376 whom thou seekest1245 is as if all returned7725: so all the people5971 shall be in peace7965.
4And the saying1697 pleased3474 Absalom53 well5869, and all the elders2205 of Israel3478.
5Then said559 Absalom53, Call7121 now Hushai2365 the Archite757 also, and let us hear8085 likewise what he saith6310.
6And when Hushai2365 was come935 to Absalom53, Absalom53 spake559 unto him, saying559, Ahithophel302 hath spoken1696 after this manner1697: shall we do6213 after his saying1697? if not; speak1696 thou.
7And Hushai2365 said559 unto Absalom53, The counsel6098 that Ahithophel302 hath given3289 is not good2896 at this time6471.
8For, said559 Hushai2365, thou knowest3045 thy father1 and his men582, that they be mighty men1368, and they be chafed4751 in their minds5315, as a bear1677 robbed7909 of her whelps in the field7704: and thy father1 is a man376 of war4421, and will not lodge3885 with the people5971.
9Behold, he is hid2244 now in some259 pit6354, or in some259 other place4725: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown5307 at the first8462, that whosoever8085 heareth8085 it will say559, There is a slaughter4046 among the people5971 that follow310 Absalom53.
10And he also that is valiant1121 2428, whose heart3820 is as the heart3820 of a lion738, shall utterly4549 melt4549: for all Israel3478 knoweth3045 that thy father1 is a mighty man1368, and they which be with him are valiant2428 men1121.
11Therefore I counsel3289 that all Israel3478 be generally622 gathered622 unto thee, from Dan1835 even to Beersheba884, as the sand2344 that is by the sea3220 for multitude7230; and that thou go1980 to battle7128 in thine own person6440.
12So shall we come935 upon him in some259 place4725 where he shall be found4672, and we will light5168 upon him as the dew2919 falleth5307 on the ground127: and of him and of all the men582 that are with him there shall not be left3498 so much as1571 one259.
13Moreover, if518 he be gotten622 into a city5892, then shall all Israel3478 bring5375 ropes2256 to that city5892, and we will draw5498 it into the river5158, until there be not one1571 small stone6872 found4672 there.
14And Absalom53 and all the men376 of Israel3478 said559, The counsel6098 of Hushai2365 the Archite757 is better2896 than the counsel6098 of Ahithophel302. For the LORD3068 had appointed6680 to defeat6565 the good2896 counsel6098 of Ahithophel302, to the intent5668 that the LORD3068 might bring935 evil7451 upon Absalom53.
15Then said559 Hushai2365 unto Zadok6659 and to Abiathar54 the priests3548, Thus and thus did Ahithophel302 counsel3289 Absalom53 and the elders2205 of Israel3478; and thus and thus have I counselled3289.
16Now therefore send7971 quickly4120, and tell5046 David1732, saying559, Lodge3885 not this night3915 in the plains6160 5679 of the wilderness4057, but speedily5674 pass over5674; lest the king4428 be swallowed up1104, and all the people5971 that are with him.
17Now Jonathan3083 and Ahimaaz290 stayed5975 by Enrogel5883; for they might3201 not be seen7200 to come935 into the city5892: and a wench8198 went1980 and told5046 them; and they went3212 and told5046 king4428 David1732.
18Nevertheless a lad5288 saw7200 them, and told5046 Absalom53: but they went3212 both8147 of them away quickly4120, and came935 to a man's376 house1004 in Bahurim980, which had a well875 in his court2691; whither8033 they went down3381.
19And the woman802 took3947 and spread6566 a covering4539 over the well's875 mouth6440, and spread7849 ground corn7383 thereon; and the thing1697 was not known3045.
20And when Absalom's53 servants5650 came935 to the woman802 to the house1004, they said559, Where is Ahimaaz290 and Jonathan3083? And the woman802 said559 unto them, They be gone over5674 the brook4323 of water4325. And when they had sought1245 and could not find4672 them, they returned7725 to Jerusalem3389.
21And it came to pass, after310 they were departed3212, that they came up5927 out of the well875, and went3212 and told5046 king4428 David1732, and said559 unto David1732, Arise6965, and pass quickly4120 over5674 the water4325: for thus hath Ahithophel302 counselled3289 against you.
22Then David1732 arose6965, and all the people5971 that were with him, and they passed over5674 Jordan3383: by the morning1242 light216 there lacked5737 not one259 of them that was not gone over5674 Jordan3383.
23And when Ahithophel302 saw7200 that his counsel6098 was not followed6213, he saddled2280 his ass2543, and arose6965, and gat him home3212 to his house1004, to his city5892, and put his household1004 in order6680, and hanged2614 himself, and died4191, and was buried6912 in the sepulchre6913 of his father1.
24Then David1732 came935 to Mahanaim4266. And Absalom53 passed over5674 Jordan3383, he and all the men376 of Israel3478 with him.
25And Absalom53 made7760 Amasa6021 captain of the host6635 instead of Joab3097: which Amasa6021 was a man's376 son1121, whose name8034 was Ithra3501 an Israelite3481, that went in935 to Abigail26 the daughter1323 of Nahash5176, sister269 to Zeruiah6870 Joab's3097 mother517.
26So Israel3478 and Absalom53 pitched2583 in the land776 of Gilead1568.
27And it came to pass, when David1732 was come935 to Mahanaim4266, that Shobi7629 the son1121 of Nahash5176 of Rabbah7237 of the children1121 of Ammon5983, and Machir4353 the son1121 of Ammiel5988 of Lodebar3810, and Barzillai1271 the Gileadite1569 of Rogelim7274,
28Brought5066 beds4904, and basons5592, and earthen3335 vessels3627, and wheat2406, and barley8184, and flour7058, and parched7039 corn, and beans6321, and lentiles5742, and parched7039 pulse,
29And honey1706, and butter2529, and sheep6629, and cheese8194 of kine1241, for David1732, and for the people5971 that were with him, to eat398: for they said559, The people5971 is hungry7457, and weary5889, and thirsty6771, in the wilderness4057.