2 Samuel 17
King James Version
17 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
2 And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.
6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou.
7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.
8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
10 And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.
11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.
13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone 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. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.
15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.
16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.
17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.
18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.
19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
20 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.
23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,
29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
2 Samuel 17
1599 Geneva Bible
17 7 Ahithophel’s counsel is overthrown by Hushai. 14 The Lord had so ordained. 19 The Priest’s sons are hidden in the well. 22 David goeth over Jordan. 23 Ahithophel hangeth himself. 27 They bring victuals to David.
1 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, [a]Let me choose out now twelve thousand men, and I will up and follow after David this night,
2 And I will come upon him: for he is weary, and weak handled: so I will fear him, and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only,
3 And I will bring again all the people unto thee, and when all shall return, ([b]the man whom thou seekest being slain) all the people shall be in peace.
4 And the saying [c]pleased Absalom well, and all the Elders of Israel.
5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise [d]what he saith.
6 So when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath [e]spoken thus: shall we do after his saying, or no? tell thou.
7 Hushai then answered unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given, is not [f]good at this time.
8 For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father, and his men, that they be strong men, and are chafed in mind as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: also thy father is a valiant warrior, and will not [g]lodge with the people.
9 Behold, he is hid now in some cave, or in some place: and though some of them be overthrown at the first, yet the people shall hear, and say, The people that follow Absalom, [h]be overthrown.
10 Then he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall [i]shrink and faint: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is valiant, and they which be with him, stout men.
11 Therefore my counsel is, that all Israel be gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba as the sand of the Sea in number, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
12 So shall we come upon him in some place, where we shall find him, and [j]we will upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of all the men that are with him, we will not leave him one.
13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all the men of Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.
14 ¶ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite, is better, than the counsel of Ahithophel: for the Lord had [k]determined to destroy the [l]good counsel of Ahithophel, that the Lord might [m]bring evil upon Absalom.
15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the Priests, Of this and that manner did Ahithophel and the Elders of Israel counsel Absalom: and thus and thus have I counseled.
16 Now therefore send quickly, and show David, saying, Tarry not this night in the fields of the wilderness, but rather get thee [n]over, lest the king be devoured, and all the people that are with him.
17 ¶ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz abode by [o]En Rogel: (for they might not be seen to come into the city) and a maid went, and [p]told them, and they went and showed king David.
18 Nevertheless, a young man saw them, and told it to Absalom. Therefore they both departed quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, into the which they went down.
19 And [q]the wife took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon, that the thing should not be known.
20 And when Absalom’s servants came to the wife into the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman answered them, They be gone over the [r]brook of water. And when they had sought them, and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 And as soon as they were departed, the other came out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto him, Up, and get you quickly over the water: for [s]such counsel hath Ahithophel given against you.
22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they went over Jordan [t]until the dawning of the day, so that there lacked not one of them, that was not come over Jordan.
23 ¶ Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and he went home unto his city, and put his household in order, and [u]hanged himself, and died, and was buried in his father’s grave.
24 ¶ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he, and all the men of Israel with him.
25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host in the stead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son named Jithra, an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of [v]Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.
27 ¶ And when David was come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash out of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel out of Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite out of Rogelim,
28 [w]Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched corn.
29 And they brought honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 17:1 The wicked are so greedy to execute their malice, that they leave none occasion, that may further the same.
- 2 Samuel 17:3 Meaning, David.
- 2 Samuel 17:4 Hebrew, was right in the eyes of Absalom.
- 2 Samuel 17:5 Hebrew, what is in his mouth.
- 2 Samuel 17:6 Or, given such counsel.
- 2 Samuel 17:7 Hushai showeth himself faithful to David, in that he reproveth this wicked counsel and purpose.
- 2 Samuel 17:8 Or, tarry all night.
- 2 Samuel 17:9 Hebrew, have a breach of ruin.
- 2 Samuel 17:10 Hebrew, melt.
- 2 Samuel 17:12 Or, we will camp against him.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 Or, commanded.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 That counsel which seemed good at the first to Absalom, verse 4.
- 2 Samuel 17:14 For by the counsel of Hushai, he went to the battle, where he was destroyed.
- 2 Samuel 17:16 That is, over Jordan.
- 2 Samuel 17:17 Or, the well of Rogel.
- 2 Samuel 17:17 Meaning, the message from their fathers.
- 2 Samuel 17:19 Thus God sendeth succor to his, in their greatest dangers.
- 2 Samuel 17:20 The Chaldea text readeth: Now they have passed the Jordan.
- 2 Samuel 17:21 To wit, to pursue thee with all haste.
- 2 Samuel 17:22 They traveled all night, and by morning had all their company passed over.
- 2 Samuel 17:23 God’s just vengeance even in this life is poured on them which are enemies, traitors, or persecutors of his Church.
- 2 Samuel 17:25 Who was also called Jesse David’s Father.
- 2 Samuel 17:28 God showeth himself most liberal to his, when they seem to be utterly destitute.
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