³¹ Then someone told David, saying, ^(A)“Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray, ^(B)turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

³⁴ But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ^(A)‘I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

The Advice of Ahithophel

¹⁵ Meanwhile ^(A)Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him.

²³ Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel ^(A)both with David and with Absalom.

¹⁴ So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For ^(A)the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.