1 A nd Ahithophel said unto Absalom, `Let me choose, I pray thee, twelve thousand men, and I arise and pursue after David to-night,

Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me choose 12, 000 men and I will set out and pursue David this night.

2 a nd come upon him, and he weary and feeble-handed, and I have caused him to tremble, and all the people have fled who with him, and I have smitten the king by himself,

I will come upon him while he is exhausted and weak, and cause him to panic; all the people with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone.

3 a nd I bring back all the people unto thee -- as the turning back of the whole the man whom thou art seeking -- all the people are peace.

I will bring back all the people to you. the man whom you seek is the assurance that all will return; and all the people will be at peace.

4 A nd the thing is right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

And what he said pleased Absalom well and all the elders of Israel.

5 A nd Absalom saith, `Call, I pray thee, also for Hushai the Archite, and we hear what in his mouth -- even he.'

Absalom said, Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he says.

6 A nd Hushai cometh in unto Absalom, and Absalom speaketh unto him, saying, `According to this word hath Ahithophel spoken; do we do his word? if not, thou -- speak thou.'

When Hushai came, Absalom said to him, Ahithophel has counseled thus. Shall we do what he says? If not, speak up.

7 A nd Hushai saith unto Absalom, `Not good the counsel that Ahithophel hath counselled at this time.'

And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time.

8 A nd Hushai saith, `Thou hast known thy father and his men, that they heroes, and they are bitter in soul as a bereaved bear in a field, and thy father a man of war, and doth not lodge with the people;

For, said Hushai, you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are embittered and enraged like a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

9 l o, now, he is hidden in one of the pits, or in one of the places, and it hath been, at the falling among them at the commencement, that the hearer hath heard, and said, There hath been a slaughter among the people who after Absalom;

Behold, he is hidden even now in some pit or other place; and when some of them are overthrown at the first, whoever hears it will say, There is a slaughter among the followers of Absalom.

10 a nd he also, the son of valour, whose heart as the heart of the lion, doth utterly melt, for all Israel doth know that thy father is a hero, and sons of valour those with him.

And even he who is brave, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and that those who are with him are brave men.

11 ` So that I have counselled: Let all Israel be diligently gathered unto thee, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, as the sand that by the sea for multitude, and thou thyself art going in the midst;

Therefore I counsel that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in your own person.

12 a nd we have come in unto him in one of the places where he is found, and we upon him as the dew falleth on the ground, and there hath not been left of him and of all the men who with him even one.

So shall we come upon some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew settles on the ground; and of him and of all the men with him there shall not be left so much as one.

13 A nd if unto a city he is gathered, then they have caused all Israel to bear unto that city ropes, and we have drawn it unto the brook till that there hath not been found there even a stone.'

If he withdraws into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the ravine until not one pebble is left there.

14 A nd Absalom saith -- and all the men of Israel -- `Better the counsel of Hushai the Archite than the counsel of Ahithophel;' and Jehovah willed to make void the good counsel of Ahithophel for the sake of Jehovah's bringing unto Absalom the evil.

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel. For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom.

15 A nd Hushai saith unto Zadok and unto Abiathar the priests, `Thus and thus hath Ahithophel counselled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus I have counselled;

Then said Hushai to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus have I counseled.

16 a nd now, send hastily, and declare to David, saying, Lodge not to-night in the plains of the wilderness, and also, certainly pass over, lest there be a swallowing up of the king and of all the people who are with him.'

Now send quickly and tell David, Lodge not this night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king be swallowed up and all the people with him.

17 A nd Jonathan and Ahimaaz are standing at En-Rogel, and the maid-servant hath gone and declared to them -- and they go and have declared to king David -- for they are not able to be seen to go in to the city.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En-rogel, for they must not be seen coming into the city. But a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told King David.

18 A nd a youth seeth them, and declareth to Absalom; and they go on both of them hastily, and come in unto the house of a man in Bahurim, and he hath a well in his court, and they go down there,

But a lad saw them and told Absalom; but they left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

19 a nd the woman taketh and spreadeth the covering over the face of the well, and spreadeth on it the ground corn, and the thing hath not been known.

And the woman spread a covering over the well’s mouth and spread ground corn on it; and the thing was not discovered.

20 A nd the servants of Absalom come in unto the woman to the house, and say, `Where Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' and the woman saith to them, `They passed over the brook of water;' and they seek, and have not found, and turn back to Jerusalem.

For when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They went over the brook of water. When they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 A nd it cometh to pass, after their going on, that they come up out of the well, and go and declare to king David, and say unto David, `Rise ye, and pass over hastily the waters, for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.'

After they had departed, the boys came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said, Arise and pass quickly over the river Jordan; for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.

22 A nd David riseth, and all the people who with him, and they pass over the Jordan, till the light of the morning, till one hath not been lacking who hath not passed over the Jordan.

David arose and all the people with him and passed over the Jordan. By daybreak, not one was left who had not crossed.

23 A nd Ahithophel hath seen that his counsel was not done, and he saddleth the ass, and riseth and goeth unto his house, unto his city, and giveth charge unto his household, and strangleth himself, and dieth, and he is buried in the burying-place of his father.

But when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, went home to his city, put his household in order, and hanged himself and died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.

24 A nd David came to Mahanaim, and Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him;

Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 a nd Amasa hath Absalom set instead of Joab over the host, and Amasa a man's son whose name is Ithra the Israelite who hath gone in unto Abigail, daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, mother of Joab;

Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of an named Ithra, who married Abigail daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

26 a nd Israel encampeth with Absalom the land of Gilead.

So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

27 A nd it cometh to pass at the coming in of David to Mahanaim, that Shobi, son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the Bene-Ammon, and Machir son of Ammiel, from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite, from Rogelim,

When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim

28 c ouch, and basin, and earthen vessel, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and roasted, and beans, and lentiles, and roasted,

Brought beds, basins, earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched,

29 a nd honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, have brought nigh for David, and for the people who with him to eat, for they said, `Thy people hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.'

Honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of cows for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.