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,

Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose 12, 000 men, and I will leave and go after David tonight.

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 tired and weak. I will fill him with fear so that all the people who are with him will run away. Then I will kill 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.

and return all the people to you. All will return if the man you want to kill is dead. Then 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.

The plan pleased Absalom and all the leaders 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.'

Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also. Let us hear what he has to say.”

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 had come to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Ahithophel has said this. Should we do as he says? If not, tell us.”

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

So Hushai said to Absalom, “This time what Ahithophel has said to do is not good.”

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;

Hushai said, “You know your father and his men. They are powerful and angry, like a bear robbed of her young ones in the field. And your father is a very able man of war. He will not stay with the people during the night.

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;

He has now hidden himself in one of the caves, or in another place. When some of the people are killed in the first battle, whoever hears it will say, ‘There have been many people killed who follow 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.

Even the one who has strength of heart like the heart of a lion will be afraid. For all Israel knows that your father is a powerful man, and that those who are with him are men with strength of heart.

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;

But I say that all Israel should be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as much as the sand by the sea. And you yourself should go into battle.

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 we will find David wherever he is. We will fall on him like water falls on the ground in the early morning. And not he or any of the men with him will be left.

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 runs into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city. We will pull it into the valley until not even a small stone 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.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The words of Hushai the Archite are better than the words of Ahithophel.” In this way the Lord had planned to destroy the good leading of Ahithophel, so He might bring trouble to Absalom. David Is Told to Leave

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;

Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the religious leaders, “This is what Ahithophel said that Absalom and the leaders of Israel should do. And this is what I have said they should do.

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.'

So be quick to send someone to tell David, ‘Do not stay the night in the desert beside the place where the Jordan is crossed. But cross over, or the king and all the people with him will be destroyed.’”

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 were staying at Enrogel. And a woman servant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. For they could not be seen coming into the city.

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 boy saw them, and told Absalom. So the two of them left in a hurry and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in the open space in the center of his house. 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.

Then the woman took the covering and spread it over the well’s mouth, and spread grain on it, so nothing was known of it.

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.

Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman answered, “They have crossed the river.” And after looking and not finding 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.'

When they had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, “Be quick to get ready and cross over the water. For Ahithophel has told them to come 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.

So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By the light of morning, not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

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.

When Ahithophel saw that his words were not followed, he got onto his donkey and went home to his city. He told those of his family what they must do, and he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s grave.

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. Absalom and all the men of Israel with him crossed the Jordan.

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 a man whose name was Jithra the Israelite, who went in to Nahash’s daughter Abigal, the sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.

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

And Israel and Absalom set up their tents 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 had come to Mahanaim, he met Nahash’s son Shobi from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Ammiel’s son Machir from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.

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

They brought him beds, washing pots, dishes, grain, flour, seeds,

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, sour milk, sheep, and cheese from the cattle, for David and his men to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert.”