THE SECOND BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
2 Samuel 17 ©
Ahithophel’s counsel to pursue David with all speed, is by God’s disposal rejected, and Hushai’s counsel followed, v. 1, etc. Hushai informs David thereof, and advises him forthwith to march on, 15. So David crosses Jordan, 22. Ahithophel takes this to heart that he hangs himself, 23. David comes to Mahanaim, and Absalom crosses Jordan, making Amasa his commander in chief, 24. David’s good friends furnish him at Mahanaim with all kinds of necessities, 27.
MOREOVER Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
And I will come upon him while he is weary and 1weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:
And I will bring back all the people unto thee: 2the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in 3peace.
And the 4saying 5pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.
Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise 6what he saith.
And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken 7after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak 8thou.
And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good 9at this time.
For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafeda in their 10minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge 11with the people.
Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other 12place: and it will come to pass, when some 13of them be overthrown at the first, that 14whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that 15follow Absalom.
And he also that is 16valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall 17utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.
Therefore I counsel that all Israel be 18generally gathered unto thee, from 19Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own 20person.
So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will 21light 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.
Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the 22river, until there be not one small stone 23found there.
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 24appointed to defeat the 25good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring 26evil upon Absalom.
¶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.
Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but 27speedily pass 28over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.
Now 29Jonathan and Ahimaaz 30stayed by En-rogel; for they 31might not be seen to come into the city: and a 32wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.
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 33court; whither they went down.
And the woman took and spread a covering over 34the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.
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 35brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
And it came to pass, after 36they 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 37water: for 38thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there 39lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.
¶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 40city, and 41put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
Then David came to 42Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
¶And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was 43Ithra an Israelite, that 44went in to 45Abigail the daughter of 46Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of 47Gilead.
¶And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that 48Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and 49Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and 50Barzillaib the Gileadite of Rogelim,
Brought beds, and basons, and 51earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and 52parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,c
And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they 53said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, 54in the wilderness.