2 Samuel 17:1–18:33
1 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight.
2 “aI will come upon him while he is weary and 1exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then bI will strike down the king alone,
3 and I will bring back all the people to you. 1The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at apeace.”
4 So the 1plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 Then Absalom said, “Now call aHushai the Archite also, and let us hear what 1he has to say.”
6 When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to 1him, “Ahithophel has spoken 2thus. Shall we 3carry out his plan? If not, you speak.”
7 So Hushai said to Absalom, “aThis time the advice that Ahithophel has 1given is not good.”
8 Moreover, Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are 1fierce, alike a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an 2expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people.
9 “Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the 1caves or in another place; and it will be 2when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’
10 “And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, awill completely 1lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men.
11 “But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, afrom Dan even to Beersheba, bas the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that 1you personally go into battle.
12 “So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will 1fall on him aas the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left.
13 “If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will adrag it into the 1valley until not even a small stone is 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 athe Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.
15 Then aHushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “1This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and 1this is what I have counseled.
16 “Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘aDo not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be 1destroyed.’ ”
17 aNow Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at bEn-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city.
18 But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man ain Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down 1into it.
19 And athe woman 1took a covering and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known.
20 Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And athe woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21 It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, “aArise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.”
22 Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by 1dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not 1followed, he 2saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to ahis city, and 3bset his house in order, and cstrangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.
24 Then David came to aMahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
25 Absalom set aAmasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was 1Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of bNahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.
26 And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi athe son of Nahash from bRabbah of the sons of Ammon, cMachir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and dBarzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,
28 brought abeds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds,
29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, ato eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
1 Then David 1numbered the people who were with him and aset over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2 David sent the people out, aone third under the 1command of Joab, one third under the 1command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the 1command of bIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you also.”
3 But the people said, “aYou should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But 1you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.”
4 Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So athe king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands.
5 The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And aall the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.
6 Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in athe forest of Ephraim.
7 The people of Israel were 1defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men.
8 For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9 Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And ahis head caught fast in the oak, so he was 1left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going.
10 When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
11 Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for ain our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘1Protect for me the young man Absalom!’
13 “Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and athere is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
14 Then Joab said, “I will not 1waste time here with you.” aSo he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the 2midst of the oak.
15 And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.
16 Then aJoab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people.
17 They took Absalom and cast him into 1a deep pit in the forest and aerected over him a very great heap of stones. And ball Israel fled, each to his tent.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and aset up for himself a pillar which is in bthe King’s Valley, for he said, “cI have no son 1to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
19 Then aAhimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and bring the king news bthat the Lord has 1freed him from the hand of his enemies.”
20 But Joab said to him, “You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day; however, you shall carry no news today because the king’s son is dead.”
21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.
22 Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since ayou will have no reward for going?”
23 “But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite.
24 Now aDavid was sitting between the two gates; and bthe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself.
25 The watchman called and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.”
27 The watchman said, “I 1think the running of the first one ais like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “bThis is a good man and comes with good news.”
28 Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “1All is well.” And ahe prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, “bBlessed is the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”
29 The king said, “aIs it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but bI did not know what it was.”