^15:13Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!”¹⁸^15:14So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem,¹⁹ “Come on!²⁰ Let’s escape!²¹ Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring²² disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.”²³^15:15The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.”²⁴

^15:16So the king and all the members of his royal court²⁵ set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines²⁶ to attend to the palace. ^15:17The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing²⁷ at a spot²⁸ some distance away. ^15:18All his servants were leaving with him,²⁹ along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—some six hundred men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with³⁰ the king.

^15:19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new³¹ king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country.³²^15:20It seems like you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men³³ with you. May genuine loyal love³⁴ protect³⁵ you!”

^15:21But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether dead or alive,³⁶ there I³⁷ will be as well!” ^15:22So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.”³⁸ So Ittai the Gittite went along,³⁹ accompanied by all his men and all the dependents⁴⁰ who were with him.

^15:23All the land was weeping loudly⁴¹ as all these people were leaving.⁴² As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving⁴³ on the road that leads to the desert. ^15:24Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving⁴⁴ the city.

^15:25Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. ^15:26However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”⁴⁵

^15:27The king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer?⁴⁶ Go back to the city in peace! Your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan may go with you and Abiathar.⁴⁷^15:28Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you⁴⁸ reaches me.” ^15:29So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and remained there.

^15:30As David was going up the Mount of Olives, he was weeping as he went; his head was covered and his feet were bare. All the people who were with him also had their heads covered and were weeping as they went up. ^15:31Now David⁴⁹ had been told, “Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed,⁵⁰ “Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O Lord!”

^15:32When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. ^15:33David said to him, “If you leave⁵¹ with me you will be a burden to me. ^15:34But you will be able to counter the advice of Ahithophel if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king! Previously I was your father’s servant, and now I will be your servant.’ ^15:35Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you.⁵² Everything you hear in the king’s palace⁵³ you must tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ^15:36Furthermore, their two sons are there with them, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You must send them to me with any information you hear.”⁵⁴

^15:37So David’s friend Hushai arrived in the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

David Receives Gifts from Ziba

^16:1When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit,¹ and a container of wine.

^16:2The king asked Ziba, “Why did you bring these things?”² Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the loaves of bread³ and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert.”⁴^16:3The king asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”⁵ Ziba replied to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem,⁶ for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather’s⁷ kingdom.’ ” ^16:4The king said to Ziba, “Everything that was Mephibosheth’s now belongs to you.” Ziba replied, “I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David and His Men

^16:5Then King David reached⁸ Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached.⁹^16:6He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left. ^16:7As he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Leave! Leave! You man of bloodshed, you wicked man!¹⁰^16:8The Lord has punished you for¹¹ all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

^16:9Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” ^16:10But the king said, “What do we have in common,¹² you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!’, who can say to him, ‘Why have you done this?’ ” ^16:11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood,¹³ is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him. ^16:12Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction¹⁴ and this day grant me good in place of his curse.”¹⁵

^16:13So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.¹⁶^16:14The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at their destination, where David¹⁷ refreshed himself.

The Advice of Ahithophel

^16:15Now when Absalom and all the men¹⁸ of Israel arrived in Jerusalem,¹⁹ Ahithophel was with him. ^16:16When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,²⁰ “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

^16:17Absalom said to Hushai, “Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” ^16:18Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.²¹^16:19Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”²²

^16:20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” ^16:21Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Have sex with²³ your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.”²⁴^16:22So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof,²⁵ and Absalom had sex with²⁶ his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

^16:23In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation.²⁷ Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.²⁸

The Death of Ahithophel

^17:1Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. ^17:2When I catch up with¹ him he will be exhausted and worn out.² I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king ^17:3and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.³ The entire army will return unharmed.”⁴

^17:4This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders⁵ of Israel. ^17:5But Absalom said, “Call for⁶ Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”⁷^17:6So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

^17:7Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”⁸^17:8Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men—they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.⁹ Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. ^17:9At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first,¹⁰ whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ ^17:10If that happens even the bravest soldier—one who is lion-hearted—will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. ^17:11My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba—in number like the sand by the sea!—be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. ^17:12We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive—not one of them! ^17:13If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

^17:14Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided¹¹ to frustrate the…

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Footnotes

18 Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”
19 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
20 Heb “Arise!”
21 Heb “let’s flee.”
22 Heb “thrust.”
23 Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
24 Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”
25 Heb “and all his house.”
26 Heb “women, concubines.”
27 Heb “and they stood.”
28 Heb “house.”
29 Heb “crossing over near his hand.”
30 Heb “crossing over near the face of.”
31 The word “new” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to make it clear that David refers to Absalom, not himself.
32 Heb “place.”
33 Heb “brothers,” but see v. 22.
34 Heb “loyal love and truth.” The expression is a hendiadys.
35 Heb “be with.”
36 Heb “whether for death or for life.”
37 Heb “your servant.”
38 Heb “Come and cross over.”
39 Heb “crossed over.”
40 Heb “all the little ones.”
41 Heb “with a great voice.”
42 Heb “crossing over.”
43 Heb “crossing near the face of.”
44 Heb “crossing from.”
45 Heb “as [is] good in his eyes.”
46 The Greek tradition understands the Hebrew word as an imperative (“see”). Most Greek have ἴδετε (idete); the Lucianic recension has βλέπε (blepe). It could just as well be taken as a question: “Don’t you see what is happening?” The present translation takes the word as a question, with the implication that Zadok is a priest and not a prophet (i.e., “seer”) and therefore unable to know what the future holds.
47 Heb “And Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, two of your sons, with you.” The pronominal suffix on the last word is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
48 The pronoun is plural, referring to Zadok and Abiathar.
49 The translation follows 4QSama, part of the Greek tradition, the , , and uldavid in reading “and to David,” rather than וְדָוִד (védavid, “and David”). As Driver points out, the Hebrew verb הִגִּיד (higgid, “he related”) never uses the accusative for the person to whom something is told (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, ).
50 Heb “said.”
51 Heb “cross over.”
52 Heb “Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you?” The rhetorical question draws attention to the fact that Hushai will not be alone.
53 Heb “from the house of the king.”
54 Heb “and you must send by their hand to me every word which you hear.” Both of the second person verb forms are plural with Zadok, Abiathar, and Hushai being the understood subjects.
1 Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”
2 Heb “What are these to you?”
3 The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew in reading וְהַלֶּחֶם (véhallekhem, “and the bread”) rather than וּלְהַלֶּחֶם (uléhallekhem, “and to the bread”) of the Kethib. The syntax of the is confused here by the needless repetition of the preposition, probably taken from the preceding word.
4 The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”
5 Heb “son.”
6 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
7 Heb “my father’s.”
8 Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא (vayyavo’), preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא (uva’), apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline véqatal construction introduces a new scene.
9 Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”
10 Heb “man of worthlessness.”
11 Heb “has brought back upon you.”
12 Heb “What to me and to you?”
13 Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.
14 The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the , the , and בְּעוֹנִי (bé’onyi, “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the בָּעַוֹנִי (ba’avoni, “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the בְּעֵינֵי (bé’eni, “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.”
15 Heb “and the Lord will restore to me good in place of his curse this day.”
16 Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline véqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.
17 Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”
19 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
20 Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 Heb “No for with the one whom the Lord has chosen, and this people, and all the men of Israel, I will be and with him I will stay.” The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew in reading לוֹ (lo, “[I will be] to him”) rather than the לֹא (lo’, “[I will] not be”), which makes very little sense here.
22 Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”
23 Heb “go to”; “have (+ sexual ) relations with”; “have intercourse with”; “Go and sleep with.”
24 Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
25 That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.
26 Heb “went to”; “he visited his father’s concubines”; “lay with his father’s concubines”; “went in and had intercourse with.”
27 Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”
28 Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”
1 Heb “and I will come upon him.”
2 Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
3 Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the , , , and follow the , while the and follow the Hebrew text.
4 Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
5 Heb “elders.”
6 In the the verb is singular, but in the , the , and it is plural.
7 Heb “what is in his mouth.”
8 Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
9 The (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
10 Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
11 Heb “commanded.”