^17:17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. ^17:18But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. ^17:19His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

^17:20When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men¹⁷ searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.¹⁸

^17:21After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan¹⁹ climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream²⁰ quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”²¹^17:22So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River.²² By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

^17:23When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave²³ of his father.

^17:24Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River. ^17:25Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married²⁴ Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.) ^17:26The army of Israel²⁵ and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

^17:27When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ^17:28brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,²⁶^17:29honey, curds, flocks, and cheese.²⁷ For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”²⁸

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Footnotes

17 Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
19 Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 Heb “the water.”
21 Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1–3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
22 The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
23 The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
24 Heb “come to.”
25 Heb “and Israel.”
26 The adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (véqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the , the , and an Old Latin the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.
27 Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
28 Or “wilderness” (so , , , , ).