2 Samuel 15:13–17:22

David Flees from Jerusalem

¹³Then the messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts^k of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” ¹⁴Then David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Get up and let us flee, for there will be no escape for us from Absalom! Hurry to go, otherwise he will come quickly and overtake us! And he will bring disaster on us and evil! He will attack the city with the edge of the sword!” ¹⁵Then the servants of the king said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king chooses, your servants are ready to act!”^{l 16}The king went out with^m all his household following him,ⁿ but the king left behind ten concubines to look after the house. ¹⁷So the king went out with^o all the people following him,^p and they stopped at the last house.^{q 18}All his servants were passing by him:^r all of the Kerethites and all of the Pelethites and all of the Gittites—six hundred men who had followed him^s from Gath—passing before the king.^{t 19}The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also coming with us? Return and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner; moreover, you are an exile. You are far from your place.^{u 20}Yesterday when you came and today,^v I have caused you to wander by going with us. Now I am going to where I am going; return and let your brothers return. May loyal love and faithfulness be with you.” ²¹But Ittai answered the king and said, “As Yahweh lives^w and my lord the king lives,^x surely in the place wherever my lord the king shall be, if for death or if for life, surely there your servant will be.” ²²Then David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over and all his men and all of the little children who were with him. ²³All of the land was weeping with a loud voice as all the people were passing by and the king was crossing through the Wadi Kidron, and all the people were passing on the road to the wilderness.^y

The Priests Offer Sacrifices for David

²⁴Suddenly Zadok was there, and all of the Levites with him, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people passed out of the city. ²⁵The king said to Zadok, “Let the ark of God return to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of Yahweh, he will let me return and let me see him in his dwelling place. ²⁶But if he says, ‘I take no pleasure in you,’ then I am ready.^z Let him do to me that which is good in his eyes. ²⁷Then the king said to Zadok the priest, “Are you a seer? Return to the city in peace, with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, your two sons with you. ²⁸See, I am waiting at the fords of the wilderness until a word comes from you all to inform me.” ²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and they remained there.

Hushai Offers to Serve King David

³⁰Now David was going up on the Ascent of the Olives, weeping as he went,^a with his head covered and going barefoot. All the people who were with him each covered their head and wept as they went.^{b 31}Now David was told, “Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom.” Then David said, “Please frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel, O Yahweh.” ³²It happened that as David was coming up to the summit where he used to worship God, suddenly Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him. His coat was torn and dirt was on his head. ³³David said to him, “If you move on with me, you will be a burden to me, ³⁴but if you want to return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I am your servant, O king. I used to be a servant of your father, but from then and now I will be your servant,’ then you can frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel for me. ³⁵Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you there? It shall be that all the words you hear from the house of the king you shall tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests. ³⁶Look, there with them are their two sons, Ahimaaz of Zadok and Jonathan of Abiathar. You shall send to me by means of them^c all the words that you hear.” ³⁷So Hushai the friend of David came to the city as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

Ziba Brings Provisions

16Now David passed a little from beyond the summit, and suddenly Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him with a pair of saddled donkeys; on them were two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred raisin cakes, with a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine. ²The king said to Ziba, “What do you want to accomplish by bringing these?”^a And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on; the bread and the summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for the faint in the wilderness to drink. ³Then the king said, “Where is the son of your lord?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is living in Jerusalem for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel shall return the kingdom of my father to me.’ ” ⁴The king said to Ziba, “Look, all that was Mephibosheth’s is yours.” Ziba said, “I hereby do obeisance; may I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

⁵King David came up to Bahurim and suddenly a man from there was coming out from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei the son of Gera. He was cursing as he came out.^{b 6}And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David and at all the people and at all the mighty warriors on his right and on his left. ⁷Shimei said while cursing him, “Go out, go out, you man of bloodshed,^c you man of wickedness.^{d 8}Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of the household of Saul whom you have supplanted as king,^e and Yahweh has given the kingship into the hand of Absalom your son. Look, you are in disaster for you are a man of blood.” ⁹Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.” ¹⁰The king said, “What do we have in common,^f sons of Zeruiah? If^g he curses because Yahweh has said to him ‘Curse David,’ who can say, “Why have you done this?” ¹¹David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Look, my son who came out of my loins^h is seeking my life. Now as far asⁱ this Benjaminite, leave him alone and let him curse, for Yahweh has spoken to him. ¹²Perhaps Yahweh will look in my eye^j and repay good for me in place of his curse this day. ¹³Then David and his men went on the road, with Shimei going on the side of the hill beside him, cursing as he went.^k He threw stones beside him and threw^l dust in the air. ¹⁴When the king and all of the people who were with him arrived, he was weary, so he recovered there.

Hushai Comes to Absalom

¹⁵Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, had come to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶When Hushai the Arkite the friend of David came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king, long live the king!” ¹⁷Absalom said to Hushai, “This is your loyal love with your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No, rather, whom Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, to him^m I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹Furthermore,ⁿ for whom have I served? Is it not in the presence of his son that I have served before your father? So shall I serve you!”^{o 20}Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” ²¹And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go to the concubines of your father whom he left behind to watch over the house, then all of Israel will hear that you made yourself odious to your father, and all of your followers will be motivated!”^{p 22}Then they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he went in to the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel. ²³The counsel that Ahithophel gave in those days was regarded as when a man^q inquired of the word of God, so all the counsel of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and by Absalom.

Hushai Frustrates the Counsel of Ahithophel

17Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue after David tonight.^{a 2}I will come upon him while he is weary and weak.^b I will startle him, and all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king while he is alone. ³Then I will return all the people to you; when all have returned, the man whom you are seeking will be dead,^c but all the people will be safe.” ⁴The word was right in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel. ⁵Then Absalom said, “Please call also for Hushai the Arkite, and let us hear what he has to say^d also.” ⁶So Hushai came to Absalom, who said to him, “Shall we do according to this word that Ahithophel has spoken? If not, then you tell us.” ⁷Then Hushai said to Absalom, “The counsel that Ahithophel gave is not good at this time.”^{e 8}Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty warriors and they are enraged^f as a bear robbed of her offspring in the field. Your father is a man of war, so he will not spend the night with the troops. ⁹Now he has hidden himself in one of the caves or in one of the places. At the moment he falls on them^g the first time, whoever hears^h the report will say, ‘There has been a defeat among the people who follow after Absalom.’ ¹⁰And he is also a valiant warrior,ⁱ whose heart is like the heart of the lion. He^j will certainly melt^k with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty warrior and those who are with him are valiant warriors.^{l 11}I give the advice that all of Israel from Dan to Beersheba should be completely gathered to you, as the sand which is on the seashore for abundance, with you personally^m going into the battle. ¹²Then we will come to him in one of the places where he may be found, and we shall come upon him as the dew falls on the ground. He and all the men who are with him will not survive, not even one! ¹³Even if he withdraws to a city, all Israel will bring up ropes to that city, and they will drag him away to the valley…