Hushai Sends Word to David

15 Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “⌊Thus and so⌋n Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, but ⌊thus and so⌋o I have advised. 16 So then, send quickly and tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night at the fords of the wilderness! Moreover, by all means cross over lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ” 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel, so a servant girl used to go and tell them, then they would go and tell King David, for they were not able to be seen coming to the city. 18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom, so both of them went quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim. Now he had a well in his courtyard, so they went down there. 19 Then the woman took and spread a covering over the opening of the well; then she spread out dried grain on it, so nothing was discovered. 20 When the servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And she said to them, “They crossed over the brook of water.” So they searched but could not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. 21 After they left, they came up from the well and went and told King David. They said to David, “Set out and cross over the water quickly, for thus Ahithophel has advised against you.” 22 So David and all the people who were with him set out, and they crossed over the Jordan until morning light until ⌊there was no one⌋p missing who had not crossed over the Jordan. 23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled the donkey, and he set out and went up to his house in his city. ⌊After he set his house in order⌋,q he hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors.r

24 Now David had come to Mahanaim, and Absalom had crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa in place of Joab over the army. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, ⌊who had married⌋s Abigail the daughter of Nahash the sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. 26 Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 27 Just as David had arrived in Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the ⌊Ammonites⌋t and Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 28 brought beds and basins and objects of pottery, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, 29 honey, curds, sheep, cheese, and cattle for David and for the people who were with him to eat. For they had thought, “The troops are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”