2 Samuel 17:17–29

^17mNow Jonathan and Ahimaaz ⁿstayed at ^oEn Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. ¹⁸Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house ^pin Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. ^19qThen the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. ²⁰And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”

So ^rthe woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.”

And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. ²¹Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, ^s“Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” ²²So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

²³Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to ^this house, to his city. Then he ²put his ^uhousehold in order, and ^vhanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴Then David went to ^wMahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵And Absalom made ^xAmasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was ³Jithra, an ⁴Israelite, who had gone in to ^yAbigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that ^zShobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, ^aMachir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and ^bBarzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, ²⁹honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty ^cin the wilderness.”