Hushai Counters Ahithophel’s Advice 1 ULT And Ahithophel said to Absalom,“Please let me choose 12, 000 men, and let me arise and pursue after David tonight. BSB BSB: Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.
2 ULT And I will come upon him, and he{ will be} weary and weak of hands, and I will make him tremble, and all of the people who{ are} with him will flee. And I will strike the king alone. BSB BSB: I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king
3 ULT And I will make all of the people return to you. Like the returning of all{ is} the man whom you are seeking. All of the people will be{ at} peace.” BSB BSB: and bring all the people back to you as a bride returning to her husband. You seek the life of only one man; then all the people will be at peace.”
4 ULT And the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all of the elders of Israel. BSB BSB: This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 ULT But Absalom said,“Please also call to Hushai the Archite, and let us hear what{ is} in his mouth, even he.” BSB BSB: Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
6 ULT And Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom spoke to him, saying,“According to this word, Ahithophel has spoken. Shall we do his word? If not, you speak.” BSB BSB: So Hushai came to Absalom, who told him, “Ahithophel has spoken this proposal. Should we carry it out? If not, what do you say?”
7 ULT And Hushai said to Absalom,“The counsel that Ahithophel has counseled on this occasion is not good.” BSB BSB: Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
8 ULT And Hushai said,“You, you know your father and his men, that they{ are} warriors and they{ are} bitter of soul, like a bear bereaved in the field. And your father{ is} a man of war, so he will not lodge with the people. BSB BSB: He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.
9 ULT Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the pits or in one of the places. And it will be, when{ some} among them fall in the beginning, the hearer will hear and say,‘A slaughter has happened among the people who{ are} behind Absalom.’ BSB BSB: Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’
10 ULT And even he, a son of valor whose heart{ is} like the heart of a lion, melting, he will melt, because all of Israel knows that your father{ is} a warrior and{ they} who{ are} with him{ are} sons of valor. BSB BSB: Then even the most valiant soldier with the heart of a lion will melt with fear, because all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man who has valiant men with him.
11 ULT Therefore I counsel, being gathered, all of Israel shall be gathered to you, from Dan and to Beersheba, like the sand that{ is} by the sea for multitude. And your face shall be going into the battle. BSB BSB: Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.
12 ULT And we will come upon him in one of the places where he may be found there, and we{ will be} upon him just as the dew falls upon the ground. And not even one will be left of him or of any of the men who{ are} with him. BSB BSB: Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
13 ULT And if he gathers himself into a city, then all of Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it to the wadi until that not even a pebble will be found there.” BSB BSB: If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.”
14 ULT And Absalom and all of the men of Israel said,“The counsel of Hushai the Archite{ is} better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For Yahweh had appointed to break up the good counsel of Ahithophel for the sake of Yahweh bringing harm to Absalom. BSB BSB: Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
Hushai’s Warning Saves David (Psalm 55:1–23)
15 ULT Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests,“Like this and like this Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, but like this and like this I, I have counseled. BSB BSB: So Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “This is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have advised.
16 ULT And now, send quickly and declare to David, saying,‘Do not lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but also crossing over, cross over, lest the king be swallowed and all of the people who{ are} with him.’” BSB BSB: Now send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but be sure to cross over. Otherwise the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’”
17 ULT Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel, and a maidservant would go and declare to them, and they, they would go and declare to King David, for they were not able to be seen entering the city. BSB BSB: Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.
18 ULT But a young man saw them, and he declared to Absalom. So the two of them went{ in} haste, and they came to the house of a man in Bahurim, and to him{ was} a well in his courtyard, and they went down there. BSB BSB: But a young man did see them and told Absalom. So the two left quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.
19 ULT And the woman took and stretched out a covering over the face of the well, and she spread grain over it, so the matter was not known. BSB BSB: Then the man’s wife took a covering, spread it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain over it so nobody would know a thing.
20 ULT And the servants of Absalom came to the woman{ at} the house, and they said,“Where{ are} Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them,“They crossed over the brook of waters.” And they sought, but they did not find, so they returned{ to} Jerusalem. BSB BSB: When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” “They have crossed over the brook,” she replied. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21 ULT And it happened after they went that they came up from the well, and they went and declared to King David. And they said to David,“Arise and cross over the waters in haste, for according to this Ahithophel has counseled against you.” BSB BSB: After the men had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed up out of the well and went to inform King David, saying, “Get up and cross over the river at once, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”
22 ULT So David and all of the people who{ were} with him arose and crossed the Jordan until the light of dawn, until not one was missing who had not crossed the Jordan. BSB BSB: So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23 ULT And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not done, and he saddled his donkey, and he arose and went to his house, to his city, and he commanded about his house, and he hanged himself, and he died. And he was buried in the grave of his father. BSB BSB: When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
24 ULT And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all of the men of Israel with him. BSB BSB: Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
25 ULT And Absalom appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa{ was} the son of a man and his name{ was} Ithra the Israelite, who had gone in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. BSB BSB: Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.
26 ULT And Israel and Absalom camped{ in} the land of Gilead. BSB BSB: So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 ULT And it happened, when David came to Mahanaim, that Shobi, the son of Nahash, from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, BSB BSB: When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.
28 ULT beds and basins and vessels of the potter and wheat and barley and flour and roasted grain and beans and lentils and roasted beans BSB BSB: They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,
29 ULT and honey and curds and sheep and cheese of cattle, they brought to David and to the people who{ were} with him to eat, for they said,“The people{ will be} hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” BSB BSB: honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.