1 WYC Therfor Achitofel seide to Absolon, Y schal chese twelue thousynde of men `to me, and Y schal rise, and pursue Dauid in this nyyt. BSB BSB: Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.
2 WYC And Y schal falle on hym, for he is wery, and with vnboundun hondis Y schal smyte hym. And whanne al the puple fleeth which is with hym, Y schal smyte the kyng `desolat, ether left aloone. 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 WYC And Y schal lede ayen al the puple, as o man is wont to turne ayen; for thou sekist o man, and al the puple schal be in pees. 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 WYC And the word of him plesyde Absolon, and alle the grete men in birthe of Israel. BSB BSB: This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5 WYC Forsothe Absolon seide, Clepe ye also Chusy of Arath, and here we what also he seith. BSB BSB: Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, and let us hear what he too has to say.”
6 WYC And whanne Chusi hadde come to Absolon, Absolon seide to hym. Achitofel spak siche a word; owen we do, ethir nay? what counsel yyuest thou? 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 WYC And Chusi seide to Absolon, This is not good counsel, which Achitofel yaf in this tyme. BSB BSB: Hushai replied, “This time the advice of Ahithophel is not sound.”
8 WYC And eft Chusi seide, Thou knowist, that thi fadir, and the men that ben with him, ben moost stronge, and in bitter soule, as if a femal bere is fers in the forest, whanne the whelpis ben rauyschid; but also thi fader is a man werriour, and he schal not dwelle with the puple. 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 WYC In hap now he is hid in the dichis, ethir in o place, in which he wole; and whanne ony man fallith in the bigynnyng, who euer schal here, he schal here, and schal seie, Wounde is maad in the puple that suede Absolon. 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 WYC And ech strongeste man, whos herte is as `the herte of a lioun, schal be discoumfortid for drede; for al the puple of Israel knowith, that thi fadir is strong, and that alle men ben stronge, that ben with him. 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 WYC But this semeth to me to be riytful counsel; al Israel be gaderid to thee, fro Dan `til to Bersabee, vnnoumbrable as the soond of the see; and thou schalt be in the myddis of hem. 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 WYC And we schulen falle on hym, in what euer place he is foundun, and we schulen hile hym, as dew is wont to falle on the erthe; and we schulen not leeue of the men that ben with hym, `sotheli not oon. 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 WYC `That if he entrith in to ony citee, al Israel schal cumpasse that citee with roopis, and we schulen drawe it in to the stronde, that no thing be foundun, sotheli not a litil stoon therof. 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 WYC And Absolon seide, and alle the men of Israel, The counsel of Chusi of Arath is betere than the counsel of Achitofel; sotheli the profitable counsel of Achitofel was destried bi Goddis wille, that the Lord schulde brynge in yuel on Absolon. 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.
15 WYC And Chusi seide to Sadoch and to Abiathar, preestis, Achitofel yaf counsel to Absolon, and to the eldere men of Israel in this and this maner, and Y yaf sich and sich counsel. 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 WYC Now therfor sende ye soone, and telle ye to Dauid, and seie ye, Dwelle thou not this nyyt in the feeldi places of deseert, but passe thou with out delay; lest perauenture the kyng be destried, and al the puple which is with hym. 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 WYC Forsothe Jonathas and Achymaas stoden bisidis the welle of Rogel; an handmaide yede, and telde to hem, and thei yeden forth to telle the message to kyng Dauid; for thei myyten not be seyn, nether entre in to the citee. 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 WYC Forsothe a child siy hem, and he schewide to Absolon; sotheli thei entriden with swift goyng in to the hows of `sum man in Bahurym, that hadde a pit in his place, and thei yeden doun in to that pit. 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 WYC Forsothe a womman took, and spred abrood an hilyng of the mouth of the pit as driynge `barli with the pile takun a wey, and so the thing was hid. 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 WYC And whanne the seruauntis of Absolon hadde come in to the hows, thei seiden to the womman, Where is Achymaas and Jonathas? And the womman answeride to hem, Thei passiden hastily, whanne `watir was tastid a litil. And whanne thei that souyten hem hadden not founde, thei turneden ayen in 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 WYC And whanne thei `that souyten hadden go, thei stieden fro the pit; and thei yeden, and telden to kyng Dauid, and seiden, Rise ye, passe ye soone the flood, for Achitofel yaf sich counsel ayens 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 WYC Therfor Dauid roos, and al the puple that was with hym, and thei passiden Jordan, til it was cleer dai, bifor that the word was pupplischid; and sotheli not oon was left, that `passide not the flood. 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 WYC Forsothe Achitofel siy, that his counsel was not doon, and he sadlide his asse, and roos, and yede in to his hows, and in to his citee; and whanne his hows was disposid, he perischide bi hangyng, and he was biried in the sepulcre of his fadir. 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 WYC Sotheli Dauid cam in to the castels, and Absolon passide Jordan, he and alle the men of Israel with hym. BSB BSB: Then David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
25 WYC Forsothe Absolon ordeynede Amasan for Joab on the oost; forsothe Amasan was the sone of a man that was clepid Jethra of Jeyrael, which entride to Abigail, douyter of Naas, the sistir of Saruye, that was the modir 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 WYC And Israel settide tentis with Absolon in the lond of Galaad. BSB BSB: So the Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 WYC And whanne Dauid hadde come in to castels, Sobi, the sone of Naas of Rabath, of the sones of Amon, and Machir, the sone of Amyel, of Lodobar, and Berzellai, of Galaad, 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 WYC of Rogelym, brouyten to hym beddyngis, and tapitis, and erthun vessels, wheete, and barli, and mele, and flour, and benys, and lente, and fried chichis, and hony, BSB BSB: They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,
29 WYC and botere, and scheep, and fatte calues. And thei yauen to Dauid, and to the puple that weren with hym, to ete; for thei supposiden the puple to be maad feynt for hungur and thirst in deseert. 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.