Open English Translation 2SA Chapter 17

17 Then Ahitofel asked Abshalom, “Please, let me choose twelve thousand men, then let me go and pursue after David tonight. 2 I’ll attack him while they’re tired and lacking energy. Once I panic them, all the people with him will flee and I’ll be able to strike the king by himself. 3 Then I’ll bring all the people back to you, like a reunion. You’ll have the man you’re wanting, and all the people will be in peace.” 4 That seemed very sensible to Abshalom and all the Israeli elders.

5 But Abshalom insisted, “Now, call Hushay the Arkite as well, and let’s also listen to his suggestions.” 6 So when Hushay arrived, Abshalom asked him, “Ahitofel has suggested so and so. Should we do what he said? If not, what would you recommend?”

7 “This time, Ahitofel’s suggestion isn’t such good advice,” Hushay replied. 8 You yourself know your father and his men—and do remember that they’re powerful warriors—they’re still furious like a bear in the countryside that’s been robbed of its cubs. And your father is an experienced man of war, and he won’t spend the night there with the people. 9 Listen, he’s probably already hiding in a cavern or some other place. Also, if some of your men were killed early in the fighting, then the rumour would go around that Abshalom’s already lost many men. 10 Then even your bravest warriors might lose heart, because all Israel knows that your father is a powerful warrior, and also that the men with him are very experienced. 11 So this is what I suggest: Call warriors from all Israel—from Dan in the far north to Beersheba in the far south. They’ll be as numerous as sand grains on the beach and you personally will be able to lead them into battle. 12 Then we’ll be able to find him wherever he is, and attack him like dew blankets the entire area, and neither him nor any of the men with him will survive, not even one. 13 If he escaped into some city, we’d all bring ropes to that city and drag the stones into the valley until even a pebble couldn’t be found there.”

14 Abshalom and all the Israeli elders agreed that Hushay’s advice was better than Ahitofel’s. (Yahweh had influenced them to reject Ahitofel’s good advice so he could bring disaster onto Abshalom.)

15 Then Hushay told the two priests Tsadok and Evyatar what Ahitofel had suggested to Abshalom and the Israeli elders and what he’d countered it with. 16 Then he told them, “Get that message to David quickly. Tell him not to overnight at the fords in the wilderness, but to cross over otherwise he’ll be killed along with everyone else with him.”

17 Their sons Yonatan and Ahimaats were waiting at Eyn-Rogel where a female servant would come and pass the message onto them, because it wouldn’t be safe for them to be seen entering the city. Then they themselves would go and inform King David. 18 But a young man saw them and informed Abshalom, but meanwhile the two of them went quickly and got to the house of a man in Bahurim where they went down into the well in his courtyard. 19 The woman there stretched a covering over the top of the well, and then spread grain over it to dry, so it wasn’t obvious. 20 Some of Abshalom’s servants arrived at the house and asked the woman, “Where’s Ahimaats and Yonatan?”

“They crossed over the creek,” she replied.

So they continued searching for them, but gave up after a while and returned to Yerushalem.

21 After they’d gone, the two men climbed out of the well, and went on and informed King David, “Pack up and quickly cross over the river, because Ahitofel suggested attacking you all immediately.” 22 So David and everyone with him moved on and crossed the Yordan in the night, and by dawn there were all across.

23 When Ahitofel saw that his advice hadn’t been taken, he saddled his donkey and rode to his city. He gave instructions to his household, then he hanged himself. His body was buried in his father’s tomb.

24 Meanwhile, David arrived at Mahanayim, but Abshalom and all his men had crossed over the Yordan. 25 As the replacement for Yoav as army commander, Abshalom had appointed Amasa. (He was Yeter’s son, and his mother was Nahash’s daughter Abigail who was the sister of Yoav’s mother Tseruyah.) 26 Abshalom and his men camped in the Gilead region.

27 While David was in Mahanayim, Shovi (Nahash’s son from Rabbah), Machir (Ammiyel’s son from Lo-Debar), and Barzillai (the Gileadite from Rogelim) 28 brought bedding and basins, clay pots, wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, 29 honey and yogurt, sheep and cheese for David and the people with him to eat because they knew that they’d be hungry and tired and thirsty there in the wilderness.