2 Samuel 17
17
1Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out in pursuit of David tonight. 2I will attack him while he is weary and discouraged,#17:2 Lit and weak of hands throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will scatter. I will strike down only the king#1Kg 22:31 3and bring all the people back to you. When everyone returns except the man you’re looking for, all#17:3 LXX reads to you as a bride returns to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.” 4This proposal seemed right to Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5Then Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.”
6So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom told him, “Ahithophel offered this proposal. Should we carry out his proposal? If not, what do you say?”
7Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given this time is not good.” 8Hushai continued, “You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs.#Pr 17:12; Hs 13:8 Your father is an experienced soldier who won’t spend the night with the people. 9He’s probably already hiding in one of the caves#17:9 Or pits, or ravines or some other place. If some of our troops fall#17:9 Lit And it will be when a falling on them at first, someone is sure to hear and say, ‘There’s been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion#Am 3:8 will lose heart#17:10 Lit melt because all Israel knows that your father and the valiant men with him are warriors. 11Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba — as numerous as the sand by the sea#Gn 22:17 — be gathered to you and that you personally go into battle. 12Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. Not even one will be left—neither he nor any of the men with him. 13If he retreats to some city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag its stones#17:13 Lit drag it into the valley until not even a pebble can be found there.” 14Since the Lord had decreed#Pr 21:30; 1Co 1:19 that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined#2Sm 15:31–34 in order to bring about Absalom’s ruin, Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than Ahithophel’s advice.”
David Informed of Absalom’s Plans
15Hushai then told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what#17:15 Lit “Like this and like this Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what#17:15 Lit and like this and like this I advised. 16Now send someone quickly and tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night at the wilderness ford,#17:16 Some Hb mss; MT reads plains but be sure to cross over the Jordan,#17:16 the Jordan supplied for clarity#2Sm 15:28 or the king and all the people with him will be devoured.’”
17Jonathan 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, because they dared not be seen entering the city. 18However, a young man did see them and informed 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. 19Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything.
20Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
“They passed by toward the water,”#17:20 Or brook; Hb obscure the woman replied to them. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.
21After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went and informed King David. They told him, “Get up and immediately ford the river, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.” 22So David and all the people with him got up and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, there was no one who had not crossed the Jordan.
23When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He set his house in order and hanged himself.#Mt 27:5 So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
24David had arrived at Mahanaim by the time Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25Now Absalom had appointed Amasa#2Sm 19:13; 20:9–12; 1Kg 2:5,32 over the army in Joab’s place. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra#17:25 Or Jether the Israelite;#17:25 Some LXX mss read Ishmaelite#1Ch 2:13–17 Ithra had married Abigail daughter of Nahash.#17:25 Some LXX mss read Jesse Abigail was a sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 27When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash#2Sm 10:1–2 from Rabbah#2Sm 12:26–29 of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar,#2Sm 9:4 and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim#2Sm 19:31–32; 1Kg 2:7; Ezr 2:61 28brought beds, basins,#17:28 LXX reads brought 10 embroidered beds with double coverings, 10 vessels and pottery items. They also brought wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,#17:28 LXX, Syr; MT adds roasted grain 29honey, curds, sheep, goats, and cheese#17:29 Hb obscure from the herd for David and the people with him to eat. They had reasoned, “The people must be hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”
Currently Selected:
2 Samuel 17: CSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
2 Samuel 17
17
1Ahithophel said to Absalom:
Let me choose 12,000 men and attack David tonight, 2while he is tired and discouraged. He will panic, and everyone with him will run away. I won't kill anyone except David, 3since he's the one you want to get rid of. Then I'll bring the whole nation back to you like a bride coming home to her husband.#17.3 back to you … husband: One ancient translation; Hebrew “back to you. The man you are chasing is like bringing back the whole nation.” This way there won't be a civil war.
Hushai Fools Absalom
4Absalom and all the leaders of the tribes of Israel agreed that Ahithophel had a good plan. 5Then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the Archite. Let's hear what he has to say.”
6Hushai came in, and Absalom told him what Ahithophel had planned. Then Absalom said, “Should we do what he says? And if we shouldn't, can you come up with anything better?”
7Hushai said:
This time Ahithophel's advice isn't so good. 8You know that your father and his followers are real warriors. Now they are as fierce as a mother bear whose cubs have just been killed. Besides, your father has a lot of experience in fighting wars, and he won't be spending the night with the others. 9He has probably already found a hiding place in a cave or somewhere else.
As soon as anyone hears that some of your soldiers have been killed, everyone will think your whole army has been destroyed. 10Then even those who are as brave as a lion will lose their courage. All Israel knows what a great warrior your father is and what brave soldiers he has.
11My advice is to gather all the fighting men of Israel from the town of Dan in the north down to the town of Beersheba in the south. You will have more soldiers than there are grains of sand on the seashore. Absalom, you should lead them yourself, 12and we will all go to fight David wherever he is. We will fall on him just as dew falls and covers the ground. He and all his soldiers will die! 13If they go into a walled town, we will put ropes around that town and drag it into the river. We won't leave even one small piece of a stone.
14Absalom and the others liked Hushai's plan better than Ahithophel's plan. This was because the Lord had decided to keep Ahithophel's plan from working and to cause trouble for Absalom.
Jonathan and Ahimaaz Tell David the News
15At once, Hushai went to Zadok and Abiathar. He told them what advice Ahithophel had given to Absalom and to the leaders of Israel. He also told them about the advice he had given. 16Then he said, “Hurry! Send someone to warn David not to spend the night on this side of the Jordan. He must get across the river, so he and the others won't be wiped out!”
17Jonathan and Ahimaaz#17.17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz: See 15.27. had been waiting at Rogel Spring#17.17 Rogel Spring: South of Jerusalem in Kidron Valley. because they did not want to be seen in Jerusalem. A servant girl went to the spring and gave them the message for David. 18But a young man saw them and went to tell Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left and hurried to the house of a man who lived in Bahurim. Then they climbed down into a well in the courtyard. 19The man's wife put the cover on the well and poured grain on top of it, so the well could not be seen.#17.19 The man's wife … seen: Everyone would have thought that the woman was drying grain on a mat that she had spread on the ground.
20Absalom's soldiers came to the woman and demanded, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The woman answered, “They went across that stream.”
The soldiers went off to look for the two men. But when they did not find the men, they went back to Jerusalem.
21After the soldiers had gone, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went to David and said, “Hurry! Get ready to cross the river!” Then they told him about Ahithophel's plan.
22David and the others got ready and started crossing the Jordan River. By sunrise all of them were on the other side.
Ahithophel Kills Himself
23When Ahithophel saw that Absalom and the leaders of Israel were not going to follow his advice, he saddled his donkey and rode back to his home in Gilo. He told his family and servants what to do. Then he hanged himself, and they buried him in his family's burial place.
Absalom Puts Amasa in Charge of the Army
24David went to the town of Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan River with the army of Israel. 25Absalom put Amasa in Joab's place as commander of the army. Amasa's father was Ithra#17.25 Ithra: Or “Jether.” from the family of Ishmael,#17.25 the family of Ishmael: Some manuscripts of one ancient translation; other manuscripts of the same translation “the town of Jezreel”; Hebrew “the people of Israel.” and his mother was Abigal,#17.25 Amasa … Abigal: Abigal and Zeruiah (Joab's mother) were full sisters, and David was evidently their half-brother with the same mother, but a different father. This made Amasa one of David's nephews (see 1 Chronicles 2.12-17). the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah. 26The Israelites under Absalom's command set up camp in the region of Gilead.
Friends Bring Supplies to David
27After David came to the town of Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash came from Rabbah in Ammon,#17.27 Shobi … Ammon: Shobi was probably the new king of the Ammonites that David had appointed after he captured Rabbah (see 2 Samuel 10.1-3; 12.26-31). Machir the son of Ammiel came from Lo-Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim.
28-29Here is a list of what they brought: sleeping mats, blankets, bowls, pottery jars, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, yogurt, sheep, and cheese.
They brought the food for David and the others because they knew that everyone would be hungry, tired, and thirsty from being out in the desert.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.