2 Samuel 17 - 18
Absalom Calls for Hushai’s Counsel
17Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 2“aAnd I will come upon him while he is weary with his hands falling limp and throw him into utter fright, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then bI will strike down the king alone, 3and I will cause all the people to return to you. 1The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at apeace.” 4And the word was right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
5Then Absalom said, “Call now aHushai the Archite also, and let us hear what is also in his mouth.” 6Then Hushai came to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken 1thus. Shall we 2carry out his word? If not, you speak.” 7And Hushai said to Absalom, “aThis time the counsel that Ahithophel has counseled is not good.” 8Then Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are bitter of soul, alike a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not spend the night with the people. 9“Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the 1caves or in another place; and it will be 2when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10“And even the one who is a man of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, awill utterly melt; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are men of valor. 11“But I counsel that all Israel be utterly gathered to you, afrom Dan even to Beersheba, bas the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that 1you personally go into battle. 12“So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will set down on him aas the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13“If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall carry ropes to that city, and we will adrag it into the 1valley until not even a small stone is found there.” 14Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For aYahweh had 1ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that Yahweh might bring calamity on Absalom.
Hushai Informs David
15Then aHushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “1This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and 2this is what I have counseled. 16“So now, send quickly and inform David, saying, ‘aDo not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17aNow Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at bEn-rogel, and a servant-woman would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18But a boy did see them and informed Absalom; so the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man ain Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down 1into it. 19And athe woman 1took a covering and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered crushed grain on it, so that nothing was known. 20Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And athe woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
21Now it happened after they went away, that they came up out of the well and went and informed King David; and they said to David, “aArise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.” 22Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by 1dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.
23Now Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not 1followed. So he 2saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to ahis city, and 3,bset his house in order, and cstrangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.
24Now David came to aMahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25And Absalom set aAmasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was 1Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of bNahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27Now it happened that when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi athe son of Nahash from bRabbah of the sons of Ammon, cMachir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and dBarzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28brought abeds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted seeds, 29honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, ato eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
Joab Puts Absalom to Death
18Then David 1numbered the people who were with him and aset over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2And David sent the people out, aone-third under the hand of Joab, one-third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one-third under the hand of bIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, “I myself will surely go out with you also.” 3But the people said, “aYou should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not set their heart on us; even if half of us die, they will not set their heart on us. But now 1you are worth ten thousand of us; so now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.” 4Then the king said to them, “Whatever is good in your sight I will do.” So athe king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. 5Then the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And aall the people heard when the king commanded all the commanders concerning Absalom.
6Then the people went out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle took place in athe forest of Ephraim. 7And the people of Israel were 1defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. 8And the battle there was scattered over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
9Then Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Now Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And ahis head caught fast in the oak, so he was 1left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him passed onward. 10Then a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12So the man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive one thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not send forth my hand against the king’s son; for ain our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘1Keep for me the young man Absalom!’ 13“Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and athere is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14Then Joab said, “I will not wait around here before you.” aSo he took three 1spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the 2midst of the oak. 15And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and put him to death.
16Then aJoab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. 17And they took Absalom and cast him into 1a deep pit in the forest and aset over him a very great heap of stones. And ball Israel fled, each to his tent. 18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and aset up for himself a pillar which is in bthe King’s Valley, for he had said, “cI have no son 1to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
David Weeps Over Absalom
19Then aAhimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and proclaim the good news to the king bthat Yahweh has judged to save him from the hand of his enemies.” 20But Joab said to him, “You are not the man for the good news this day, but you shall proclaim the good news another day; however, you shall not proclaim the good news today because the king’s son has died.” 21Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. 22Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why would you run, my son, since ayou will have no reward for going?” 23“But whatever happens,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.
24Now aDavid was sitting between the two gates; and bthe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself. 25And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, “If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth.” And he came nearer and nearer. 26Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Behold, another man running by himself.” And the king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27And the watchman said, “I see that the running of the first one ais like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “bThis is a good man and comes with good news.”
28And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “Peace!” And ahe prostrated himself before the king with his 1face to the ground. And he said, “bBlessed is Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.” 29Then the king said, “aIs there peace with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz said, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but bI did not know what it was.” 30Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
31Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, “Let my lord the king receive good news, for aYahweh has judged to save you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.” 32Then the king said to the Cushite, “aIs there peace with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “bLet the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!”