| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. | 1Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will set out in pursuit of David tonight. |
| 2"I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, | 2I will attack him while he is weak and weary, throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will scatter. I will strike down only the king |
| 3and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace." | 3and bring all the people back to you. When everyone returns except the man you're seeking, all the people will be at peace." |
| 4So the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. | 4This proposal seemed good to Absalom and all the elders of Israel. |
| 5Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say." | 5Then Absalom said, "Summon Hushai the Archite also. Let's hear what he has to say as well." |
| 6When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Ahithophel has spoken thus. Shall we carry out his plan? If not, you speak." | 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?" |
| 7So Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good." | 7Hushai replied to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given this time is not good." |
| 8Moreover, Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people. | 8Hushai continued, "You know your father and his men. They are warriors and are desperate like a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier who won't spend the night with the people. |
| 9"Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the caves or in another place; and it will be when 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.' | 9He's probably already hiding in one of the caves or some other place. If some of our troops fall first, someone is sure to hear and say, 'There's been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' |
| 10"And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. | 10Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion will melt because all Israel knows that your father and the valiant men with him are warriors. |
| 11"But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle. | 11Instead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba--as numerous as the sand by the sea--be gathered to you and that you personally go into battle. |
| 12"So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. | 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 of all the men with him. |
| 13"If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a small stone is found there." | 13If he retreats to some city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag its stones into the valley until not even a pebble can be 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 the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom. | 14Since the LORD had decreed that Ahithophel's good advice be undermined 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." |
| 15Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled. | 15Hushai then told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, "This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I advised. |
| 16"Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.'" | 16Now send someone quickly and tell David, 'Don't spend the night at the wilderness ford of the Jordan, but be sure to cross over, or the king and all the people with him will be destroyed.'" |
| 17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. | 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. |
| 18But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. | 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. |
| 19And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known. | 19Then his wife took the cover, placed it over the mouth of the well, and scattered grain on it so nobody would know anything. |
| 20Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. | 20Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?"" They passed by toward the water," the woman replied to them. The men searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. |
| 21It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, "Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you." | 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." |
| 22Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan. | 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. |
| 23Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father. | 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 affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb. |
| 24Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. | 24David had arrived at Mahanaim by the time Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. |
| 25Absalom set Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. | 25Now Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in Joab's place. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Israelite; Ithra had married Abigail daughter of Nahash. Abigail was a sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother. |
| 26And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. | 26And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. |
| 27Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, | 27When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim |
| 28brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, | 28brought beds, basins, and pottery items. They also brought wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, |
| 29honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness." | 29honey, curds, sheep, and cheese 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 desert." |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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