2 Samuel 17

Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

Ahithophel pleaded with Absalom, "Allow me to gather twelve thousand men. Tonight, I will rise and chase after David."

And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

I will approach him when he's tired and vulnerable, instilling fear in him. His followers will abandon him in terror, and only the king will face my wrath.

And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.

I will bring everyone back to you; killing the one man you're after will be as good as having everyone return. Thus, everyone will experience peace.

And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

Absalom and all the elders of Israel felt content and satisfied with the statement.

Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.

Absalom then spoke, "Bring Hushai the Archite here. I want to hear his thoughts too."

And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou.

When Hushai arrived, Absalom asked him anxiously, "Ahithophel has suggested this. Should we follow his advice? If not, what do you suggest?"

And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time.

Hushai warned Absalom, "Ahithophel's advice isn't wise right now."

For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

Hushai warned, "You know your father and his men are strong and fierce. They're as angry and desperate as a mother bear who's lost her cubs. Your father is a seasoned warrior and won't rest among the people."

Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

Look, he's hiding somewhere, maybe in a pit or another place. And when the first few fall, those who hear about it will say, "There's been a massacre among Absalom's followers."

And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.

Even the bravest man, with a heart as fierce as a lion, will crumble in fear. Everyone in Israel knows your father is a powerful man, and those with him are courageous warriors.

Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

I advise you to unite all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea. And you, yourself, should lead them into battle.

So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

We will find him wherever he may be, and fall upon him like dew covering the ground. None of him or his companions will remain, not even one.

Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

If he escapes into a city, everyone in Israel will unite, bringing ropes to pull that city into the river, until not even a tiny pebble remains.

And 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 appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

Absalom and all his men agreed, Hushai's advice is superior to Ahithophel's. They didn't realize that this was God's plan, to sabotage Ahithophel's wise counsel, intending to bring disaster upon Absalom.

Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.

Hushai turned to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, and said, "This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I suggested."

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

Hurry, send a message to David now! Tell him not to stay in the wilderness tonight. He must move quickly or the king and his people might be lost.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David.

Jonathan and Ahimaaz hid near Enrogel, careful to avoid detection in the city. A young woman, braving the danger, brought them news. With her message in hand, they hurried to inform King David.

Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

A young boy spotted them and quickly informed Absalom. Panicked, they hastily fled to a man's home in Bahurim, which had a well in its yard. They sought refuge by descending into it.

And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

The woman, with a careful hand, concealed the well's opening with a cover, scattering crushed grain atop it. Her actions remained unnoticed.

And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

When Absalom's men arrived at the woman's home, they anxiously asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman calmly replied, "They've crossed the water stream." Despite their frantic search, they couldn't find them and dejectedly returned to Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.

After they had left, they emerged from the well and rushed to King David. Breathlessly, they warned him, "Quickly, cross the water, David! Ahithophel has plotted against you."

Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

With determination, David and his followers rose. They crossed the Jordan River, and by dawn's first light, not a single soul was left behind.

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

When Ahithophel realized his advice was ignored, he felt deeply hurt. He rode his donkey back home, tidied up his affairs, and in his despair, took his own life. He was laid to rest in his father's tomb.

Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

David arrived in Mahanaim, his heart heavy. Meanwhile, Absalom, filled with determination, crossed the Jordan River, leading all the men of Israel.

And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.

Absalom replaced Joab with Amasa as the army's leader. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, an Israelite, who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah.

So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

Israel and Absalom set up camp, their hearts heavy, in the rugged terrain of Gilead.

And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

When David arrived in Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,

Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,

They brought cozy beds, gleaming basins, humble clay pots, and an abundance of food - wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, and toasted seeds.

And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

Sweet honey, creamy butter, tender sheep, and rich cheese were provided for David and his companions. They were famished, exhausted, and parched in the barren wilderness.