7 Ahithóphels counſel is ouerthrowen by Huſhái 14 The Lord had ſo ordeined. 19 The Prieſts ſonnes are hid in the well. 22 Dauid goeth ouer Iordén. 23 Ahithóphel hangeth him ſelfe. 27 Thei bring vitails to Dauid.

1.MOreouer Ahithóphel ſaid to Abſalóm , ^a Let me chuſe out now twelue thouſand men, and I wil vp and follow after Dauid this night,

2.And I wil come vpō him:for he is weary, and weake handed: ſo I wil ^" feare him, and all the people that are with him, ſhal flee, and I wil ſmite the King onely,

3.And I wil bring againe all the people vn-to thee , and when all ſhal returne, ( ^b the man whome thou ſekeſt being ſlaine) all the people ſhalbe in peace.

4.And the ſaying ^" pleaſed Abſalóm wel, and all the Elders of Iſraél.

5.Thẽ ſaid Abſalóm, Calinow Huſhái the Archite alſo , and let vs heare likewiſe ^" what he ſayeth.

6.So when Huſhái came to Abſalóm, Ab-ſalóm ſpake vnto him , ſaying , Ahithó-phel hathe ^" ſpoken thus: ſhal we do after his ſaying, or no? tel thou?

7.Huſhái then anſwered vnto Abſalóm, The counſel that Ahithóphel hathe giuẽ, is not ^c good at this time.

8.For , ſaid Huſhái , thou knoweſt thy fa-ther, and his men, that they be ſtrong mẽ, and are chafed in minde as a beare robbed of her whelpes in the field: alſo thy father is a valiant warriar , and wil not ^" lodge with the people.

9.Beholde, he is hid now in ſome caue, or in ſome place: and thogh ſome of them be ouerthrowen at the firſt, yet the people ſhal heare, and ſay, The people that followe Abſalóm, be ^" ouerthrowen.

10.Then he alſo that is valiant whoſe heart is as the heart of a lion, ſhal ^" ſhrinke and faint : for all Iſraél knoweth , that thy father is valiant, and they which be with him, ſtowte men.

11.Therefore my counſel is, that all Iſraél be gathered vnto thee, from Dan euen to Beér-ſhéba as the ſand of the ſea in nom-ber, and that thou go to battel in thine owne perſone.

12.So ſhal we come vpõ him in ſome place, ^" where we ſhal finde him, and we wil vpõ him as the dewe falleth on the ground: and of all the men that are with him , we wil not leaue him one.

13.Moreouer if he be gotten into a citie, then ſhal all the men of Iſraél bring ropes to that citie, and we wil drawe it into the riuer , vntil there be not one ſmale ſtone found there.

14.¶ Then Abſalóm and all the men of Iſ-raél ſaid , The counſel of Huſhái the Ar-chite is better, then the counſel of Ahithó-phel : for the Lord had ^" determined to deſtroy the ^d good couſel of Ahithóphel, that the Lord might ^e bring euil vpon Abſalóm.

15.Then ſaid Huſhái vnto Zadók and to Abiathár the Prieſts, Of this and that ma-ner did Ahithóphel and the Elders of Iſ-raél counſel Abſalóm: and thus and thus haue I counſeled.

16.Now therefore ſend quickly , and ſhewe Dauid, ſaying, Tary not this night in the fieldes of the wildernes , but rather get thee ^f ouer, leſt the King be deuoured & all the people that are with him.

17.¶ Now Ionathán and Ahimáaz abode by En-rogél :( for they might not be ſene to come into the citie ) and a maid went, and tolde them, and they went and ſhew-ed King Dauid.

18.Neuertheles a yong man ſawe them, and tolde it to Abſalóm. therefore they bothe departed quyckly, & came to a mãs houſe in Bahurím , who had a well in his court, into the which they went downe.

19.And ^h the wife toke and ſpred a coue-ring ouer the welles mouthe , and ſpred grounde corne thereon , that the thing ſhulde not be knowen.

20.And when Abſaloms ſeruants came to the wife into the houſe, they ſaid, Where is Ahimáaz and Ionathán? And the wo-man anſwered them , They be gone ouer the ⁱ broke of water. And when they had ſoght them , and colde not finde them, they returned to Ieruſalém.

21.And aſſone as they were departed , the other came out of the well, and went and tolde King Dauid, and ſaid vnto him, Vp, and get you quyckly ouer the water : for ^k ſuche counſel hathe Ahithóphel giuen againſt you.

22.Then Dauid aroſe , and all the people that were with him , and they went ouer Iordén ^l vntil the dawning of the day , ſo that there lacked not one of them, that was not come ouer Iordén.

23.¶ Now whẽ Ahithóphel ſawe that his co-unſel was not followed, he ſadled his aſſe, and aroſe, and he went home vnto his ci-tie, and put his houſholde in ordre ,and ^m hanged him ſelfe, and dyed, and was bu-ryed in his fathers graue.

24.¶ Then Dauid came to Mahanáim. And Abſalóm paſſed ouer Iordén, he, and all the men of Iſraél with him.

25.And Abſalóm made Amaſá captaine of the hoſte in the ſtead of Ioáb : which Amaſá was a mans ſonne named Ithrá an Iſraelite, that wẽt in to Abigál the daugh-ter of ⁿ Naháſh , ſiſter to Zeruiáh Ioabs mother.

26.So Iſraél and Abſalóm pitched in the land of Gileád.

27.¶ And when Dauid was come to Maha-náim, Shobí the ſonne of Naháſh out of Rabbáh of the children of Ammón, and Machír the ſonne of Ammiél out of Lo-debár, and Barzelái the Gileadite out of Rogél

28.Broght beds, and baſens, and earthen veſſels, and wheat, and barly, and floure, and parched corne, & beanes , and lentils, and parched corne,

29.And And they broght hony, and butter, and ſhepe, and cheſe of kine for Dauid and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they ſaid, The people is hungry, & weary, and thirſty in the wildernes.

2 Samuel 17

Notes