¹ Moreouer Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me chuse out now twelue thousand men, and I will vp and follow after Dauid this night,

² And I will come vpon him: for he is wearie, and weake handed: so I will feare him, and all the people that are with him, shall flee, and I will smite the King onely,

³ And I will bring againe all the people vnto thee, and when all shall returne, ( the man whome thou seekest being slaine) all the people shalbe in peace.

⁴ And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the Elders of Israel.

⁵ Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let vs heare likewise what he sayth.

⁶ So when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spake vnto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken thus: shall we doe after his saying, or no? tell thou.

⁷ Hushai then answered vnto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath giuen, is not good at this time.

⁸ For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father, and his men, that they be strong men, and are chafed in minde as a beare robbed of her whelps in the fielde: also thy father is a valiant warrier, and will not lodge with the people.

⁹ Behold, he is hid now in some caue, or in some place: and though some of them be ouerthrowen at the first, yet the people shall heare, and say, The people that follow Absalom, be ouerthrowen.

¹⁰ Then he also that is valiant whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall shrinke and faint: for all Israel knoweth, that thy father is valiant, and they which be with him, stout men.

¹¹ Therefore my counsell is, that all Israel be gathered vnto thee, from Dan euen to Beer-sheba as the sand of the sea in nomber, and that thou goe to battell in thine owne person.

¹² So shall we come vpon him in some place, where we shall finde him, and we will vpon him as the dewe falleth on the ground: and of all the men that are with him, wee will not leaue him one.

¹³ Moreouer if he be gotten into a citie, then shall all the men of Israel bring ropes to that citie, and we will draw it into the riuer, vntill there be not one small stone founde there.

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel sayde, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better, then the counsell of Ahithophel: for the Lord had determined to destroy the good counsell of Ahithophel, that the Lord might bring euill vpon Absalom.

¹⁵ Then said Hushai vnto Zadok and to Abiathar the Priests, Of this and that maner did Ahithophel and the Elders of Israel counsell Absalom: and thus and thus haue I counseled.

¹⁶ Now therefore sende quickely, and shewe Dauid, saying, Tarie not this night in the fieldes of the wildernesse, but rather get thee ouer, lest the King be deuoured and all the people that are with him.

¹⁷ Now Ionathan and Ahimaaz abode by En-rogel: (for they might not be seene to come into the citie) and a maid went, and tolde them, and they went and shewed King Dauid.

¹⁸ Neuerthelesse a yong man sawe them, and tolde it to Absalom. therefore they both departed quickely, and came to a mans house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, into the which they went downe.

¹⁹ And the wife tooke and spred a couering ouer the welles mouth, and spred ground corne thereon, that the thing should not be knowen.

²⁰ And when Absaloms seruants came to the wife into the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Ionathan? And the woman answered them, They be gone ouer the brooke of water. And when they had sought them, and could not finde them, they returned to Ierusalem.

²¹ And assoone as they were departed, the other came out of the well, and went and tolde King Dauid, and sayde vnto him, Vp, and get you quickely ouer the water: for such counsell hath Ahithophel giuen against you.

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

²³ Nowe when Ahithophel sawe that his counsell was not followed, he sadled his asse, and arose, and he went home vnto his citie, and put his houshold in order, and hanged him selfe, and dyed, and was buryed in his fathers graue.

²⁴ Then Dauid came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed ouer Iorden, he, and all the men of Israel with him.

²⁵ And Absalom made Amasa captaine of the hoste in the stead of Ioab: which Amasa was a mans sonne named Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Ioabs mother.

²⁶ So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ And when Dauid was come to Mahanaim, Shobi the sonne of Nahash out of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lo-debar, and Barzelai the Gileadite out of Rogel

²⁸ Brought beds, and basens, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and floure, and parched corne, and beanes, and lentiles, and parched corne.

²⁹ And they brought hony, and butter, and sheepe, and cheese of kine for Dauid and for the people that were with him, to eate: for they said, The people is hungry, and wearie, and thirstie in the wildernesse.