2 Samuel 17:1

English Standard Version

Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out in pursuit of David tonight.

Hebrew Names Version
Moreover Achitofel said to Avshalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

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

Lexham English Bible
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue after David tonight.

New Century Version
Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men and chase David tonight.

New English Translation
Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night.

Amplified Bible
Then, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.

New American Standard Bible
Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose twelve thousand men and let me set out and pursue David tonight.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Moreouer Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me chuse out now twelue thousand men, & I will vp and follow after Dauid this night,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight.

Contemporary English Version
Ahithophel said to Absalom: Let me choose twelve thousand men and attack David tonight,

Complete Jewish Bible
Achitofel said to Avshalom, "Let me now choose 12,000 men, and I will pursue David tonight.

Darby Translation
And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me, I pray, choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David to-night;

Easy-to-Read Version
Ahithophel also said to Absalom, "Now, let me choose 12,000 men to chase David tonight.

George Lamsa Translation
MOREOVER Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David this night;

Good News Translation
Not long after that, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and tonight I will set out after David.

Literal Translation
And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Please let me choose twelve thousand men, and I shall rise up and pursue David tonight.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Achitophel sayde vnto Absalom: I wil chose out twolue thousande me, and wyl get me vp, and persue Dauid by nighte,

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

Bible in Basic English
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me take out twelve thousand men and this very night I will go after David:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ahithophel also said vnto Absalom: Let me choose out now twelue thousand men, and I wil vp and folowe after Dauid this night:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom: 'Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night;

King James Version (1611)
Moreouer Ahithophel said vnto Absalom, Let mee nowe chuse out twelue thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after Dauid this night.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Let me now choose out for myself twelve thousand men, and I will arise and follow after David this night:

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

Berean Standard Bible
Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Achitofel seide to Absolon, Y schal chese twelue thousynde of men `to me, and Y schal rise, and pursue Dauid in this nyyt.

Young's Literal Translation
And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, `Let me choose, I pray thee, twelve thousand men, and I arise and pursue after David to-night,

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

Webster's Bible Translation
Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night;

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

New King James Version
Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

New Living Translation
Now Ahithophel urged Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men to start out after David tonight.

New Life Bible
Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose 12,000 men, and I will leave and go after David tonight.

New Revised Standard
Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Ahithophel unto Absolom: I pray thee, let me choose for myself, twelve thousand men, and arise, and pursue David to-night;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Achitophel said to Absalom: I will choose me twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night.

Revised Standard Version
Moreover Ahith'ophel said to Ab'salom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight.

THE MESSAGE
Next Ahithophel advised Absalom, "Let me handpick twelve thousand men and go after David tonight. I'll come on him when he's bone tired and take him by complete surprise. The whole army will run off and I'll kill only David. Then I'll bring the army back to you—a bride brought back to her husband! You're only after one man, after all. Then everyone will be together in peace!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight.

Contextual Overview

¹ Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ² I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, ³ and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace." ⁴ And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel. ⁵ Then Absalom said, "Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say." ⁶ And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak." ⁷ Then Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good." ⁸ Hushai said, "You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people. ⁹ Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' ¹⁰ Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will arise: Proverbs 1:16, Proverbs 4:16, Isaiah 59:7, Isaiah 59:8

this night: Psalms 3:3-5, Psalms 4:8, Psalms 109:2-4

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:3 - Absalom 2 Samuel 13:5 - Lay thee 2 Samuel 15:28 - General 2 Samuel 16:11 - seeketh 2 Samuel 17:21 - thus hath Ahithophel 2 Samuel 18:5 - Deal gently Esther 5:14 - the thing Psalms 31:13 - while Psalms 38:12 - lay snares Psalms 43:1 - the deceitful Psalms 55:9 - divide Psalms 55:10 - Day Psalms 71:4 - out of the Psalms 71:10 - take Psalms 86:14 - assemblies Psalms 109:16 - he remembered Psalms 118:13 - General Psalms 119:95 - wicked Psalms 144:11 - and deliver me Proverbs 12:6 - words Matthew 10:21 - the children 2 Corinthians 12:15 - though 1 Timothy 1:9 - murderers James 3:6 - a world

Cross-References

Genesis 5:22
Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Genesis 12:1
Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.

Genesis 12:7
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the Lord , who had appeared to him.

Genesis 16:16
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 18:1
And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.

Genesis 18:14
Is anything too hard for the Lord ? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son."

Genesis 28:3
God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.

Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.

Genesis 48:15
And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom,.... Either at the same time, or quickly after he had given the foregoing advice:

let me now choose out twelve thousand men: out of those that were with Absalom, which shows their number to be large; and twelve thousand are pitched upon with respect to the twelve tribes of Israel, a thousand from every tribe; Josephus has only ten thousand;

and I will arise and pursue after David this night; he took upon him to be general of the army, as well as a counsellor; or this he said to show how confident he was of the success of his counsel, that if Absalom, or any other, should decline the conduct of the army upon it, as a hazardous attempt, he would undertake it himself; or rather it may be, he was not willing that Absalom should go out in person with the army, not so much for his own safety, as lest through his affection for the king he should spare him, when he fell into his hands, or they two should be reconciled; he proposed to do it that night, partly for expedition, no time being to be lost, and partly for the greater surprise of David and his men.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This night - The night of the day on which David fled, and Absalom entered into Jerusalem. Ahithophel’s idea was to fall upon David by surprise, and in the first confusion of the surprised army to seize and kill David only.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XVII

Ahithophel counsels Absalom to pursue his father with twelve

thousand men, 14.

Hushai gives a different counsel, and is followed, 5-14.

Hushai informs Zadok and Abiathar; and they send word to David,

15-21.

David and his men go beyond Jordan, 22.

Ahithophel, finding his counsel slighted, goes home, sets his

house in order, and hangs himself, 23.

David moves to Mahanaim; and Absalom follows him over Jordan,

24-26.

Several friends meet David at Mahanaim with refreshments and

provisions, 27-29.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVII

Verse 2 Samuel 17:1. Let me now choose out twelve thousand men — Had this counsel been followed, David and his little troop would soon have been destroyed; nothing but the miraculous interposition of God could have saved them. Twelve thousand chosen troops coming against him, in his totally unprepared state, would have soon settled the business of the kingdom. Ahithophel well saw that, this advice neglected, all was lost.