Study Desk

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

^(a)I will come upon him while he is weary and ^[a]exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then ^(b)I will strike down the king alone,

and I will bring back all the people to you. ^[b]The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at ^(c)peace."

So the ^[c]plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

Then Absalom said, "Now call ^(d)Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what ^[d]he has to say."

When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to ^[e]him, "Ahithophel has spoken ^[f]thus. Shall we ^[g]carry out his plan? If not, you speak."

So Hushai said to Absalom, "^(e)This time the advice that Ahithophel has ^[h]given is not good."

Moreover, Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are ^[i]fierce, ^(f)like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an ^[j]expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people.

Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the ^[k]caves or in another place; and it will be ^[l]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.'

And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, ^(g)will completely ^[m]lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men.

But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, ^(h)from Dan even to Beersheba, ⁽ⁱ⁾as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that ^[n]you personally go into battle.

So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will ^[o]fall on him ^(j)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.

If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will ^(k)drag it into the ^[p]valley until not even a small stone is found there."

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For ^(l)the Lord had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity on Absalom.