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2 Samuel 17-18
New English Translation

The Death of Ahithophel

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out 12,000 men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 2 When I catch up with[a] him he will be exhausted and worn out.[b] I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.[c] The entire army will return unharmed.”[d]

4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders[e] of Israel. 5 But Absalom said, “Call for[f] Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.”[g] 6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.”[h] 8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men—they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.[i] Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. 9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first,[j] whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ 10 If that happens even the bravest soldier—one who is lion-hearted—will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. 11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba—in number like the sand by the sea—be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. 12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive—not one of them! 13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided[k] to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the leaders[l] of Israel to do, and here is what I have advised. 16 Now send word quickly to David and warn him,[m] “Don’t spend the night at the fords[n] of the wilderness tonight. Instead, be sure you cross over,[o] or else the king and everyone who is with him may be overwhelmed.”[p]

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city. 18 But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it. 19 His wife then took the covering and spread it over the top of the well and scattered some grain over it. No one was aware of what she had done.

20 When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied to them, “They crossed over the stream.” Absalom’s men[q] searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.

21 After the men had left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan[r] climbed out of the well. Then they left and informed King David. They advised David, “Get up and cross the stream[s] quickly, for Ahithophel has devised a plan to catch you.”[t] 22 So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River.[u] By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his hometown. After setting his household in order, he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the grave[v] of his father.

24 Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River. 25 Absalom had made Amasa general in command of the army in place of Joab. (Now Amasa was the son of an Israelite man named Jether, who had married[w] Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.) 26 The army of Israel[x] and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 28 brought bedding, basins, and pottery utensils. They also brought food for David and all who were with him, including wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,[y] 29 honey, curds, flocks, and cheese.[z] For they said, “The people are no doubt hungry, tired, and thirsty there in the desert.”[aa]

The Death of Absalom

18 David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds. 2 David then sent out the army—a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

3 But the soldiers replied,[ab] “You should not do this![ac] For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be concerned about us.[ad] Even if half of us should die, they won’t be concerned. But you[ae] are like 10,000 of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.” 4 Then the king said to them, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”

So the king stayed beside the city gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 The king gave this order to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake deal gently with the young man Absalom.” Now the entire army was listening when the king gave all the leaders this order concerning Absalom.

6 Then the army marched out to the field to fight against Israel. The battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 The army of Israel was defeated there by David’s men.[af] The slaughter there was great that day—20,000 soldiers were killed. 8 The battle there was spread out over the whole area, and the forest consumed more soldiers than the sword devoured that day.

9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his[ag] mule, it[ah] went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair,[ai] while the mule he had been riding kept going.

10 When one[aj] of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot?[ak] I would have given you ten pieces of silver[al] and a commemorative belt!”[am]

12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if[an] I were receiving[ao] 1,000 pieces of silver,[ap] I would not strike[aq] the king’s son! In our very presence[ar] the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’[as] 13 If I had acted at risk of my own life[at]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”[au]

14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree.[av] 15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor-bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet[aw] and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes.[ax]

18 Before this[ay] Absalom[az] had set up a monument[ba] and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning, “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

David Learns of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and give the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him before his enemies.”[bb] 20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today,[bc] for the king’s son is dead.”

21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” After bowing to Joab, the Cushite ran off. 22 Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.” But Joab said, “Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.” 23 But he said,[bd] “Whatever happens, I want to go!” So Joab[be] said to him, “Then go!” So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,[bf] and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself. 25 So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he brings good news.”[bg] The runner[bh] came ever closer.

26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, “There is another man running by himself.” The king said, “This one also is bringing good news.” 27 The watchman said, “It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz[bi] son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and he comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “Greetings!”[bj] He bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and said, “May the Lord your God be praised because he has defeated[bk] the men who opposed[bl] my lord the king!”

29 The king replied, “How is the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz replied, “I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was all about.” 30 The king said, “Turn aside and take your place here.” So he turned aside and waited.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said,[bm] “May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!”[bn] 32 The king asked the Cushite, “How is the young man Absalom?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who have plotted against you[bo] be like that young man!”

33 (19:1)[bp] The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son,[bq] Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!”[br]

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”
  2. 2 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”
  3. 2 Samuel 17:3 tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.
  4. 2 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”
  5. 2 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “elders.”
  6. 2 Samuel 17:5 tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.
  7. 2 Samuel 17:5 tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”
  8. 2 Samuel 17:7 tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”
  9. 2 Samuel 17:8 tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”
  10. 2 Samuel 17:9 tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”
  11. 2 Samuel 17:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
  12. 2 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “elders.”
  13. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “send quickly and tell David saying.”
  14. 2 Samuel 17:16 tc The MT reads “the rift valleys (עֲרָבוֹת, ʿaravot) of the wilderness.” The plural form typically refers to the gently sloping plains at the basin of the rift valley just north of the Dead Sea (while the larger rift valley extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba). Many translations render as the “fords” (NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV) assuming the reversal of two letters as עֲבָרוֹת (ʿavarot, “fords, crossing”).
  15. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn That is, “cross over the Jordan River.”
  16. 2 Samuel 17:16 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
  17. 2 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Absalom’s men) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  18. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “they”; the referents (Ahimaaz and Jonathan) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “the water.”
  20. 2 Samuel 17:21 tn Heb “for thus Ahithophel has devised against you.” The expression “thus” is narrative shorthand, referring to the plan outlined by Ahithophel (see vv. 1-3). The men would surely have outlined the plan in as much detail as they had been given by the messenger.
  21. 2 Samuel 17:22 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text here or in v. 24, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  22. 2 Samuel 17:23 tc The Greek recensions of Origen and Lucian have here “house” for “grave.”
  23. 2 Samuel 17:25 tn Heb “come to.”
  24. 2 Samuel 17:26 tn Heb “and Israel.”
  25. 2 Samuel 17:28 tc The MT adds “roasted grain” וְקָלִי (veqali) at the end of v. 28, apparently accidentally repeating the word from its earlier occurrence in this verse. With the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and an Old Latin ms the translation deletes this second occurrence of the word.
  26. 2 Samuel 17:29 tn Heb “cheese of the herd,” probably referring to cheese from cow’s milk (rather than goat’s milk).
  27. 2 Samuel 17:29 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
  28. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “the people said.”
  29. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “march out.”
  30. 2 Samuel 18:3 tn Heb “they will not place to us heart.”
  31. 2 Samuel 18:3 tc The translation follows the LXX (except for the Lucianic recension), Symmachus, and Vulgate in reading אָתָּה (ʾattah, “you”) rather than MT עָתָּה (ʿattah, “now”).
  32. 2 Samuel 18:7 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 9).
  33. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the.”
  34. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “the donkey.”
  35. 2 Samuel 18:9 tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”
  36. 2 Samuel 18:10 tc 4QSama lacks the word “one.”
  37. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”
  38. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.
  39. 2 Samuel 18:11 tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”
  40. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (velu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (velo’, “and not”).
  41. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”
  42. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.
  43. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “extend my hand against.”
  44. 2 Samuel 18:12 tn Heb “in our ears.”
  45. 2 Samuel 18:12 tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.
  46. 2 Samuel 18:13 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (venafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (venafsho, “against his life”).
  47. 2 Samuel 18:13 tn Heb “stood aloof.”
  48. 2 Samuel 18:14 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor-bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
  49. 2 Samuel 18:16 tn Heb “the shofar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
  50. 2 Samuel 18:17 tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).
  51. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “and in his life.”
  52. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.
  53. 2 Samuel 18:18 tn Heb “a pillar.”
  54. 2 Samuel 18:19 tn Heb “that the Lord has vindicated him from the hand of his enemies.”
  55. 2 Samuel 18:20 tn Heb “but this day you will not bear good news.”
  56. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn The words “but he said” are not in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  57. 2 Samuel 18:23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  58. 2 Samuel 18:24 tn Heb “the two gates.”
  59. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “good news is in his mouth.”
  60. 2 Samuel 18:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the runner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  61. 2 Samuel 18:27 tn Heb “I am seeing the running of the first one like the running of Ahimaaz.”
  62. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “Peace.”
  63. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “delivered over.”
  64. 2 Samuel 18:28 tn Heb “lifted their hand against.”
  65. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “And look, the Cushite came and the Cushite said.”
  66. 2 Samuel 18:31 tn Heb “for the Lord has vindicated you today from the hand of all those rising against you.”
  67. 2 Samuel 18:32 tn Heb “and all those rising against you for evil.”
  68. 2 Samuel 18:33 sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.
  69. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
  70. 2 Samuel 18:33 tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.
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