1
Furthermore,
Ahithophel said to
Absalom,
"Please let me
choose 12,000 * * men that I may
arise and
pursue David tonight.
a'N h'r]x.b,a ~{l'v.b;a -l,a l,p{tyix]a r,ma{Y;w ? h'p.D.r,a.w h'm.Wq'a.w vyia @,l,a r'f'[ -myen.v ? h'l.y'L;h diw'd -yer]x;a
2
"I will
come upon him while he is
weary and
exhausted * and
terrify him, so that
all the
people who are with him will
flee. Then I will
strike down the
king alone,
yiT.d;r]x;h.w ~Iy;d'y hep.r.W ;[eg'y a.Wh.w wy'l'[ aw{b'a.w ? yityeKih.w w{Tia -r,v]a ~'['h -l'K s'n.w w{t{a ? w{D;b.l .$,l,M;h -t,a
3
and I will
bring back all the
people to you. The
return of
everyone depends on the
man you
seek; then
all the
people will be at
peace."
vyia'h l{K;h b.Wv.K '$y,lea ~'['h -l'k h'byiv'a.w ? ~w{l'v h,y.hIy ~'['h -l'K veQ;b.m h'T;a r,v]a
4
So the
plan pleased * Absalom and
all the
elders of
Israel.
yen.qiz -l'K yenye[.b.W ~{l'v.b;a yenye[.B r'b'D;h r;vyiY;w ? lea'r.fIy
5
Then
Absalom said,
"Now call Hushai the
Archite also, and let us
hear what he has to
say."
yiK.r;a'h y;v.Wx.l ~;G a'n a'r.q ~w{l'v.b;a r,ma{Y;w ? a.Wh -m;G wyip.B -h;m h'[.m.vin.w
6
When Hushai had
come to
Absalom,
Absalom said to him,
"Ahithophel has
spoken thus *. Shall we
carry out his
plan?
If not, you
speak."
~w{l'v.b;a r,ma{Y;w ~w{l'v.b;a -l,a y;v.Wx a{b'Y;w ? h,f][;n]h l,p{tyix]a r,BiD h,Z;h r'b'D;K r{mael wy'lea ? reB;d h'T;a !Iy;a -mia w{r'b.D -t,a
7
So
Hushai said to
Absalom,
"This time the
advice that
Ahithophel has
given is not
good."
h'bw{j -a{l ~w{l'v.b;a -l,a y;v.Wx r,ma{Y;w ? ta{Z;h ~;[;P;B l,p{tyix]a #;['y -r,v]a h'ce['h
8
Moreover,
Hushai said, "You
know your
father and his
men, that they are
mighty men and they are
fierce *, like a
bear robbed of her
cubs in the
field. And your
father is an
expert in
warfare, and will not
spend the
night with the
people.
-t,a.w '$yib'a -t,a 'T.[;d'y h'T;a y;v.Wx r,ma{Y;w ? b{d.K h'Meh v,p,n yer'm.W h'Meh ~yir{Big yiK wy'v'n]a ? ~'['h -t,a !yil'y a{l.w h'm'x.lim vyia '$yib'a.w h,d'F;B l.WK;v
9
"Behold, he has
now hidden himself in
one of the
caves or in
another place; and it will be
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.'
w{a ~yit'x.P;h t;x;a.B a'B.x,n -a.Wh h'T;[ heNih ? h'Lix.T;B ~,h'B l{p.niK h'y'h.w t{mw{q.M;h d;x;a.B ? r,v]a ~'['B h'peG;m h't.y'h r;m'a.w ;[em{V;h [;m'v.w ? ~{l'v.b;a yer]x;a
10
"And
even the
one who is
valiant *,
whose heart is like the
heart of a
lion, will
completely lose heart; for
all Israel knows that your
father is a
mighty man and those
who are with him are
valiant men.
hey.r;a'h bel.K w{Bil r,v]a lIy;x -n,B -m;g a.Wh.w ? rw{Big -yiK lea'r.fIy -l'K ;[ed{y -yiK s'MIy seMih ? w{Tia r,v]a lIy;x -yen.b.W '$yib'a
11
"But I
counsel that
all Israel be
surely gathered to you, from
Dan even to
Beersheba, as the
sand that is by the
sea in
abundance, and that you
personally go into
battle.
lea'r.fIy -l'k '$y,l'[ @es'aey @{s'aeh yiT.c;['y yiK ? ~'Y;h -l;[ -r,v]a lw{x;K [;b,v rea.B -d;[.w !'Dim ? b'r.q;B ~yik.l{h '$y,n'p.W b{r'l
12
"So we shall
come to him in
one of the
places where * he can be
found, and we will
fall on him as the
dew falls on the
ground; and of him and of
all the
men who are with him, not
even one will be
left.
a'c.min r,v]a t{mw{q.M;h t;x;a.B wy'lea .Wna'b.W ? h'm'd]a'h -l;[ l;J;h l{PIy r,v]a;K wy'l'[ .Wn.x;n.w ~'v ? w{Tia -r,v]a ~yiv'n]a'h -l'k.b.W w{B r;tw{n -a{l.w ? d'x,a -m;G
13
"If he
withdraws into a
city, then
all Israel shall
bring ropes to that
city, and we will
drag it into the
valley until * not
even a
small stone is
found there."
-l'k .WayiFih.w @es'aey ryi[ -l,a -mia.w ? .Wn.b;x's.w ~yil'b]x ayih;h ryi['h -l,a lea'r.fIy ? rw{r.c -m;G ~'v a'c.min -a{l -r,v]a d;[ l;x;N;h -d;[ w{t{a
14
Then
Absalom and
all the
men of
Israel said, "The
counsel of
Hushai the
Archite is
better than the
counsel of
Ahithophel." For the
LORD had
ordained to
thwart the
good counsel of
Ahithophel,
so that the
LORD might
bring calamity on
Absalom.
h'bw{j lea'r.fIy vyia -l'k.w ~w{l'v.b;a r,ma{Y;w ? h'why;w l,p{tyix]a t;c][em yiK.r;a'h y;v.Wx t;c][ ? r.Wb][;b.l h'bw{J;h l,p{tyix]a t;c][ -t,a rep'h.l h\Wic ? h'['r'h -t,a ~w{l'v.b;a -l,a h'wh.y ayib'h
15
Then
Hushai said to
Zadok and to
Abiathar the
priests,
"This is
what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the
elders of
Israel, and
this is
what I have
counseled.
r't'y.b,a -l,a.w qw{d'c -l,a y;v.Wx r,ma{Y;w ? ~{l'v.b;a -t,a l,p{tyix]a #;['y ta{z'k.w ta{z'K ~yin]h{K;h ? yiT.c;['y ta{z'k.w ta{z'k.w lea'r.fIy yen.qiz tea.w ? yin'a
16
"Now therefore,
send quickly and
tell David,
saying, 'Do not
spend the
night at the
fords of the
wilderness, but by
all * means cross over,
or else the
king and
all the
people who are with him will be
destroyed.' "
r{mael diw'd.l .WdyiG;h.w h'reh.m .Wx.liv h'T;[.w ? ~;g.w r'B.diM;h tw{b.r;[.B h'l.y;L;h !,l'T -l;a ? ~'['h -l'k.l.W .$,l,M;l [;LUb.y !,P rw{b][;T rw{b'[ ? w{Tia r,v]a
17
Now
Jonathan and
Ahimaaz were
staying at
En-rogel, and a
maidservant would
go and
tell them, and they would
go and
tell King David, for they
could not be
seen entering the
city.
leg{r -nye[.B ~yid.m{[ #;[;myix]a;w !'t'nw{hyiw ? .Wk.ley ~eh.w ~,h'l h'dyiGih.w h'x.piV;h h'k.l'h.w ? tw{a'reh.l .Wl.k.Wy a{l yiK diw'D .$,l,M;l .WdyiGih.w ? h'ryi['h aw{b'l
18
But a
lad did
see them and
told Absalom; so the
two of them
departed quickly and
came to the
house of a
man in
Bahurim, who had a
well in his
courtyard, and they
went down into it.
.Wk.leY;w ~{l'v.b;a.l deG;Y;w r;[;n ~'t{a a.r;Y;w ? ~yir.Wx;b.B vyia -tyeB -l,a .Wa{b'Y;w h'reh.m ~,hyen.v ? ~'v .Wd.reY;w w{rec]x;B rea.b w{l.w
19
And the
woman took a
covering and
spread it
over the
well's mouth and
scattered grain on it, so that
nothing * was
known.
yen.P -l;[ .$'s'M;h -t,a f{r.piT;w h'Via'h x;QiT;w ? [;dw{n a{l.w tw{pir'h wy'l'[ x;j.viT;w rea.B;h ? r'b'D
20
Then
Absalom's servants came to the
woman at the
house and
said,
"Where are
Ahimaaz and
Jonathan?" And the
woman said to them, "They have
crossed the
brook of
water." And
when they
searched and could not
find them, they
returned to
Jerusalem.
h't.y;B;h h'Via'h -l,a ~w{l'v.b;a yed.b;[ .Wa{b'Y;w ? r,ma{T;w !'t'nw{hyiw #;[;myix]a heY;a .Wr.ma{Y;w ? .Wv.q;b.y;w ~Iy'M;h l;kyim .Wr.b'[ h'Via'h ~,h'l ? ~i'l'v.Wr.y .WbUv'Y;w .Wa'c'm a{l.w
21
It
came about
after they had
departed that they
came up out of the
well and
went and
told King David; and they
said to
David,
"Arise and
cross over the
water quickly for
thus Ahithophel has
counseled against you."
.Wk.leY;w rea.B;hem .Wl][;Y;w ~'T.k,l yer]x;a yih.y;w ? .Wm.Wq diw'D -l,a .Wr.ma{Y;w diw'D .$,l,M;l .WdiG;Y;w ? #;['y h'k'k -yiK ~Iy;M;h -t,a h'reh.m .Wr.bi[.w ? l,p{tyix]a ~,kyel][
22
Then
David and
all the
people who were with him
arose and
crossed the
Jordan; and by
dawn * not
even one remained who had not
crossed the
Jordan.
.Wr.b;[;Y;w w{Tia r,v]a ~'['h -l'k.w diw'D ~'q'Y;w ? d;x;a -d;[ r,q{B;h rw{a -d;[ !eD.r;Y;h -t,a ? !eD.r;Y;h -t,a r;b'[ -a{l r,v]a r'D.[,n a{l
23
Now
when Ahithophel saw that his
counsel was not
followed, he
saddled his
donkey and
arose and
went to his
home, to his
city, and
set his
house in
order, and
strangled himself; thus he
died and was
buried in the
grave of his
father.
v{b]x;Y;w w{t'c][ h't.f,[,n a{l yiK h'a'r l,p{tyix]a;w ? w{ryi[ -l,a w{tyeB -l,a .$,leY;w ~'q'Y;w rw{m]x;h -t,a ? reb'QiY;w t'm'Y;w q;n'xeY;w w{tyeB -l,a w;c.y;w ? wyib'a r,b,q.B
24
Then
David came to
Mahanaim. And
Absalom crossed the
Jordan, he and
all the
men of
Israel with him.
!eD.r;Y;h -t,a r;b'[ ~{l'v.b;a.w h'm.y'n]x;m a'B diw'd.w ? w{Mi[ lea'r.fIy vyia -l'k.w a.Wh
25
Absalom set Amasa over the
army in
place of
Joab. Now
Amasa was the
son of a
man whose
name was
Ithra the
Israelite,
who went in to
Abigail the
daughter of
Nahash,
sister of
Zeruiah,
Joab's mother.
a'b'C;h -l;[ b'aw{y t;x;T ~{l'v.b;a ~'f a'f'm][ -t,a.w ? yilea.r.fiY;h a'r.tIy w{m.v.W vyia -n,b a'f'm][;w ? tw{x]a v'x'n -t;B l;gyib]a -l,a a'B -r,v]a ? b'aw{y ~ea h'y.Wr.c
26
And
Israel and
Absalom camped in the
land of
Gilead.
d'[.liG;h #,r,a ~{l'v.b;a.w lea'r.fIy !;xiY;w
27
Now when
David had
come to
Mahanaim,
Shobi the
son of
Nahash from
Rabbah of the
sons of
Ammon,
Machir the
son of
Ammiel from
Lo-debar, and
Barzillai the
Gileadite from
Rogelim,
v'x'n -n,b yib{v.w h'm.y'n]x;m diw'd aw{b.K yih.y;w ? leayiM;[ -n,B ryik'm.W !w{M;[ -yen.B t;B;rem ? ~yil.g{rem yid'[.liG;h y;Liz.r;b.W r'b.d a{Lim
28
brought beds,
basins,
pottery,
wheat,
barley,
flour,
parched grain,
beans,
lentils,
parched seeds,
~yir{[.f.W ~yiJix.w recw{y yil.k.W tw{P;s.w b'K.vim ? yil'q.w ~yiv'd][;w lw{p.W yil'q.w x;m,q.w
29
honey,
curds,
sheep, and
cheese of the
herd, for
David and for the
people who were with him, to
eat; for they
said, "The
people are
hungry and
weary and
thirsty in the
wilderness."
.WvyiGih r'q'B tw{p.v.W !a{c.w h'a.m,x.w v;b.d.W ? .Wr.m'a yiK lw{k/a,l w{Tia -r,v]a ~'['l.w diw'd.l ? r'B.diM;B aem'c.w @ey'[.w be['r ~'['h