2 Samuel 15:30-17:23
Expanded Bible
30 David went up the ·Mount [L Ascent] of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot [C signs of mourning]. All the people with David covered their heads also and cried as they went. 31 Someone told David, “Ahithophel is one of the ·people with Absalom who made secret plans against you [conspirators with Absalom].”
So David prayed, “Lord, please ·make [turn] Ahithophel’s ·advice foolish [counsel into foolishness].”
32 When David reached the top of the mountain where people ·used to worship [worshiped] God, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him. Hushai’s coat was torn, and there was dirt on his head [C a sign of mourning or distress]. 33 David said to Hushai, “If you go with me, you will be ·just one more person for me to take care of [L a burden]. 34 But if you return to the city, you can ·make Ahithophel’s advice useless [thwart/frustrate/counter Ahithophel’s counsel]. Tell Absalom, ‘I am your servant, my king. In the past I served your father, but now I will serve you.’ 35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will [L they not…?] be with you. Tell them everything you hear in the royal palace. 36 Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are with them. Send them to tell me everything you hear.” 37 So David’s friend Hushai ·entered [returned to] Jerusalem just as Absalom arrived.
Ziba Meets David
16 When David had passed a short way ·over the top of the Mount of Olives [L beyond the summit], Ziba, Mephibosheth’s [C Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson; 4:4] servant, met him. Ziba had a ·row [string; or couple] of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred ·cakes [or clusters] of raisins, one hundred ·cakes of figs [L bunches of summer fruits], and ·leather bags full [skins] of wine. 2 The king asked Ziba, “What are these things for?”
Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for your ·family [household] to ride. The bread and ·cakes of figs [L summer fruit] are for the ·servants [men; soldiers] to eat. And the wine is for anyone to drink who might become ·weak [exhausted; faint] in the ·desert [wilderness].”
3 The king asked, “Where is ·Mephibosheth [L your master’s son/grandson]?”
Ziba answered him, “Mephibosheth is staying in Jerusalem because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will ·give [L restore] my father’s kingdom back to me!’”
4 Then the king said to Ziba, “All right. Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth, I now give to you!”
Ziba said, “I ·bow to you [prostrate myself]. ·I hope I will always be able to please you [L May I find favor in your sight/eyes, my lord the king].”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out ·and cursed him [cursing at them]. He was from ·Saul’s family group [L the clan of the house of Saul], and his name was Shimei son of Gera. 6 He threw stones at David and his ·officers [officials; L servants], but the people and soldiers gathered ·all around David [L to his right and left]. 7 Shimei cursed David, saying, “Get out, get out, you ·murderer [L man of blood], you ·troublemaker [scoundrel]. 8 The Lord is ·punishing [repaying] you for ·the people in Saul’s family you killed [L all the bloodshed of the house of Saul]! You ·took [reigned in] Saul’s place as king, but now the Lord has given the kingdom to your son Absalom! Now you are ·ruined [caught in your own evil] because you are a ·murderer [L man of blood]!”
9 Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse you, the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”
10 But the king answered, “·This does not concern you [L What have I to do with you], sons of Zeruiah! If ·he is cursing me because the Lord told him to [L the Lord has told him, “Curse David”] , who can ·question him [L say, “Why have you done so”]?”
11 David also said to Abishai and all his ·officers [officials; L servants], “My own ·son [flesh and blood] is trying to kill me! ·This man is a Benjaminite and has more right to kill me [L How much more reason has this Benjaminite; C as a member of Saul’s clan]! Leave him alone and let him ·curse me [L curse], ·because [or if] the Lord told him to do this. 12 Maybe the Lord will see ·my misery [my affliction/distress; or that I am being wronged] and repay me with ·something good [blessing] for Shimei’s curses today!”
13 So David and his men went on down the road, ·but [while] Shimei ·followed [went along] on the nearby hillside. He kept cursing David and throwing stones and ·dirt [flinging dust] at him. 14 When the king and all his people arrived at the Jordan, they were very tired, so they rested there.
15 Meanwhile, Absalom, Ahithophel, and all the ·Israelites [L people/army of Israel] arrived at Jerusalem. 16 David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Absalom asked, “·Why are you not loyal [L Is this the love/loyalty you show] to your friend David? Why didn’t you leave Jerusalem with your friend?”
18 Hushai said, “I belong to the one chosen by the Lord and by these people and everyone in Israel. I will stay with ·you [L him]. 19 In the past I served your father. So whom should I serve now? David’s son! I will serve you as I served him.”
Ahithophel’s Advice
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “·Tell [L Advise; Counsel] us what we should do.”
21 Ahithophel said, “Your father left behind some of his ·slave women [L concubines; C secondary wives; 3:7] to take care of the palace. ·Have sexual relations with [Sleep with; L Go into] them. Then all Israel will hear that ·your father is your enemy [L you have gravely insulted/made yourself odious to your father], and all ·your people [Israel; or those who support you] will be ·encouraged to give you more [stronger in their] support.” 22 So they put up a tent for Absalom on the roof [C the flat roofs of Israelite houses were used for living space] of ·his palace [L the king’s house] where everyone in Israel could see it. And Absalom ·had sexual relations with [slept with; L went in to] his father’s ·slave women [concubines].
23 At that time people thought Ahithophel’s advice was as ·reliable as God’s own word [L if one consulted a word/message/oracle from God]. Both David and Absalom thought ·it was that reliable [so].
17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men and chase David tonight. 2 I’ll catch him while he is tired and ·weak [discouraged], and I’ll ·frighten [terrorize] him so all his ·people [troops] will run away. But I’ll ·kill [strike down] only King David. 3 Then I’ll bring everyone back to you [L as a bride returns to her husband].[a] ·If the man you are looking for is dead [Since you seek the life of only one man], everyone else will ·return safely [be at peace].” 4 This plan ·seemed good to [pleased] Absalom and to all the ·leaders [elders] of Israel.
5 But Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Arkite, so I can hear what he says.” 6 When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “This is the plan Ahithophel gave. Should we follow it? If not, ·tell us [give us your view].”
7 Hushai said to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not good this time.” 8 Hushai added, “You know your father and his men are ·strong [L mighty fighters/warriors]. They are as ·angry [fierce] as a bear that is robbed of its cubs. Your father is a ·skilled [experienced; expert] ·fighter [in war]. He won’t stay all night with the ·army [troops]. 9 He is probably already hiding in a cave or ·some other place [L pit; hollow]. ·If the first attack fails [L When some of our men fall at the first attack], people will hear the news and think, ‘Absalom’s followers are ·losing [being slaughtered]!’ 10 Then even the men who are ·as brave as lions [L valiant, with the heart of a lion] will ·be frightened [L melt/be paralyzed with fear], because all the Israelites know your father is a ·fighter [L mighty warrior]. They know his men are brave!
11 “This is what I ·suggest [advise; counsel]: Gather all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba [C in the far north and south of Israel]. There will be as many people as grains of sand by the sea. Then you ·yourself must go [personally lead them] into the battle. 12 We will ·go to [attack; come at] David wherever he is hiding. We will fall on him as dew falls on the ground. ·We will kill him and all of his men so that no one [L Neither he nor any of his men] will be left alive. 13 If David ·escapes [withdraws] into a city, all the Israelites will bring ropes to that city and pull it into the valley. Not ·a stone will be left [a pebble will be found there]!”
14 Absalom and all the Israelites said, “The ·advice [counsel] of Hushai the Arkite is better than ·that [the counsel] of Ahithophel.” (The Lord had ·planned [determined; resolved; ordained] to ·destroy [thwart; defeat; frustrate] the good ·advice [counsel] of Ahithophel so the Lord could bring ·disaster [calamity; ruin] on Absalom.)
15 Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had ·suggested [advised; counseled] to Absalom and the elders of Israel. He also reported to them what he himself had ·suggested [advised; counseled]. Hushai said, 16 “Quickly! Send a message to David. Tell him not to stay tonight at the ·crossings into the desert [fords in the wilderness] but to cross over the Jordan River at once. ·If he crosses the river, he and all his people won’t be destroyed [L Otherwise the king and everyone with him will be swallowed up].”
17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. They did not want to ·be [risk being] seen going into the city, so a servant girl would go out to them and give them messages. Then Jonathan and Ahimaaz would go and tell King David.
18 But a ·boy [lad; young man] saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left quickly and went to a man’s house in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. 19 The man’s wife spread a ·sheet [covering] over the opening of the well and ·covered [scattered] it with grain. ·No one could tell that anyone was hiding there [L Nothing was known].
20 Absalom’s ·servants [men] came to the woman at the house and asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
She said to them, “They have already crossed the brook.”
Absalom’s ·servants [men] then went to ·look [search] for Jonathan and Ahimaaz, but they could not find them. So they went back to Jerusalem.
21 After ·Absalom’s servants [they] left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well and went to tell King David. They said, “Hurry, cross over the ·river [water]! Ahithophel has ·said [advised; counseled] these things against you!” 22 So David and all his people crossed the Jordan River. By dawn, everyone had crossed the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel saw that the Israelites did not ·accept his advice [follow his counsel], he saddled his donkey and went to his hometown. He ·left orders for his family and property [set his affairs/house in order], and then he hanged himself. He died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 17:3 as a bride returns to her husband Some Greek copies read “as a bride returns to her husband.” Hebrew copies read “like the return of the whole is the man you seek.”
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