2 Samuel 16:15-17:4

EasyEnglish Bible

Ahithophel gives advice to Absalom

¹⁵ So Absalom and all the Israelites who were with him arrived in Jerusalem. Ahithophel came with him. ¹⁶ David's friend, Hushai the Arkite, had also come there. He went to Absalom and he said to him, ‘May the king live for ever! May the king live for ever!’

¹⁷ Absalom asked Hushai, ‘Why have you not been faithful to your friend David? Why did you not go with him?’

¹⁸ Hushai replied, ‘No, I will serve you. You are the king that the Lord has chosen. And all these people and the men of Israel have chosen you too. So I will stay with you. ¹⁹ I served your father when he was king. So now it is surely right for me to serve you, his son.’

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, ‘What do you think that we should do now? What is your advice?’

²¹ Ahithophel answered, ‘Sleep with your father's slave wives that are here. He left them to take care of his palace. Then all the people in Israel will know that you have insulted your father. They will know that he must now hate you. That will help your own men to be strong.’

²² So they put up a tent for Absalom on the roof of the palace. There he had sex with his father's slave wives, and all the Israelites could see him.

²³ In those days, people thought that Ahithophel's words were as good as a message from God. So Absalom trusted Ahithophel as his advisor, as David had done too.

Hushai and Ahithophel give advice to Absalom

17 Ahithophel said to Absalom, ‘Please let me choose 12,000 men so that I can go and attack David tonight. ² Now he will be very tired and weak. So when we attack him, he will be frightened. All his soldiers will run away. But I will kill only the king. ³ Then I will bring all his army back to you. If we kill this one man that you want to destroy, then all the people will return safely.’

⁴ This seemed a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel.