The Daily Audio Bible

Hushai’s Counsel

17 Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose twelve thousand men and let me set out and pursue David tonight. ^2 (A)And I will ^[a]attack him while he is weary and ^[b]exhausted and startle him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then ^(B)I will strike and kill the king when he is alone, ³ and I will bring all the people back to you. ^[c]The return of everyone depends on the man whom you are seeking; then all the people will be at ^(C)peace.” ⁴ And the ^[d]plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵ Nevertheless, Absalom said, “Now call ^(D)Hushai the Archite also, and let’s hear what ^[e]he has to say.” ⁶ When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to ^[f]him, “Ahithophel has ^[g]proposed this plan. Should we ^[h]carry out his plan? If not, say so yourself.” ⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom, “^(E)This time the advice that Ahithophel has ^[i]given is not good.” ⁸ Then Hushai said, “You yourself know your father and his men, that they are warriors and they are ^[j]fierce, ^(F)like a bear deprived of her cubs in the field. And your father is an ^[k]expert in warfare, and he will not spend the night with the people. ⁹ Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the ravines, or in another place; and it will be that when he falls on them at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom!’ ¹⁰ And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, ^(G)will completely despair; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ But I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, ^(H)from Dan even to Beersheba, ^(I)like the sand that is by the sea in abundance; and that ^[l]you personally go into battle. ¹² Then we will come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will ^[m]fall on him ^(J)just 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. ¹³ And if he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will ^(K)drag it into the ^[n]valley until not even a pebble is found there.” ¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For ^(L)the Lord had ordained to foil the good advice of Ahithophel, in order for the Lord to bring disaster on Absalom.

Hushai’s Warning Saves David

¹⁵ Then ^(M)Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “^[o]This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do, and ^[p]this is what I have advised. ¹⁶ Now then, send a messenger quickly and tell David, saying, ‘^(N)Do not spend the night at the river crossing places of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be ^[q]destroyed.’” ^17 (O)Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at ^(P)En-rogel, and a female servant would go and inform them, and they would go and inform King David, for they could not allow themselves to be seen entering the city. ¹⁸ But a boy did see them, and he told Absalom; so the two of them left quickly and came to the house of a man ^(Q)in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down ^[r]into it. ¹⁹ And ^(R)the woman ^[s]took a cover and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered barley meal on it, so that nothing was known. ²⁰ Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And ^(S)the woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and did not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ It came about after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and reported to King David; and they said to David, “^(T)Set out and cross over the water quickly, because this is what Ahithophel has advised against you.” ²² Then David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan; by ^[t]dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been ^[u]followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to ^(U)his city, and ^[v](V)set his house in order, and ^(W)hanged himself; so he died and was buried in his father’s grave.

²⁴ Then David came to ^(X)Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ Absalom put ^(Y)Amasa ^[w]in command of the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was ^[x]Ithra the Israelite, who ^[y]had relations with Abigail the daughter of ^(Z)Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶ And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi ^(AA)the son of Nahash from ^(AB)Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, ^(AC)Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and ^(AD)Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸ brought ^(AE)beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, roasted seeds, ²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him, ^(AF)to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and exhausted and thirsty in the wilderness.”

²³ Then ^(A)the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made ^(B)four parts: a part to each soldier, and the ^[a]tunic also; but the tunic was seamless, woven ^[b]in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “^(C)Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be.” ^(D)This happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “They ^(E)divided My garments among themselves, and they cast ^[c]lots for My clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.

^25 (F)Now beside the cross of Jesus stood ^(G)His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and ^(H)Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ So when Jesus saw His mother, and ^(I)the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “^(J)Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into ^(K)his own household.

²⁸ After this, Jesus, ^(L)knowing that all things had already been accomplished, ^(M)in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, *said, “^(N)I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so ^(O)they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. ³⁰ Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “^(P)It is finished!” And He bowed His head and ^(Q)gave up His spirit.

Care of the Body of Jesus

³¹ Now then, since it was ^(R)the day of preparation, to prevent ^(S)the bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath (^[d]for that Sabbath was a ^(T)high day), the Jews requested of Pilate that their legs be broken, and the bodies be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man, and of the other who was ^(U)crucified with Him; ³³ but after they came to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately ^(V)blood and water came out. ³⁵ And he who has seen has ^(W)testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things took place ^(X)so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “^(Y)Not a bone of Him shall be ^[e]broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “^(Z)They will look at Him whom they pierced.”

³⁸ Now ^(AA)after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a ^(AB)secret one for ^(AC)fear of the ^[f]Jews, requested of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. ^39 (AD)Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, ^(AE)bringing a ^[g]mixture of ^(AF)myrrh and aloes, about a ^[h](AG)hundred litras weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and ^(AH)bound it in ^(AI)linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden was a ^(AJ)new tomb ^(AK)in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² Therefore because of the Jewish day of ^(AL)preparation, since the tomb was ^(AM)nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Pe

Tsadhe

Qoph