The Daily Audio Bible

17 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me now choose 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ² I will attack him while he is weary and weak-handed, and terrify him so that all the people that are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king when he is alone. ³ Then I will bring all the people back to you—when all will have returned except the man you are seeking, then all the people will be at peace.”

⁴ Now the plan seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel. ⁵ Then Absalom said, “Call now Hushai the Archite also. Let’s hear what he has to say as well.” ⁶ When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him saying, “This is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his counsel? If not, you will speak.”

⁷ So Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” ⁸ Hushai then added, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and they are embittered in their souls like a bear robbed of her cubs in the wild. Your father is an expert in warfare, and won’t spend the night with the troops. ⁹ Even now, he must be hiding in one of the caves or in some other place. So if he were to fall on them at first, whoever hears of it would say, ‘There’s a slaughter among the people following Absalom!’ ¹⁰ Then even one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt away—for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty warrior and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹ Instead, I counsel that all Israel be gathered altogether to you—from Dan to Beersheba, as abundant as the sand by the sea—and that you personally go into the battle. ¹² Then we will come upon him in one of the places where he can be found and we’ll fall upon him as dew falls on the ground. None will be left of all the men who are with him—not even one. ¹³ Moreover if he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag it into the valley until not even one small stone will be found there.”

¹⁴ Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For Adonai had ordained to thwart Ahithophel’s good counsel, so that Adonai might bring evil upon Absalom.

¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the kohanim, “This and that is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this and that is what I advised. ¹⁶ Now therefore send word quickly and tell David saying, ‘Don’t spend the night at the fords in the wilderness but by all means, cross over or else the king and all the people with him may be swallowed up.’” ¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant used to go and pass information along to them. Then they would go and inform King David for they could not be seen entering the city.

¹⁸ But a lad did see them and informed Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and arrived at the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard; so they went down into it. ¹⁹ Then the woman took the cover and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on top of it so that nothing was noticeable. ²⁰ When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” the woman said to them, “They crossed over the brook of water.” When they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ After they had departed, they came up from the well, then went and informed King David, telling David, “Get up and cross over the water immediately, for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.” ²² Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed over the Jordan. By morning light, not even one of them was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³ Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, arose, went to his home in his hometown set his house in order, and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

²⁴ David had reached Mahanaim by the time Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵ Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. (Now Amasa was son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite^[a], who had gone to Abigal daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.) ²⁶ Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Now when David reached Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, Machir son of Ammiel of Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim ²⁸ brought beds, basins, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, ²⁹ honey, curd, sheep and cheese from the herd for David and for the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people must be hungry, weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

²³ So the soldiers, when they executed Yeshua, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part for each soldier. They took His tunic also, but it was seamless, woven top to bottom in one piece. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be.” This was so the Scripture would be fulfilled,

²⁵ Standing near the execution stake of Yeshua were His mother, His mother’s sister, Miriam the wife of Clopas, and Miriam from Magdala. ²⁶ Yeshua saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby. He tells His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then He tells the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that very hour, the disciple took her into his own home.

²⁸ After this, when Yeshua knew that all things were now completed, to fulfill the Scripture He said, “I am thirsty.” ^{[b] 29} A jar full of sour wine was sitting there, so they put a sponge soaked with the sour wine on a hyssop branch and brought it to His mouth. ³⁰ When Yeshua tasted the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

³¹ It was the Day of Preparation, and the next day was a festival Shabbat. So that the bodies should not remain on the execution stake during Shabbat, the Judean leaders asked Pilate to have the legs broken and to have the bodies taken away.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then the other who had been executed with Yeshua. ³³ Now when they came to Yeshua and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. ³⁵ He who has seen it has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of His shall be broken.” ^{[c] 37} And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.”^[d]

Buried in a Rich Man’s Tomb

³⁸ After these things, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take Yeshua’s body away. Joseph was a disciple of Yeshua, but secretly for fear of the Judean leaders. Pilate gave permission, so Joseph came and took the body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who had first visited Yeshua at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. ^{[e] 40} Then they took the body of Yeshua and wrapped it in linen with the spices, as is the Jewish burial custom.

⁴¹ Now in the place where He was executed, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb^[f] where no one had yet been buried. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Yeshua there.

PE פ

TZADHE צ

KOF ק