The Daily Audio Bible

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 [^Las 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 [^Lmighty 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 [^Lpit; hollow]. ·If the first attack fails [^LWhen 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 [^Lvaliant, with the heart of a lion] will ·be frightened [^Lmelt/be paralyzed with fear], because all the Israelites know your father is a ·fighter [^Lmighty warrior]. They know his men are brave!

¹¹ “This is what I ·suggest [advise; counsel]: Gather all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba [^Cin 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 [^LNeither 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 [^LOtherwise 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 [^LNothing 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.

War Between David and Absalom

²⁴ David arrived at Mahanaim. And Absalom and all ·his Israelites [^Lthe men/army of Israel] crossed over the Jordan River. ²⁵ Absalom had made Amasa ·captain [commander; head] of the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named ·Jether [or Ithra] the Ishmaelite.^[b] Amasa’s mother was Abigail daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶ Absalom and the Israelites camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai were at Mahanaim when David arrived. Shobi son of Nahash was from the Ammonite town of Rabbah. Makir son of Ammiel was from Lo Debar, and Barzillai was from Rogelim in Gilead. ²⁸ They brought beds, bowls, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, ·small peas [lentils], ²⁹ honey, milk curds, sheep, and cheese made from ·cows’ milk [^Lthe herd] for David and his people. They said, “The people are hungry and tired and thirsty in the ·desert [wilderness].”

²³ After the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part [^Cit was a custom that the executioners would get the victim’s clothes]. They also took his ·long shirt [tunic; undergarment], which was ·all one piece of cloth [seamless], woven from top to bottom. ²⁴ So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots [^Csimilar to dice] to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true:

So the soldiers did this.

²⁵ [^LNow] Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [^CIt is unclear whether Mary the wife of Clopas is the same as Jesus’ mother’s sister or someone else.] ²⁶ When Jesus [^Ltherefore] saw his mother and the ·follower [disciple] he loved [^Cprobably John himself] standing nearby, he said to his mother, “·Dear woman [^LWoman; see 2:4], ·here is [^Tbehold] your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the ·follower [disciple], “·Here is [^TBehold] your mother.” From that time on, the ·follower [disciple] took her to live in his home.

Jesus Dies^(A)

²⁸ After this, Jesus knew that everything had been ·done [finished; completed]. So that the Scripture would ·come true [be fulfilled], he said, “I ·am thirsty [^Tthirst; Ps. 22:15; 69:21].” ²⁹ There was a jar full of ·vinegar [sour wine] there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a ·branch [stalk] of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus ·tasted [^Lreceived] the ·vinegar [sour wine], he said, “It is ·finished [completed; accomplished].” Then he bowed his head and ·died [^Lgave up/yielded his spirit].

³¹ This day was Preparation Day [^Cfor the celebration of Passover; 12:12], and the next day was a ·special [high; ^Lgreat] Sabbath day [^Cspecial because it occurred during Passover]. Since the ·religious leaders [^LJews] did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day, they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken [^Cso they would die quicker] and the bodies be taken away [Deut. 21:22–23]. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus. ³³ But when the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers ·stuck [pierced] his ·spear [lance; javelin] into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water came out [^Cindicating his death as a human being]. ³⁵ (The one who saw this happen is the one who ·told us this [witnesses; testifies; ^Cagain probably an allusion to the disciple John], and ·whatever he says [his witness/testimony] is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, and he tells it so that you might believe [see 21:24].) ³⁶ [^LFor] These things happened to ·make the Scripture come true [fulfill the Scripture]: “Not one of his bones will be broken [Ps. 34:20; see Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12].” ³⁷ And [^Lagain] another Scripture says, “They will look at the one they ·stabbed [pierced; Zech. 12:10].”

Jesus Is Buried^(B)

³⁸ ·Later [^LAfter these things], Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret ·follower [disciple] of Jesus, because he was afraid of ·some of the leaders [the Jewish leaders; ^Lthe Jews].) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. ³⁹ Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night [3:1–15; 7:50–52], went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds [^CGreek: a hundred litrai; a litra was about 12 ounces] of [a mixture of] myrrh and aloes [^Cused to cover a decomposing body to prevent the stench]. ⁴⁰ These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, ·which is how they bury the dead [^Laccording to the burial custom of the Jews]. ⁴¹ In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. ⁴² The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and ·they were preparing to start their Sabbath day [^Lbecause it was the Jewish Day of Preparation].