¹ 亞希多弗又對押沙龍說：求你准我挑選一萬二千人，今夜我就起身追趕大衛，

² 趁他疲乏手軟，我忽然追上他，使他驚惶；跟隨他的民必都逃跑，我就單殺王一人，

³ 使眾民都歸順你。你所尋找的人既然死了，眾民就如已經歸順你；這樣，也都平安無事了。

⁴ 押沙龍和以色列的長老都以這話為美。

⁵ 押沙龍說：要召亞基人戶篩來，我們也要聽他怎樣說。

⁶ 戶篩到了押沙龍面前，押沙龍向他說：亞希多弗是如此如此說的，我們照著他的話行可以不可以？若不可，你就說罷！

⁷ 戶篩對押沙龍說：亞希多弗這次所定的謀不善。

⁸ 戶篩又說：你知道，你父親和跟隨他的人都是勇士，現在他們心裡惱怒，如同田野丟崽子的母熊一般，而且你父親是個戰士，必不和民一同住宿。

⁹ 他現今或藏在坑中或在別處，若有人首先被殺，凡聽見的必說：跟隨押沙龍的民被殺了。

¹⁰ 雖有人膽大如獅子，他的心也必消化；因為以色列人都知道你父親是英雄，跟隨他的人也都是勇士。

¹¹ 依我之計，不如將以色列眾人─從但直到別是巴，如同海邊的沙那樣多─聚集到你這裡來，你也親自率領他們出戰。

¹² 這樣，我們在何處遇見他，就下到他那裡，如同露水下在地上一般，連他帶跟隨他的人，一個也不留下。

¹³ 他若進了哪一座城，以色列眾人必帶繩子去，將那城拉到河裡，甚至連一塊小石頭都不剩下。

¹⁴ 押沙龍和以色列眾人說：亞基人戶篩的計謀比亞希多弗的計謀更好！這是因耶和華定意破壞亞希多弗的良謀，為要降禍與押沙龍。

¹⁵ 戶篩對祭司撒督和亞比亞他說：亞希多弗為押沙龍和以色列的長老所定的計謀是如此如此，我所定的計謀是如此如此。

¹⁶ 現在你們要急速打發人去，告訴大衛說：今夜不可住在曠野的渡口，務要過河，免得王和跟隨他的人都被吞滅。

¹⁷ 那時，約拿單和亞希瑪斯在隱羅結那裡等候，不敢進城，恐怕被人看見。有一個使女出來，將這話告訴他們，他們就去報信給大衛王。

¹⁸ 然而有一個童子看見他們，就去告訴押沙龍。他們急忙跑到巴戶琳某人的家裡；那人院中有一口井，他們就下到井裡。

¹⁹ 那家的婦人用蓋蓋上井口，又在上頭鋪上碎麥，事就沒有洩漏。

²⁰ 押沙龍的僕人來到那家，問婦人說：亞希瑪斯和約拿單在哪裡？婦人說：他們過了河了。僕人找他們，找不著，就回耶路撒冷去了。

²¹ 他們走後，二人從井裡上來，去告訴大衛王說：亞希多弗如此如此定計害你，你們務要起來，快快過河。

²² 於是大衛和跟隨他的人都起來，過約但河。到了天亮，無一人不過約但河的。

²³ 亞希多弗見不依從他的計謀，就備上驢，歸回本城；到了家，留下遺言，便吊死了，葬在他父親的墳墓裡。

²⁴ 大衛到了瑪哈念，押沙龍和跟隨他的以色列人也都過了約但河。

²⁵ 押沙龍立亞瑪撒作元帥，代替約押。亞瑪撒是以實瑪利人（又作以色列人）以特拉的兒子。以特拉曾與拿轄的女兒亞比該親近；這亞比該與約押的母親洗魯雅是姊妹。

²⁶ 押沙龍和以色列人都安營在基列地。

²⁷ 大衛到了瑪哈念，亞捫族的拉巴人拿轄的兒子朔比，羅底巴人亞米利的兒子瑪吉，基列的羅基琳人巴西萊，

²⁸ 帶著被、褥、盆、碗、瓦器、小麥、大麥、麥麵、炒穀、豆子、紅豆、炒豆、

²⁹ 蜂蜜、奶油、綿羊、奶餅，供給大衛和跟隨他的人吃；他們說：民在曠野，必飢渴困乏了。

¹ There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

² Yahweh appeared to him, and said, "Don't go down into Egypt. Live in the land I will tell you about.

³ Live in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you. For to you, and to your seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

⁴ I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and will give to your seed all these lands. In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed,

⁵ because Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws."

⁶ Isaac lived in Gerar.

⁷ The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "My wife," lest, he thought, "the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at."

⁸ It happened, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.

⁹ Abimelech called Isaac, and said, "Behold, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister?'" Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die because of her.'"

¹⁰ Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!"

¹¹ Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."

¹² Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year one hundred times what he planted. Yahweh blessed him.

¹³ The man grew great, and grew more and more until he became very great.

¹⁴ He had possessions of flocks, possessions of herds, and a great household. The Philistines envied him.

¹⁵ Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth.

¹⁶ Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go from us, for you are much mightier than we."

¹⁷ Isaac departed from there, encamped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.

¹⁸ Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father. For the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. He called their names after the names by which his father had called them.

¹⁹ Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.

²⁰ The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." He called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him.

²¹ They dug another well, and they argued over that, also. He called its name Sitnah.

²² He left that place, and dug another well. They didn't argue over that one. He called it Rehoboth. He said, "For now Yahweh has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land."

²³ He went up from there to Beersheba.

²⁴ Yahweh appeared to him the same night, and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Don't be afraid, for I am with you, and will bless you, and multiply your seed for my servant Abraham's sake."

²⁵ He built an altar there, and called on the name of Yahweh, and pitched his tent there. There Isaac's servants dug a well.

²⁶ Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.

²⁷ Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me, and have sent me away from you?"

²⁸ They said, "We saw plainly that Yahweh was with you. We said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, even between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you,

²⁹ that you will do us no harm, as we have not touched you, and as we have done to you nothing but good, and have sent you away in peace.' You are now the blessed of Yahweh."

³⁰ He made them a feast, and they ate and drank.

³¹ They rose up some time in the morning, and swore one to another. Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

³² It happened the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water."

³³ He called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

³⁵ They grieved Isaac's and Rebekah's spirits.