¹ And Ahithophel said unto^▵ Absalom, Let me now^◦ choose twelve thousand men^◦, and I will arise and pursue after David this night.

² And I will come upon him, and he^◦ will be toiling and his hands slack; and I will frighten him, and all the people that are with^◦ him shall flee; and I will smite the king alone.

³ And I will bring·​·back all the people unto^▵ thee; for^◦ all shall turn·​·back from the man^◦ whom thou^◦ seekest; all the people shall be in peace.

⁴ And the word was·​·upright in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

⁵ And Absalom said, Call now^◦ Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear also what is in his mouth.

⁶ And Hushai came to^▵ Absalom, and Absalom said unto^▵ him, saying, Ahithophel has spoken according to this word; shall we do after his word? If not^◦, speak thou^◦.

⁷ And Hushai said unto^▵ Absalom, The counsel which Ahithophel has counseled is not good at this time^◦.

⁸ And Hushai said, Thou^◦ knowest thy father and his men^◦, that they^◦ are mighty, and bitter of soul, as a bear bereaved in the field; and thy father is a man^◦ of war, and will not pass·​·the·​·night with the people.

⁹ Behold he^◦ is now hidden·​·away in one of the chasms or in one of the places; and it will be, when^◦ some among^◦ them fall, in the beginning, when^◦ the one hearing hears, that he will say, There is a striking among^◦ the people who follow after Absalom.

¹⁰ And he^◦ also that is a son of valor, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, melting shall melt, for all Israel knows that thy father is a hero, and sons of valor they which are with^◦ him.

¹¹ For I counsel that all Israel gathering be gathered unto thee from^◦ Dan and even·​·to Beer-sheba, as the sand which is by^◦ the sea for multitude, and that thy face shall go^◦ into the combat.

¹² And we shall come upon him in one of the places where^▵ he shall be·​·found, and we^◦ fall upon him as^◦ the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men^◦ that are with^◦ him, there shall not remain even one.

¹³ And if he be gathered to^▵ a city, then all Israel shall carry cords to^▵ that^◦ city, and we shall drag it even·​·to the brook until not even a small·​·rock be found there.

¹⁴ And Absalom and every man^◦ of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. But Jehovah had commanded to make· the good counsel of Ahithophel ·of·​·none·​·effect, in·​·order that Jehovah might bring the evil to^▵ Absalom.

¹⁵ And Hushai said unto^▵ Zadok and unto^▵ Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I^◦ counseled.

¹⁶ And now send in·​·haste and tell David, saying, Lodge not tonight in the deserts of the wilderness, but even crossing, thou shalt cross·​·over; lest the king be swallowed·​·up and all the people who are with^◦ him.

¹⁷ And Jonathan^◦ and Ahimaaz stood by En-rogel, and a handmaid went^◦ out and told them^◦; and they went and told king David; for they could not be seen to come into the city.

¹⁸ But a lad saw them and told Absalom, and the two of them went in·​·haste and came to^▵ the house of a man^◦ in Baḥurim, and he had a well in his court, and they went·​·down there.

¹⁹ And the woman took and spread a sheltering on the face of the well, and spread^▵ out ground corn upon it; and the thing was not known.

²⁰ And the servants of Absalom came to^▵ the woman, to^▫ the house, and said, Where^◦ are Ahimaaz and Jonathan^◦? And the woman said to them, they crossed·​·over the passage^◦ of the water. And they sought and found them not and returned to Jerusalem.

²¹ And it was, after they were gone, that they came·​·up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto^▵ David, Arise, and cross·​·over the water in haste, for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.

²² And David arose and all the people that were with^◦ him, and they passed over Jordan; by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not crossed·​·over Jordan.

²³ And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not done, and he saddled the donkey, and arose and went to^▵ his house, to^▵ his city, and he gave·​·commands to^▵ his house and he hanged^* himself and died, and was buried in the grave of his father.

²⁴ And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed·​·over Jordan, he^◦ and all the men^◦ of Israel with him.

²⁵ And Absalom set Amasa over the army instead of Joab; and Amasa was the son of a man^◦ whose name was Ithra, an Israelite that came·​·in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab.

²⁶ And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ And it was, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash, of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

²⁸ presented beds and bowls and vessels of the potter, and wheat and barley, and meal, and parched·​·grain, and beans, and lentils and parched·​·grain,

²⁹ and honey and butter, and flocks and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people that were with^◦ him to eat; for they said, The people is hungry, and faint and thirsty in the wilderness.

¹ And it was, after this, that David asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go·​·up into one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to^▵ him, Go·​·up. And David said, Whither^▵ shall I go·​·up? And He said, To Hebron.

² And David went·​·up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite.

³ And his men^◦ who were with him David brought·​·up, a man^◦ and his house; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

⁴ And the men^◦ of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, It was the men^◦ of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.

⁵ And David sent messengers to^▵ the men^◦ of Jabesh-gilead and said to^▵ them, Blessed be you^◦ of Jehovah, that you did this mercy to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.

⁶ And now Jehovah do mercy and truth to you; and I^▵ also will do this good with^◦ you, because you have done this thing.

⁷ And now make· your hands ·firm and be ye sons of valor; for your lord, Saul, is·​·dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me to be king over them.

⁸ And Abner, the son of Ner, the commander^◦ of the army for Saul, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and had him cross·​·over to Mahanaim,

⁹ And made him be·​·king to^▵ Gilead, and to^▵ the Ashurite, and to^▵ Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all of Israel.

¹⁰ And Ish-bosheth the son of Saul was a son of forty years, when he became·​·king over Israel, and was·​·king two years. Only^▵ the house of Judah followed^◦ after David.

¹¹ And the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹² And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul went·​·out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David went·​·out, and they encountered them by^◦ the pool of Gibeon. And they sat·​·down the one on the one side by^◦ the pool, and the other on the other side by the pool.

¹⁴ And Abner said to^▵ Joab, May the lads now^◦ arise, and sport before us. And Joab said, May they arise.

¹⁵ And there arose and crossed·​·over by number twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

¹⁶ And they held·​·firmly, a man^◦ his companion by the head, and his sword was in the side of his companion; and they fell together; and they called that^◦ place Chelkath-hazzurim^*, which is in Gibeon.

¹⁷ And there was a hard battle, even^◦ exceedingly, that^◦ day; and Abner was stricken, and the men^◦ of Israel, before the servants of David.

¹⁸ And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was swift on his feet as one of the roebucks that are in the field.

¹⁹ And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he went· not ·aside to the right nor to the left from after Abner.

²⁰ And Abner turned^◦ behind him and said, Is this thou^◦, Asahel? And he said, It is I^▵.

²¹ And Abner said to him, Turn aside to the right or to the left, and seize for thyself one of the lads, and take thee his change·​·of·​·vestment. But Asahel was· not ·willing to Turn·​·aside from after him.

²² And Abner said again to^▵ Asahel, Turn· thee ·aside from after me; why should I smite thee to the earth? And how^◦ should I lift up my face to^▵ Joab thy brother?

²³ But he refused to turn·​·aside; and Abner smote him with the hind end of the spear to^▵ the fifth^*, and the spear came·​·out behind him; and he fell there, and died under him; and it was, that all who came to^▵ the place where^▵ Asahel fell and died, stood there.

²⁴ And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun set^▵ and they^◦ came to^◦ the hill of Ammah, which is before the face of Giah, by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵ And the sons of Benjamin came·​·together behind Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the head of one hill.

²⁶ And Abner called to^▵ Joab and said, Shall the sword devour perpetually? Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness afterwards? and how^▵ long wilt thou not say unto the people that they return from after their brothers?

²⁷ And Joab said, As God lives, unless thou hadst spoken, surely^▵ then^▵ in the morning the people would have gone·​·up each·​·man^◦ from after his brother.

²⁸ And Joab sounded a shophar^*, and all the people stood, and pursued after Israel no^◦ more^◦, neither fought they any more^◦.

²⁹ And Abner and his men^◦ walked all that^◦ night in the desert, and crossed·​·over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ And Joab returned from after Abner, and he brought· all the people ·together, and there were missed of David’s servants nineteen men^◦ and Asahel.

³¹ But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin and of Abner’s men^◦ three hundred and sixty men^◦ who died.

³² And they lifted Asahel, and buried him in the grave of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men^◦ went all the night, and it became·​·light to them in Hebron.