2 Samuel 17:1-14 - Hushai Frustrates The Counsel Of Ahithophel

¹ And Ahithophel will say to Absalom, I will now choose twelve thousand men. and I will rise and pursue after David this night: ² And I shall come upon him and he being weary and relaxed in hands, and I made him afraid: and all the people which are with him, fleeing; and I struck the king alone, ³ And I will turn back all the people to thee: as the turning back of all, the man whom thou seekest; and to all the people shall be peace. ⁴ And the word will be straight in the eyes of Absalom and in the eyes of all the old men of Israel.

⁵ And Absalom will say, Call now also for Hushai the Archite, and we will hear also, what is in his mouth.

⁶ And Hushai will come to Absalom, and Absalom will say to him, saying, According to this word spake Ahithophel: shall we do his word? if not, speak thou.

⁷ And Hushai will say to Absalom, The counsel which Ahithophel counseled is not good in this time. ⁸ And Hushai will say, Thou knewest thy father and his men that they are mighty, and they bitter of soul as a bear bereaved of offspring in the field: and thy father a man of war, and he will not lodge with the people. ⁹ Behold now, he hid in one of the pits, or in one of the places: and it being when there fell among them in the beginning, and he hearing heard and said, was a slaughter among the people which are after Absalom. ¹⁰ And he also the son of strength whose heart according to the heart of the lion, melting, will melt away: for all Israel knew that thy father is mighty, and the sons of strength which are with him. ¹¹ For I counseled being gathered, all Israel shall be gathered to thee from Dan and even to the Well of the Oath, as the sand which is upon the sea for multitude; and thy face going in the midst of them. ¹² And we came upon him in one of the places which we shall find there, and we upon him as the dew will fall upon the earth: and we will not leave of him and of all the men which are with him, even one. ¹³ And if he shall be gathered into the city, and all Israel shall lift up ropes to that city, and we dragged it even to the torrent, till we shall not find there even a stone. ¹⁴ And Absalom will say, and every man of Israel, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is good above the counsel of Ahithophel. And Jehovah commanded to frustrate the good counsel of Ahithophel so that Jehovah brought evil upon Absalom.