5As King David was approaching Bahurim, a member of Saul’s clan— a man named Shimei son of Gera—came out from there, hurling insults as he came. 6He threw stones at David and all King David’s courtiers, while all the troops and all the warriors were at his right and his left. 7And these are the insults that Shimei hurled: “Get out, get out, you criminal, you villain! 8The LORD is paying you back for all your crimes against the family of Saul, whose throne you seized. The LORD is handing over the throne to your son Absalom; you are in trouble because you are a criminal!”
9Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why let that dead dog abuse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” 10But the king said, b-“What has this to do with you,-b you sons of Zeruiah? He is abusing [me] only because the LORD told him to abuse David; and who is to say, ‘Why did You do that?’ ” 11David said further to Abishai and all the courtiers, “If my son, my own issue, seeks to kill me, how much more the Benjaminite! Let him go on hurling abuse, for the LORD has told him to. 12Perhaps the LORD will look upon my punishmentc and recompense me for the abuse [Shimei] has uttered today.” 13David and his men continued on their way, while Shimei walked alongside on the slope of the hill, insulting him as he walked, and throwing stones at him and flinging dirt. 14The king and all who accompanied him arrivedd exhausted, and he rested there.
15Meanwhile Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, arrived in Jerusalem, together with Ahithophel. 16When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came before Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” 18“Not at all!” Hushai replied. “I am for the one whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, and I will stay with him. 19Furthermore, whom should I serve, if not David’se son? As I was in your father’s service, so I will be in yours.”
20Absalom then said to Ahithophel, “What do you advise us to do?” 21And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Have intercourse with your father’s concubines, whom he left to mind the palace; and when all Israel hears that you have dared the wrath of your father, all who support you will be encouraged.” 22So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom lay with his father’s concubines f-with the full knowledge-f of all Israel.—23In those days, the advice which Ahithophel gave was accepted like an oracle sought from God; that is how all the advice of Ahithophel was esteemed both by David and by Absalom.
17 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. 2I will come upon him when he is weary and disheartened, and I will throw him into a panic; and when all the troops with him flee, I will kill the king alone. 3And I will bring back all the people a-to you; when all have come back [except] the man you are after,-a all the people will be at peace.” 4The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. 5But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, so we can hear what he too has to say.” 6Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel has advised. Shall we follow his advice? If not, what do you say?”
7Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good. 8You know,” Hushai continued, “that your father and his men are courageous fighters, and they are as desperate as a bear in the wild robbed of her whelps. Your father is an experienced soldier, and he will not spend the night with the troops; 9even now he must be hiding in one of the pits or in some other place. And if any of themb fall at the first attack, whoever hears of it will say, ‘A disaster has struck the troops that follow Absalom’; 10and even if he is a brave man with the heart of a lion, he will be shaken—for all Israel knows that your father and the soldiers with him are courageous fighters. 11So I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sands of the sea—be called up to join you, and that you yourself march c-into battle.-c 12When we come upon him in whatever place he may be, we’ll descend on him [as thick] as dew falling on the ground; and no one will survive, neither he nor any of the men with him. 13And if he withdraws into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag d-its stones-d as far as the riverbed, until not even a pebble of it is left.” 14Absalom and all Israel agreed that the advice of Hushai the Archite was better than that of Ahithophel.—The LORD had decreed that Ahithophel’s sound advice be nullified, in order that the LORD might bring ruin upon Absalom.
15Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel; this is what I advised. 16Now send at once and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but cross over at once; otherwise the king and all the troops with him will be annihilated.’ ” 17Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a slave girl would go and bring them word and they in turn would go and inform King David. For they themselves dared not be seen entering the city. 18But a boy saw them and informed Absalom. They left at once and came to the house of a man in Bahurim who had a well in his courtyard. They got down into it, 19and the wife took a cloth, spread it over the mouth of the well, and scattered groats on top of it, so that nothing would be noticed. 20When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and asked where Ahimaaz and Jonathan were, the woman told them that they had crossed e-a bit beyond the water.-e They searched, but found nothing; and they returned to Jerusalem.
21After they were gone, [Ahimaaz and Jonathan] came up from the well and went and informed King David. They said to David, “Go and cross the water quickly, for Ahithophel has advised thus and thus concerning you.” 22David and all the troops with him promptly crossed the Jordan, and by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
23When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his ass and went home to his native town. He set his affairs in order, and then he hanged himself. He was buried in his ancestral tomb.
24David had reached Mahanaim when Absalom and all the men of Israel with him crossed the Jordan. 25Absalom had appointed Amasa army commander in place of Joab; Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the f-Israelite, who had married Abigal, daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.-f 26The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the district of Gilead. 27When David reached Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbath-ammon, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 28presentedg couches, basins, and earthenware; also wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, h-parched grain,-h 29honey, i-curds, a flock,-i and cheesej from the herd for David and the troops with him to eat. For they knew that the troops must have grown hungry, faint, and thirsty in the wilderness.
18 David mustered the troops who were with him and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds. 2David a-sent out the troops,-a one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one-third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And David said to the troops, “I myself will march out with you.” 3But the troops replied, “No! For if some of us flee, the rest will not be concerned about us; even if half of us should die, the others will not be concerned about us. But b-you are worth ten thousand of us.-b Therefore, it is better for you to support us from the town.” 4And the king said to them, “I will do whatever you think best.”
So the king stood beside the gate as all the troops marched out by their hundreds and thousands. 5The king gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “Deal gently with my boy Absalom, for my sake.” All the troops heard the king give the order about Absalom to all the officers.
6The troops marched out into the open to confront the Israelites,c and the battle was fought
