II Samuel 17

vayyomer akhitofel el-avshalom evkharah na shenem-asar elef ish ve'aqumah ve'erdefah akhare-david hallayelah

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David.

ve'avo alayw vehu yagea urefeh yadayim vehakharadti oto venas kol-ha'am asher-itto vehikketi et-hammelekh levaddo

I 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.

ve'ashivah khol-ha'am elekha keshuv hakkol ha'ish asher attah mevaqqesh kol-ha'am yihyeh shalom

And I will bring back all the people to you; when all have come back [except] the man you are after, all the people will be at peace.”

vayyishar haddavar be'ene avshalom uve'ene kol-ziqne yisra'el

The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

vayyomer avshalom qera na gam lekhushay ha'arki venishme'ah mah-bbefiv gam-hu

But Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Archite as well, so we can hear what he too has to say.”

vayyavo khushay el-avshalom vayyomer avshalom elayw lemor kaddavar hazzeh dibber akhitofel hana'aseh et-devaro im-ayin attah dabber

Hushai 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?”

vayyomer khushay el-avshalom lo-tovah ha'etsah asher-ya'ats akhitofel bappa'am hazzot

Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.

vayyomer khushay attah yadata et-avikha ve'et-anashayw ki gibborim hemmah umare nefesh hemmah kedov shakkul bassadeh ve'avikha ish milkhamah velo yalin et-ha'am

You 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;

hinneh attah hu-nekhba be'akhat happekhatim o be'akhad hammeqomot vehayah kinfol bahem battekhillah veshama hashomea ve'amar hayetah maggefah ba'am asher akhare avshalom

even now he must be hiding in one of the pits or in some other place. And if any of them fall at the first attack, whoever hears of it will say, ‘A disaster has struck the troops that follow Absalom’;

vehu gam-ben-khayil asher libbo kelev ha'aryeh himmes yimmas ki-yodea kol-yisra'el ki-gibbor avikha uvene-khayil asher itto

and even if he is a warrior 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.

ki ya'atsti he'asof ye'asef alekha khol-yisra'el middan ve'ad-be'er sheva kakhol asher-al-hayyam larov ufanekha holekhim baqrav

So I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba—as numerous as the sands of the sea—be called up to join you, and that you yourself march into battle.

uvanu elayw (vkht) [be'akhad] hammeqomot asher nimtsa sham venakhnu alayw ka'asher yippol hattal al-ha'adamah velo-notar bo uvekhol-ha'anashim asher-itto gam-ekhad

When 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.

ve'im-el-ir ye'asef vehissi'u khol-yisra'el el-ha'ir hahi khavalim vesakhavnu oto ad-hannakhal ad asher-lo-nimtsa sham gam-tseror

And if he withdraws into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag its stones as far as the riverbed, until not even a pebble of it is left.”

vayyomer avshalom vekhol-ish yisra'el tovah atsat khushay ha'arki me'atsat akhitofel va-Adonai tsivvah lehafer et-atsat akhitofel hattovah leva'avur havi Adonai el-avshalom et-hara'ah

Absalom and all of Israel’s force agreed that the advice of Hushai the Archite was better than that of Ahithophel.—GOD had decreed that Ahithophel’s sound advice be nullified, in order that GOD might bring ruin upon Absalom.

vayyomer khushay el-tsadoq ve'el-evyatar hakkohanim kazot vekhazot ya'ats akhitofel et-avshalom ve'et ziqne yisra'el vekhazot vekhazot ya'atsti ani

Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “This is what Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel; this is what I advised.

ve'attah shilkhu meherah vehaggidu ledavid lemor al-talen hallaylah be'arvot hammidbar vegam avor ta'avor pen yevulla lammelekh ulekhol-ha'am asher itto

Now 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.’”

vihonatan va'akhima'ats omedim be'en-rogel vehalekhah hashifkhah vehiggidah lahem vehem yelekhu vehiggidu lammelekh david ki lo yukhelu lehera'ot lavo ha'irah

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant 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.

vayyar otam na'ar vayyagged le'avshalom vayyelekhu shenehem meherah vayyavo'u el-bet-ish bevakhurim velo ve'er bakhatsero vayyeredu sham

But 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,

vattiqqakh ha'isha vattifros et-hammasakh al-pene habbe'er vattishtakh alayw harifot velo noda davar

and 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.

vayyavo'u avde avshalom el-ha'isha habbaytah vayyomeru ayyeh akhima'ats vihonatan vattomer lahem ha'isha averu mikhal hammayim vayevaqshu velo matsa'u vayyashuvu yerushalai͏m

When 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 a bit beyond the water. They searched, but found nothing; and they returned to Jerusalem.

vayehi akhare lekhtam vayya'alu mehabbe'er vayyelekhu vayyaggidu lammelekh david vayyomeru el-david qumu ve'ivru meherah et-hammayim ki-khakhah ya'ats alekhem akhitofel

After 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.”

vayyaqom david vekhol-ha'am asher itto vayya'avru et-hayyarden ad-or habboqer ad-akhad lo nedar asher lo-avar et-hayyarden

David and all the troops with him promptly crossed the Jordan, and by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

va'akhitofel ra'ah ki lo ne'estah atsato vayyakhavosh et-hakhamor vayyaqom vayyelekh el-beto el-iro vayetsav el-beto vayyekhanaq vayyamot vayyiqqaver beqever aviv

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey 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.

vedavid ba makhanayemah ve'avshalom avar et-hayyarden hu vekhol-ish yisra'el immo

David had reached Mahanaim when Absalom, and Israel’s entire force with him, crossed the Jordan.

ve'et-amasa sam avshalom takhat yo'av al-hatsava va'amasa ven-ish ushemo yitra hayyisre'eli asher-ba el-avigal bat-nakhash akhot tseruyah em yo'av

Absalom had appointed Amasa army commander in place of Joab; Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Israelite, who had married Abigal, daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab’s mother Zeruiah.

vayyikhan yisra'el ve'avshalom erets haggilad

The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the district of Gilead.

vayehi kevo david makhanayemah veshovi ven-nakhash merabbat bene-ammon umakhir ben-ammi'el millo devar uvarzillay haggiladi merogelim

When David reached Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbath-ammon, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim

mishkav vesappot ukheli yotser vekhittim use'orim veqemakh veqali ufol va'adashim veqali

presented couches, basins, and earthenware; also wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched grain,

udevash vekhemah vetson ushefot baqar higgishu ledavid vela'am asher-itto le'ekhol ki ameru ha'am ra'ev ve'ayef vetsame bammidbar

honey, curds, a flock, and cheese 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.