1Sinabi ni Ahitofel kay Absalom, “Payagan nʼyo po akong pumili17:1 Payagan … pumili: o, Pipili ako. ng 12,000 tauhan para hanapin sina David ngayong gabi. 2Sasalakayin namin sila habang pagod sila at nanghihina. Matataranta sila at magsisitakas ang mga tauhan niya. Si David lang po ang papatayin ko, 3at pababalikin ko sa inyo ang lahat ng tauhan niya gaya ng pagbabalik ng asawa sa kabiyak nito.17:3 gaya … kabiyak nito: Itoʼy batay sa Septuagint. Kapag napatay si David, hindi na makakalaban ang mga tauhan niya.” 4Mukhang mabuti naman ang payo na ito para kay Absalom at sa lahat ng tagapamahala ng Israel.
5Pero sinabi ni Absalom, “Tawagin natin si Hushai na Arkeo, at nang malaman natin kung ano ang masasabi niya.” 6Kaya nang dumating si Hushai, sinabi sa kanya ni Absalom ang payo ni Ahitofel. Pagkatapos, nagtanong si Absalom, “Gagawin ba natin ang sinabi niya? Kung hindi, ano ang dapat nating gawin?” 7Sumagot si Hushai, “Sa ngayon, hindi maganda ang ipinayo ni Ahitofel. 8Kilala nʼyo ang ama nʼyo at ang mga tauhan niya; magigiting silang mandirigma at mababangis tulad ng oso na inagawan ng mga anak. Bukod pa riyan, bihasa ang ama nʼyo sa pakikipaglaban, at hindi siya natutulog na kasama ng mga tauhan niya. 9Maaaring sa oras na ito, nagtatago siya sa kweba o kung saang lugar. Kung sa unang paglalaban nʼyo ay mapatay ang iba sa mga sundalo nʼyo, sasabihin ng makakarinig nito na natalo na ang mga sundalo ninyo. 10Kahit ang pinakamagigiting nʼyong sundalo na kasintapang ng leon ay matatakot. Sapagkat nalalaman ng lahat ng Israelita na ang ama ninyoʼy bihasang mandirigma at matatapang ang tauhan niya. 11Ang payo ko, tipunin nʼyo ang buong hukbo ng mga Israelita mula sa Dan hanggang Beersheba,17:11 mula sa Dan hanggang Beersheba: Ang ibig sabihin, ang buong Israel. na kasindami ng buhangin sa tabing dagat. At kayo mismo ang mamuno sa kanila sa pakikipaglaban. 12Hahanapin natin si David saanman siya naroon. Susugod tayo sa kanya na gaya ng pagpatak ng hamog sa lupa at walang makakaligtas isa man sa kanila. 13Kung tatakas siya sa isang bayan doon, ang buong Israel ay nandoon naghihintay sa iyong iuutos. Pagkatapos, maaari naming talian ang pader nito at hilahin papunta sa kapatagan hanggang sa magiba ito, at hanggang sa wala ng batong matitira roon.” 14Sinabi ni Absalom at ng lahat ng namumuno sa Israel, “Mas mabuti ang payo ni Hushai na Arkeo kaysa kay Ahitofel.” Ang totoo, mas mabuti ang payo ni Ahitofel, pero niloob ng Panginoon na hindi ito sundin ni Absalom para ibagsak siya.
15Sinabi ni Hushai sa mga paring sina Zadok at Abiatar ang payo ni Ahitofel kay Absalom at sa mga tagapamahala ng Israel, at pati na rin ang ibinigay niyang payo. 16Pagkatapos, sinabi niya sa kanila, “Ipaalam nʼyo agad kay David na huwag siyang magpaiwan sa tawiran ng Ilog ng Jordan sa disyerto ngayong gabi, tumawid sila agad sa ilog para hindi sila mamatay.”
17Nang mga panahong iyon, naghihintay sina Jonatan na anak ni Abiatar at Ahimaaz na anak ni Zadok sa En Rogel, dahil ayaw nilang makitang labas-masok sila ng Jerusalem. Pinapapunta na lang nila ang isang aliping babae para sabihin sa kanila ang nangyayari, at saka nila ito sasabihin kay David. 18Pero isang araw, nakita sila ng isang binatilyo, kaya sinabi niya ito kay Absalom. Kaya nagmamadaling umalis ang dalawa, at pumunta sa bahay ng isang lalaki sa Bahurim. Mayroong balon ang lalaking ito na malapit sa bahay niya, at doon, bumaba sina Jonatan at Ahimaaz para magtago. 19Kumuha ng takip ang asawa ng lalaki, tinakpan ang balon, at nagbilad siya ng butil sa ibabaw nito para walang maghinalang may nagtatago roon. 20Nang makarating ang mga tauhan ni Absalom sa bahay ng lalaki, tinanong nila ang asawa nito, “Nakita nʼyo ba sina Ahimaaz at Jonatan?” Sumagot ang asawa, “Tumawid sila sa ilog.” Hinanap sila ng mga tauhan pero hindi sila nakita, kaya bumalik sila sa Jerusalem.
21Nang makaalis ang mga tauhan ni Absalom, lumabas sina Jonatan at Ahimaaz sa balon, at pumunta sila kay David. Sinabi nila sa kanya “Tumawid po kayo agad sa ilog dahil nagpayo si Ahitofel na patayin kayo.” 22Kaya tumawid si David at ang mga tauhan niya sa Ilog ng Jordan, at kinaumagahan, nakatawid na sila sa kabila.
23Nang malaman ni Ahitofel na hindi sinunod ang payo niya, sumakay siya sa asno niya at umuwi sa bayan niya. Pagkatapos niyang magbigay ng mga habilin sa sambahayan niya, nagbigti siya. Inilibing siya sa pinaglibingan ng kanyang ama. 24Nakarating na si David at ang mga tauhan niya sa Mahanaim. Nakatawid na noon si Absalom at ang mga tauhan nito sa Ilog ng Jordan. 25Pinili ni Absalom si Amasa na kapalit ni Joab bilang kumander ng mga sundalo. Si Amasa ay anak ni Jeter na Ishmaelita.17:25 Ishmaelita: Itoʼy batay sa ibang tekstong Septuagint; sa Hebreo, Israelita. Ang ina niya ay si Abigail na anak ni Nahash at kapatid ng ina ni Joab na si Zeruya. 26Nagkampo si Absalom at ang mga Israelita sa Gilead.
27Nang dumating sina David sa Mahanaim, binati sila nina Shobi na anak ni Nahash na Ammonitang taga-Rabba, Makir na anak ni Amiel na taga-Lo Debar, at Barzilai na Gileaditang taga-Rogelim. 28May dala silang mga higaan, mangkok, palayok, trigo, sebada, harina, binusang butil, buto ng mga gulay, 29pulot, mantika, keso at tupa. Ibinigay nila ito kay David at sa mga tauhan niya, dahil alam nilang gutom, pagod, at uhaw na ang mga ito sa paglalakbay nila sa ilang.
1One day Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Here’s what I suggest. Choose 12,000 men. Start out tonight and go after David. 2Attack him while he’s tired and weak. Fill him with terror. Then all the people with him will run away. Don’t strike down anyone except the king. 3Bring all the other people back. After the man you want to kill is dead, everyone else will return to you. And none of the people will be harmed.” 4Ahithophel’s plan seemed good to Absalom. It also seemed good to all the elders of Israel.
5But Absalom said, “Send for Hushai, the Arkite. Then we can find out what he suggests as well.” 6Hushai came to him. Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given us his advice. Should we do what he says? If we shouldn’t, tell us what you would do.”
7Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given you isn’t good this time. 8You know your father and his men. They are fighters. They are as strong as a wild bear whose cubs have been stolen from her. Besides, your father really knows how to fight. He won’t spend the night with his troops. 9In fact, he’s probably hiding in a cave or some other place right now. Suppose he attacks your troops first. When people hear about it, they’ll say, ‘Many of the troops who followed Absalom have been killed.’ 10Then the hearts of your soldiers will melt away in fear. Even those as brave as a lion will be terrified. That’s because everyone in Israel knows that your father is a fighter. They know that those with him are brave.
11“So here’s what I suggest. Bring together all the men of Israel from the town of Dan all the way to Beersheba. They are as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. You yourself should lead them into battle. 12Then we’ll attack David no matter where we find him. As dew completely covers the ground, we’ll completely overpower his entire army. We won’t leave him or any of his men alive. 13He might try to get away by going into a city. If he does, all of us will bring ropes to that city. We’ll drag the whole city down into the valley. Not even a pebble of that city will be left.”
14Absalom and all the men of Israel agreed. They said, “The advice of Hushai, the Arkite, is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” The Lord had decided that Ahithophel’s good advice would fail. The Lord wanted to bring horrible trouble on Absalom.
15Hushai spoke to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. He said, “Ahithophel has given advice to Absalom and the elders of Israel. He suggested that they should do one thing. But I suggested something else. 16Send a message right away. Tell David, ‘Don’t spend the night in the desert at a place where people cross the Jordan River. Make sure you go on across. If you don’t, you and all the people with you will be swallowed up.’ ”
17Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel just outside Jerusalem. They knew they would be in danger if anyone saw them entering the city. A female servant was supposed to go and tell them what had happened. Then they were supposed to go and tell King David. 18But a young man saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom about it. So the two men left right away. They went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard. They climbed down into it. 19The man’s wife got a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well. Then she scattered grain on the covering. So no one knew that the men were hiding in the well.
20Absalom’s men came to the house. They asked the woman, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
She answered, “They went across the brook.” When the men looked around, they didn’t find anyone. So they returned to Jerusalem.
21After they had gone, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well. They went to tell King David what they had found out. They said to him, “Go across the river right away. Ahithophel has told Absalom how to come after you and strike you down.” 22So David and all the people with him started out. They went across the Jordan River. By sunrise, everyone had crossed over.
23Ahithophel saw that his advice wasn’t being followed. So he put a saddle on his donkey. He started out for his house in his hometown. When he arrived, he made everything ready for his death. He made out his will. Then he killed himself. And so he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.
Absalom Dies
24David went to Mahanaim. Absalom went across the Jordan River with all the men of Israel. 25Absalom had made Amasa commander of the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether. Jether belonged to the family line of Ishmael. He had married Abigail. She was the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Zeruiah. Zeruiah was the mother of Joab. 26Absalom and the Israelites camped in the land of Gilead.
27David came to Mahanaim. Shobi, the son of Nahash, met him there. Shobi was from Rabbah in the land of Ammon. Makir, the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, met him there too. So did Barzillai from Rogelim in the land of Gilead. 28They brought beds, bowls and clay pots. They brought wheat, barley, flour, and grain that had been cooked. They brought beans and lentils. 29They brought honey, butter, sheep, and cheese that was made from cows’ milk. They brought all that food for David and his people to eat. They said, “These people have become tired. They’ve become hungry and thirsty in the desert.”
