Hushai Misleads Absalom
1 Not long after that, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and tonight I will set out after David. 2 I will attack him while he is tired and discouraged. He will be frightened, and all his men will run away. I will kill only the king 3 and then bring back all his men to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You want to kill only one man; the rest of the people will be safe.” 4 This seemed like good advice to Absalom and all the Israelite leaders.
5 Absalom said, “Now call Hushai, and let us hear what he has to say.” 6 When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him, “This is the advice that Ahithophel has given us; shall we follow it? If not, you tell us what to do.”
7 Hushai answered, “The advice Ahithophel gave you this time is no good. 8 You know that your father David and his men are hard fighters and that they are as fierce as a mother bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier and does not stay with his men at night. 9 Right now he is probably hiding in a cave or some other place. As soon as David attacks your men, whoever hears about it will say that your men have been defeated. 10 Then even the bravest men, as fearless as lions, will be afraid because everyone in Israel knows that your father is a great soldier and that his men are hard fighters. 11 My advice is that you bring all the Israelites together from one end of the country to the other, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore, and that you lead them personally in battle. 12 We will find David wherever he is, and attack him before he knows what's happening. Neither he nor any of his men will survive. 13 If he retreats into a city, our people will all bring ropes and just pull the city into the valley below. Not a single stone will be left there on top of the hill.”
14 Absalom and all the Israelites said, “Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's.” The Lord had decided that Ahithophel's good advice would not be followed, so that disaster would come on Absalom.
David Is Warned and Escapes
15 Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar what advice he had given to Absalom and the Israelite leaders and what advice Ahithophel had given. 16 Hushai added, “Quick, now! Send a message to David not to spend the night at the river crossings in the wilderness, but to cross the Jordan at once, so that he and his men won't all be caught and killed.”
17 Abiathar's son Jonathan and Zadok's son Ahimaaz were waiting at the spring of Enrogel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, because they did not dare be seen entering the city. A servant woman would regularly go and tell them what was happening, and then they would go and tell King David. 18 But one day a boy happened to see them, and he told Absalom; so they hurried off to hide in the house of a certain man in Bahurim. He had a well near his house, and they got down in it. 19 The man's wife took a covering, spread it over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it, so that no one would notice anything. 20 Absalom's officials came to the house and asked the woman, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
“They crossed the river,” she answered.
The men looked for them but could not find them, and so they returned to Jerusalem. 21 After they left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan came up out of the well and went and reported to King David. They told him what Ahithophel had planned against him and said, “Hurry up and cross the river.” 22 So David and his men started crossing the Jordan, and by daybreak they had all gone across.
23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown. After putting his affairs in order, he hanged himself. He was buried in the family grave.
24 David had reached the town of Mahanaim by the time Absalom and the Israelites had crossed the Jordan. ( 25 Absalom had put Amasa in command of the army in the place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether the Ishmaelite; his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah.) 26 Absalom and his men camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash, from the city of Rabbah in Ammon, and by Machir son of Ammiel, from Lodebar, and by Barzillai, from Rogelim in Gilead. 28-29 They brought bowls, clay pots, and bedding, and also food for David and his men: wheat, barley, meal, roasted grain, beans, peas, honey, cheese, cream, and some sheep. They knew that David and his men would get hungry, thirsty, and tired in the wilderness.
1 Un Ahitofels sacīja Absalomam: "Lūdzu, atļauj man, ka es izmeklēju divpadsmit tūkstošus vīru, un tad es celšos vēl šo pašu nakti un došos vajāt Dāvidu. 2 Un es gribu viņam uzbrukt tad, kad viņš būs piekusis un viņa rokas būs nogurušas, un tad es viņu izbiedēšu, ka visi karavīri, kas pie viņa atrodas, bēgs, un tad es ķēniņu nogalināšu vienu pašu. 3 Tad es atvedīšu visu tautu atkal atpakaļ pie tevis, kā atved atpakaļ jaunu sievu pie viņas laulātā drauga. Tu jau kāro tikai pēc viena vīra dzīvības, kurpretī visai pārējai tautai taču jāpaliek neskartai." 4 Šis padoms labi patika Absalomam, kā arī visiem Israēla vecajiem. 5 Tomēr Absaloms sacīja: "Aiciniet arī vīru no Arkas, Hušaju, un uzklausīsim, kāds padoms ir viņa mutē!" 6 Un, kad Hušajs ienāca pie Absaloma, tad Absaloms viņam sacīja, teikdams: "Tādu, lūk, padomu mums ir devis Ahitofels; vai mums būs tā rīkoties pēc viņa vārdiem? Ja ne, tad runā tu!" 7 Tad Hušajs atbildēja Absalomam: "Šoreiz padoms, ko ir devis Ahitofels, nav atzīstams par labu." 8 Un Hušajs sacīja: "Tu taču pazīsti savu tēvu un viņa vīrus, ka tie ir varoņi un ka tie ir ar dusmu pilnu sirdi, gluži kā lāču māte laukā, kurai lācēni paņemti. Un tavs tēvs ir karavīrs, un viņš nepavadīs nakti pie ļaudīm. 9 Redzi, viņš jau tagad būs paslēpies kādā aizā vai kādā citā vietā. Ja nu notiktu, ka kāds krīt no tiem jau uzbrukuma sākumā, tad ikviens, kas to dzirdēs, apgalvos: vīri, kas sekoja Absalomam, ir sakauti! 10 Tad ir paši dūšīgākie, kam sirds kā lauvām, pazaudēs drosmi, jo viss Israēls zina, ka tavs tēvs ir varonis un ka tie vīri, kas ar viņu stipri kopā turas, arī ir varoņi. 11 Bet mans padoms ir šāds: lai pie tevis tiek sapulcināts viss Israēls, no Danas līdz Bēršebai, tādā vairumā kā smiltis jūras malā, un lai tad tie, tev pašam esot viņu vidū, dotos cīņā. 12 Ar šiem spēkiem mēs viņam uzbruksim, kurā vietā vien mēs viņu sastapsim, un kritīsim viņam virsū, kā rasa uzkrīt zemei, tā ka no visiem viņa vīriem neatstāsim dzīvu nevienu vienīgu! 13 Un gadījumā, ja tas atkāptos uz kādu pilsētu, tad viss Israēls apvilktu apkārt ap šo pilsētu virves un mēs to novilktu lejā upē, ka tur ne zvirgzda pat nepaliktu." 14 Tad Absaloms un visi Israēla vīri sacīja: "Arkas vīra Hušaja padoms ir labāks nekā Ahitofela padoms." Bet Tas Kungs to tā bija nolicis, ka Ahitofela labais padoms tiktu atmests, tāpēc ka Tas Kungs pats lika nākt nelaimei pār Absalomu. 15 Pēc tam Hušajs sacīja priesteriem Cadokam un Abjatāram: "Tādu padomu Ahitofels ir devis Absalomam un Israēla vecajiem, bet šādu padomu esmu devis es. 16 Bet nu lieciet steidzīgi ziņot Dāvidam, sacīdami: nepavadi nakti tuksneša līdzenumos, bet steigšus ej pāri Jordānai, lai ķēniņu ar visiem ļaudīm, kas ir pie viņa, nepārsteigtu nelaime un viņš neaizietu bojā." 17 Un Jonatāns un Ahimaācs uzturējās pie Ajin-Rogelas, un kāda kalpone atnāca un viņiem to paziņoja; tad viņi devās ceļā un visu paziņoja ķēniņam Dāvidam, jo tie nedrīkstēja nākt un rādīties pilsētā. 18 Tomēr kāds zēns tos redzēja, un tas to pasacīja Absalomam. Tad tie abi divi steigšus bēga un nonāca kāda vīra namā Bahurimā. Tam bija aka pagalmā, un viņi tanī nolaidās. 19 Tad viņa sieva ņēma segu un to pārklāja pāri akai un tur virsū uzbēra putraimus, tā ka neko nemanīja. 20 Kad Absaloma kalpi ieradās pie šīs sievas viņas namā un jautāja, kur atrodas Ahimaācs un Jonatāns, tad sieva tiem atbildēja: "Viņi ir pārgājuši pāri ūdens strautam." Un viņi tos izmeklējās, bet neatrada un atgriezās atpakaļ Jeruzālemē. 21 Un, kad tie bija aizgājuši, viņi izkāpa no akas, gāja un paziņoja to ķēniņam Dāvidam; un viņi sacīja Dāvidam: "Celieties un steigšus ejiet pāri ūdeņiem, jo tādu un tādu padomu pret jums ir Ahitofels devis!" 22 Tad Dāvids un visi tie ļaudis, kas bija pie viņa, rīta ausmā cēlās un pārgāja Jordānu. Un nebija neviena, kas nebūtu pārgājis Jordānu. 23 Kad Ahitofels novēroja, ka nerīkojas pēc viņa padoma, tad viņš apsegloja savu ēzeli, cēlās un aizjāja uz savu namu dzimtajā pilsētā. Pēc tam viņš vēl apkopa savu namu un tad pakārās. Tā viņš nomira un tika apglabāts sava tēva kapa vietā. 24 Bet Dāvids nonāca Mahanajimā, un Absaloms gāja pāri Jordānai un visi Israēla vīri līdz ar viņu. 25 Joāba vietā Absaloms iecēla Amasu par savu karaspēka virspavēlnieku. Bet Amasa bija kāda vīra dēls, kuram bija vārds Jitro, kas bija ismaēlietis. Tas bija gājis un gulējis pie Nahaša meitas Cerujas māsas Abigailas, kura bija Joāba māte. 26 Un Israēls Absaloma vadībā apmetās teltīs Gileāda zemē. 27 Kad Dāvids bija nonācis Mahanajimā, tad Sobijs, Nahaša dēls, no Rabas, Amona bērnu galvaspilsētas, un Mahīrs, Amiēla dēls, no Lodebaras, un gileādietis Barzillajs no Reglimas 28 atnesa gultas un segas, ūdens traukus, māla traukus, kviešus un miežus, miltus, kā arī grauzdētu labību, pupas un lēcas, 29 medu un sviestu, sīklopus un sierus, arī krējumu - to visu viņi pienesa Dāvidam un viņa ļaudīm, kuri bija pie viņa, lai tiem būtu pārtika, jo viņi domāja: tiem ļaudīm ir jābūt izsalkušiem, nogurušiem un izslāpušiem kā jau tuksnesī.
