17

Ahithaufee tej lug kov tsw yeej Husai tej lug

¹Hab Ahithaufee has rua Axaloo tas, “Thov ca kuv xaiv ib vaam ob txheeb tug tub rog es mo nuav kuv sawv kev moog lawv Tavi. ²Kuv yuav moog lawv cuag rua thaus nwg txug sav heev hab poob sab ua rua nwg ntshai raag zum zawg, cov tuabneeg kws nrug nwg ua ke suavdawg yuav tswv taag. Kuv yuav tua kag vaajntxwv tuab leeg xwb, ³hab kuv yuav coj cov pejxeem suavdawg rov lug rua koj.⚓ Thaus kws tua tau tuab tug kws koj cheem tsum xwb, tes kuj tau cov pejxeem suavdawg rov lug lawm, hab cov pejxeem suavdawg yuav nyob kaaj sab lug.” ⁴Cov lug nuav hum Axaloo hab Yixayee cov kev txwj quas laug suavdawg lub sab.
⁵Axaloo txhad has tas, “Ca le hu Husai kws yog Akhi cum lug. Peb yuav noog saib nwg has le caag.” ⁶Thaus Husai lug cuag Axaloo, Axaloo has rua nwg tas, “Ahithaufee has le nuav lawm. Tswm nyog ua lawv le nwg qha los tsw tswm nyog ua? Yog tsw tswm nyog ua, koj ca le has.” ⁷Husai has rua Axaloo tas, “Tej kws Ahithaufee has zag nuav tsw zoo.” ⁸Husai has ntxwv tas, “Koj yeej paub tas koj txwv hab nwg cov tuabneeg yog tub rog sab tuab. Puab saamswm npau tawg heev yaam le tug maum dais tom haav zoov kws luas coj cov mivnyuas moog lawm. Dua le ntawd koj txwv yog tug kws txawj ua rog heev hab mo ntuj nwg yuav tsw nrug nwg cov tub rog pw ua ke. ⁹Swm saib, taamswm nuav nwg moog nraim rua huv lub qhov lossws nyob dua rua ib qho lawm. Thaus koj cov tub rog moog ntaus rog thawj zag es qee leej raug tuag, leejtwg nov los yuav has tas, ‘Axaloo cov tub rog raug tua tuag.’ ¹⁰Tes txawm yog cov tub rog kws sab tuab hab lub sab zoo yaam nkaus le tug tsuv ntxhuav los yuav ntshai sab yaaj taag, vem cov Yixayee suavdawg yeej paub tas koj txwv yog tug kws muaj zug heev hab nwg cov tub rog kuj sab tuab. ¹¹Kuv le lug qha koj yog le nuav, koj sau cov Yixayee suavdawg txwj ntawm lub moos Ntaaj moog txug lub moos Npe‑awsenpa ua tau tub rog coob yaam nkaus le tej xuab zeb ntawm ntug havtxwv mas koj ua tug kws kaav cov tub rog moog ntaag. ¹²Mas peb ntswb nwg hovtwg kuj xwj, peb yuav nas ntho nwg yaam nkaus lwg lug rua huv aav. Mas Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg yuav tsw tshuav ib tug le. ¹³Yog nwg thim moog rua huv lub moos twg, cov Yixayee suavdawg yuav coj hlua moog nqug lub moos hov rua huv haav dej, ua kuas tsw tshuav ib lub qai zeb nyob ntawm lub chaw hlo le.” ¹⁴Axaloo hab cov Yixayee suavdawg has tas, “Tej lug kws Husai kws yog Akhi cum qha zoo dua tej lug kws Ahithaufee qha.” Yawmsaub tub npaaj tseg ua kuas tej lug zoo kws Ahithaufee qha kov tsw yeej sub Yawmsaub txhad coj tau tej xwm txheej phem lug raug Axaloo.
¹⁵Husai txawm has rua Xantau hab Anpiyatha kws ua pov thawj tas, “Ahithaufee tau qha le u le nuav rua Axaloo hab Yixayee cov kev txwj quas laug, hab kuv qha le u le nuav. ¹⁶Yog le hov ca le maaj tso tuabneeg moog has rua Tavi has tas, ‘Mo nuav nwg tsw xob su ntawm lub chaw kws hlaa dej moog rua tebchaws moj saab qhua, ca le hlaa hlo moog tsaam tes vaajntxwv hab nwg cov tuabneeg suavdawg yuav raug muab nqog hlo huvsw.’ ” ¹⁷Yaunathaa hab Ahima‑a saamswm tog hov ntawm lub qhov dej Eelaukee. Muaj ib tug nkauj qhev pheej moog qha rua ob tug, tes ob tug txhad moog has rua Tavi, tsua qhov ob tug tsw kaav moog rua huv lub nroog rua leejtwg pum. ¹⁸Tassws muaj ib tug tub hluas pum ob tug tes txawm moog has rua Axaloo. Ob tug txhad maaj nroog tswv moog txug ib tug yawm lub tsev huv lub moos Npahuli. Yawm hov muaj ib lub qhov dej nyob ntawm tog tsev, ob tug txawm nqeg moog nyob huv lub qhov ntawd. ¹⁹Tug yawm hov quaspuj txawm muab ntaub lug npug lub ncauj qhov hab muab qoob lug zab rua sau, tsw muaj leejtwg paub le. ²⁰Thaus Axaloo cov tub teg tub taw tuaj txug ntawm tug quaspuj hov lub tsev, puab txawm nug tas, “Ahima‑a hab Yaunathaa nyob hovtwg?” Tug quaspuj hov teb tas, “Ob tug hlaa dej moog dhau lawm.” Thaus puab nrhav tsw pum ob tug, puab txawm rov moog rua huv lub nroog Yeluxalee.
²¹Thaus cov tuabneeg hov rov moog lawd, ob tug le tawm huv lub qhov lug hab moog qha rua vaajntxwv Tavi. Ob tug has rua Tavi tas, “Ca le sawv tseeg maaj nroog hlaa tug dej moog vem yog Ahithaufee tub qha le u le nuav txug koj.” ²²Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg suavdawg txawm sawv tseeg hlaa tug dej Yalatee moog. Thaus kaaj ntug tes tsw tshuav ib tug kws tsw tau hlaa tug dej Yalatee le.
²³Thaus Ahithaufee pum tas puab tsw ua lawv le tej lug kws nwg qha, nwg txawm pem eeb caij neeg luav moog rua nwg lub tsev kws nyob huv nwg lub moos lawm. Thaus nwg tu nwg lub cuab txhwj lawm nwg txawm moog dai cej daab tuag, puab txhad muab nwg log rua huv nwg txwv lub qhov ntxaa.
²⁴Tavi txawm moog txug lub moos Mahana‑i. Tes Axaloo hab cov txwvneej Yixayee suavdawg txawm hlaa tug dej Yalatee moog. ²⁵Axaloo tub tsaa Amaxa ua thawj rog nyob Yau‑a chaw. Amaxa yog ib tug Yixayee⚓ hu ua Ithala le tub. Ithala yuav Anpikaa kws yog Naha tug ntxhais hab yog Xeluya kws yog Yau‑a nam tug nam hluas. ²⁶Cov Yixayee hab Axaloo ua yeej nyob huv Kile‑a tebchaws.
²⁷Thaus Tavi tuaj txug ntawm lub moos Mahana‑i, mas Saunpi kws yog Naha tug tub kws yog tuabneeg huv lub moos Lanpa huv Aamoo tebchaws, hab Makhi kws yog Ami‑ee huv lub moos Launtenpa tug tub, hab Npaxilai kws yog tuabneeg Kile‑a nyob huv lub moos Laukeli, ²⁸puab coj tej txaaj pw tej phaaj tej laujkaub aav, hab tej mog tej qeb tej moov tej qeb kib tej taum laag taum pauv, ²⁹hab zwb ntaab hab kua mig nyeem hab tej yaaj hab tej thooj nyuj mig nkoog tuaj pub rua Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg noj. Puab has tas, “Cov tuabneeg ntawd tshaib hab tsaug leeg heev hab nqhes dej rua huv tebchaws moj saab qhua.”

17

¹Ahithophel said to Absalom, “I would⚓ choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. ²I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king ³and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed.” ⁴This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.
⁵But Absalom said, “Summon also Hushai the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say as well.” ⁶When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion.”
⁷Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. ⁸You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. ⁹Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first,⚓ whoever hears about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.
¹¹“So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. ¹²Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. ¹³If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not so much as a pebble is left.”
¹⁴Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
¹⁵Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. ¹⁶Now send a message at once and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.’ ”
¹⁷Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. ¹⁸But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. ¹⁹His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.
²⁰When Absalom’s men came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
The woman answered them, “They crossed over the brook.”⚓ The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.
²¹After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.” ²²So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
²³When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

Absalom’s Death

²⁴David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. ²⁵Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether,⚓ an Ishmaelite⚓ who had married Abigail⚓ , the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. ²⁶The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim ²⁸brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils,⚓ ²⁹honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.”