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

¹Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. ²I will come upon him while he is⚓weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will ⚓strike only the king. ³Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace.” ⁴And the saying pleased Absalom and all the ⚓elders of Israel.

The Advice of Hushai

⁵Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he ⚓says too.” ⁶And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”
⁷So Hushai said to Absalom: “The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time. ⁸For,” said Hushai, “you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like ⚓a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people. ⁹Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will ⚓melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men. ¹¹Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, ⚓from Dan to Beersheba, ⚓like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹²So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one. ¹³Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will ⚓pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there.”
¹⁴So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For ⚓the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.

Hushai Warns David to Escape

¹⁵⚓Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. ¹⁶Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night ⚓in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ” ¹⁷⚓Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz ⚓stayed at ⚓En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David. ¹⁸Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house ⚓in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. ¹⁹⚓Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known. ²⁰And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”
So ⚓the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water brook.”
And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. ²¹Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, ⚓“Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” ²²So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.
²³Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to ⚓his house, to his city. Then he put his ⚓household in order, and ⚓hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.
²⁴Then David went to ⚓Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. ²⁵And Absalom made ⚓Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra, an Israelite, who had gone in to ⚓Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that ⚓Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, ⚓Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and ⚓Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, ²⁹honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty ⚓in the wilderness.”