The. holie. Bible. conteynyng the olde Testament and the newe.

The .xvii. Chapter.

7 Ahithophels counsel is ouerthrowen by Husai. 14 The Lorde had so ordeined. 19 The priestes sonnes are hid in the wel. 22 Dauid goeth ouer Iordane. 23 Ahithophel hangeth him selfe. 27 They bring vittayles to Dauid.

[unspec A] 1 AHithophel also said vn∣to Absalom: (a) 1.1 Let me choose out now twelue thousand men, and I wil vp and folowe af∣ter Dauid this night:

2 And I wil come vpō him whyle he is weery and weake han∣ded, and will feare him: And all the peo∣ple that are with him, shall flee, and so will I smite the king only,

3 And wil bring againe all the people vn∣to thee: and when al shall returne, the(b) 1.2 man whom thou sekest [beyng slayne] all the people shalbe in peace.

4 And the saying “ 1.3 pleased Absalom wel and al the elders of Israel.

5 Then sayde Absalom: Cal nowe Husai the Arachite also, and let vs heare lyke∣wyse “ 1.4 what he sayth.

6 When Husai was come to Absalom, Ab∣salom spake vnto him, saying: Ahitho∣phel hath geuen “ 1.5 such counsel: Shal we do after his saying, or no? tell thou.

7 Husai aunswered vnto Absalom: The [unspec B] counsel that Ahithophel hath geuen, is not good at this time.

8 For sayde Husai, thou knowest thy fa∣ther & his men howe that they be strong men, and they be chafed in their mindes,

and are euen as a Beare robbed of her whelpes in the fielde: Thy father is a man also practised in warre, and wil not * 1.6 lodge with the people.

9 Behold he is hyd nowe in some caue, or in some other place: And though some of his men be ouerthrowen at the first brunt, yet they that heare it, will say: The people that foloweth Absa∣lom, be “ 1.7 put to the worse.

10 And he also that is valiaunt, whose heart is as y^e heart of a Liō, shal “ 1.8 shrink and faynt: For all Israel knoweth, that thy father is a mightie man, and they which be with him are “ 1.9 stout men.

11 Therfore my counsell is, that al Israel be gathered vnto thee frō Dan to Beer∣seba, as the sande of the sea in numbre, and that thou go to battayle in thyne owne person.

12 For so shall we come vpon him in one place or other where we shal finde him, and we wil fal vpon him, euen as thicke as the deawe falleth on y^e ground: And of al the men that are with him, we shal not leaue him one.

13 Moreouer, if he be gotten into a towne, then shall al the men of Israel bring ropes to that citie, and we will drawe it into the riuer, vntil ther be not one small stone founde there.

[unspec C] 14 And Absalom and all the men of Is∣rael sayde: The counsel of Husai the A∣rachite, is better then the counsell of A∣hithophel. For * 1.10 it was euen the Lordes determination to destroy the (c) 1.11 good counsell of Ahithophel, that the Lorde might d 1.12 bring euyll vpon Absalom.

15 Then sayde Husai vnto Sadoc & Abia∣thar the priestes: Of this & that maner did Ahithophel and the elders of Israel counsel Absalom, and thus & thus haue I counsayled.

16 Nowe therfore send quickly, & shewe Dauid, saying: Tarie not this night in y^e fieldes of the wildernesse, but get thee (e) 1.13ouer, lest the king be deuoured, & all the people that are with him.

17 Now Ionathan and Ahimaaz abode by the well Rogel: (for they might not be seene to come into the citie) and a wench went and * 1.14 told them: And they went, and shewed king Dauid.

18 Neuerthelesse, a lad sawe them, and tolde it to Absalom: But they went both of them away quickly, & came to a mans house in Bahurim, which had a well in his yarde, into the whiche they went downe.

19 And the wyfe toke and spread a co¦uerlet ouer the welles mouth, & spread ground corne theron: and the thing was not spied.

20 And when Absaloms seruauntes came to the wyfe to the house, they sayde: Where is Ahimaaz & Ionathan? The woman aunswered thē: They be gone ouer the brooke of water. And whē they had sought them, and coulde not finde them, they returned to Hierusalem.

21 And assoone as they were departed, [unspec D] the other came out of the wel, and went and tolde king Dauid, and sayde vnto him: Vp, and get you quickly ouer the water, for (g) 1.15 suche counsel hath Ahitho∣phel geuen against you.

22 Then Dauid arose, and all the people that were with him, & they were come ouer Iordane (h) 1.16by that it was day: so that there lacked not one of them that was not come ouer Iordane.

23 And when Ahithophel sawe that his counsel was not folowed, he sadled his Asse, and arose and gate him home to his owne house, and to his owne citie, & put his housholde in order, and(i) 1.17 han∣ged him selfe, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

24 Then Dauid came to Mahanaim, And Absalom passed ouer Iordane, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 And Absalom made Amasa captaine of the hoast in stede of Ioab: which Ama∣sa, was a mans sonne named Iethra an Israelite, that went into Abigail the daughter of(k) 1.18 Nahas, sister to Zaruia Ioabs mother.

26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead.

27 And when Dauid was come to Ma∣hanaim, Sobi the sonne of Nahas, out of Rabba of the children of Ammon, & Machir the sonne of Ammiel out of Lo∣deber, and Barzellai the Gileadite out of Rogelim, [unspec E]

28 l 1.19Brought beddes, basens, earthen ves∣sels, wheat and barly, floure & parched corne, beanes, lentiles, & parched pulse,

29 Hony, butter, sheepe, & cheese of kyne, for Dauid and for the people that were with him, to eate: For they sayde, The people is hungry, weery, and thirstie, in the wildernesse.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  As though he would say, geue me au∣thoritie to choose.
• (b) 1.2

  Meaning Dauid.
• “ 1.3

  Heb. was right in the eyes of Ab∣salom.
• “ 1.4

  Heb. what is in his mouth.
• “ 1.5

  Or▪ Spo∣ken thus.
• * 1.6

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 Tary 〈…〉〈…〉
• “ 1.7

  He Haue a breach or ••ayne.
• “ 1.8

  Heb. melt
• “ 1.9

  Heb. The children of fortitude.
• * 1.10

  Or, The Lord hath commaunded.
• (c) 1.11

  Good to haue brought to passe that wicked pur∣pose he went about.
• d 1.12

  For by the counsel of Husai▪ he went to the battell where he was de∣stroyed.
• (e) 1.13

  That is, ouer Iordane
• * 1.14

  The mes∣sage frō their ••s.
• (g) 1.15

  To wit, to pursue the with all hast.
• (h) 1.16

  So y^t they trauayled all night, and by mourning ••a•• all their com∣pany passed ouer.
• (i) 1.17

  Thus God somtimes in this lyfe exe∣cuteth iudge∣ment vpon the cruel perse∣cutor of the innocent, to admonishe vs what iudge∣ment at suche shal haue in the world to come.
• (k) 1.18

  Who was also called I••ai Dauids fa∣ther.
• l 1.19

  God 〈◊〉〈◊〉 them ••∣ring the neces∣sitie of his faithfull ser∣uaunt in his trouble and affliction.