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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>2 Samuel 17 NIV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-LR4HSKRP2H"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-LR4HSKRP2H'); </script><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_samuel/17.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_samuel/17-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NIV</a> > 2 Samuel 17</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_samuel/16.htm" title="2 Samuel 16">◄</a> 2 Samuel 17 <a href="../2_samuel/18.htm" title="2 Samuel 18">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New International Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/niv/esv/2_samuel/17.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Ahithophel said to Absalom, “I would <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or Let me">a</a></sup></span> choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>I 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 <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>and 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>But Absalom said, “Summon also Hushai the Arkite, so we can hear what he has to say as well.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, “Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Hushai replied to Absalom, “The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>You 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or When some of the men fall at the first attack">b</a></sup></span> whoever hears about it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Then 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.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>“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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Then 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>If 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.”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the <span class="name">Lord</span> had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Hushai 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Now 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.’ ”</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Jonathan 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>But 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>His 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.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>When Absalom’s men came to the woman at the house, they asked, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?”</p><p class="reg">The woman answered them, “They crossed over the brook.” <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or ''They passed by the sheep pen toward the water.''">c</a></sup></span> The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>After 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>So 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.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>When 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.</p> <p class="sectionhead">Absalom’s Death</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew Ithra, a variant of Jether">d</a></sup></span> an Ishmaelite <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 2:17); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Israelite">e</a></sup></span> who had married Abigail <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew Abigal, a variant of Abigail">f</a></sup></span> , the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.</p> <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>When 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 <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, <span class="nivfootnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew lentils, and roasted grain">g</a></sup></span> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/17-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>honey 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.”</p><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><A name="footnotes"></a><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>Let me</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">9</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>When some of the men fall at the first attack</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">20</span> <span class="footnotebot">Or <i>“They passed by the sheep pen toward the water.”</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">25</span> <span class="footnotebot">Hebrew <i>Ithra</i>, a variant of <i>Jether</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">e</span> <span class="fnverse">25</span> <span class="footnotebot">Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 2:17); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts <i>Israelite</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">f</span> <span class="fnverse">25</span> <span class="footnotebot">Hebrew <i>Abigal</i>, a variant of <i>Abigail</i></span><br><span class="nivfootnotesbot">g</span> <span class="fnverse">28</span> <span class="footnotebot">Most Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew <i>lentils, and roasted grain</i></span><br><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><p class="ntext"><a href="http://niv.scripturetext.com/version.htm">New International Version</a> (NIV)</p><p class="ntext2">Holy Bible, New International Version&reg, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by <a href="http://biblica.com">Biblica, Inc.</a>® Used by permission. 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