Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, ¹ Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:

And I will bring back all the people unto thee: ¹ the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.

And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not ¹ good at this time.

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the ¹ good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might ² bring evil upon Absalom.

Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass ¹ over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told ¹ them; and they went and told king David.

And ¹ the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known.

And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the ¹ brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for ¹ thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.

Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: ¹ by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan.

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and ¹ hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of ¹ Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.

¹ Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse,