a burden to me. But
if you go back to the city, and say to Absalom, 'Your brothers have gone
away and your father has gone after them; I will be your servant, O
king; as I have been your father's servant in the past, so now I will be
your servant,' you can defeat for me the advice of Ahithophel. And have
you not there with you Zadok and Abiathar the priests? See, they have
there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan,
Abiathar's son. By them you shall send word to me of everything that you
hear." So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city, when Absalom came
to Jerusalem.

Then David and all the people who were with him, reached the Jordan
tired out, but he refreshed himself there.

And Absalom, with all the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and
Ahithophel was with him. When Hushai, David's friend, came to Absalom,
Hushai said to him, "May the king live, may the king live!" But Absalom
said to Hushai, "Is this your love for your friend? Why did you not go
with your friend?" Hushai answered, "No! to him whom Jehovah and his
people and all the men of Israel have chosen, to him will I belong and
with him will I stay. Also whom should I serve? Should it not be his
son? As I have served your father, so will I serve you."

The advice which Ahithophel gave in those days was thought by David and
Absalom to be the same as if it had come from God himself. And
Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me now pick out twelve thousand men,
and set out and follow David to-night. Thus I will come upon him when he
is tired and weak and will frighten him, and all the people who are with
him will flee. Then I will kill only the king, and I will bring back all
the people to you as the bride turns to her husband. Seek only the life
of one man, and all the people will be at peace." This advice pleased
Absalom and all the leaders of Israel.

Then Absalom said, "Call now Hushai and let us hear also what he has to
say." When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Thus Ahithophel
has spoken; shall we act as he advises? If not, you advise us." Then
Hushai said to Absalom, "The advice that Ahithophel has given this time
is not good. You know that your father and his men are mighty warriors
and are now angry, like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is also a
soldier and will not stay at night with the people. Even now he has
hidden himself in one of the caves or in some other place. If some of
the people fall at firs