2 Samuel Chapter 17
Showing all 29 verses for 2 Samuel Chapter 17.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: "
"Ahithophel said to Absalom, 'Let me pick out twelve thousand men, and I'll set out tonight to pursue David.'"
I want you to notice how good advice can still lead to great harm when it's aimed at a wrong and violent purpose. Skill and wisdom in themselves are morally neutral tools - what matters is the goal they're being used for.
"And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only: "
"'I'll catch him while he's exhausted and demoralised, and I'll terrify him. Everyone with him will scatter, and I'll strike down the king alone.'"
I want you to see how evil doesn't always look chaotic or reckless - sometimes it's efficient, minimal, and coldly rational, which can make it even harder to recognise as evil. Judge actions by their true purpose, not by how measured or reasonable they appear.
"And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace. "
"'Then I'll bring all the people back to you. Getting the one man you're after is like getting everyone back - and all the people will be at peace.'"
I want you to be very suspicious of any plan that promises peace through violence against just one person - that reasoning has justified some of history's worst acts. True peace is never actually built on a single act of killing.
"And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. "
"The plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel."
I want you to remember that consensus and popularity don't make a plan right. Being outvoted or standing against the crowd's approval doesn't mean you're wrong - sometimes the group is simply agreeing on something harmful together.
"Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. "
"But Absalom said, 'Call Hushai the Archite too - let's hear what he has to say as well.'"
I want you to notice how one small decision - simply being willing to hear another perspective - can change the entire course of events. Stay humble enough to want a second opinion, even when you already have advice you like.
"And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou. "
"When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him, 'Ahithophel has suggested this plan - should we go with it? If not, tell us your thoughts.'"
I want you to trust that patient, faithful preparation - like Hushai's willingness to walk into danger for someone he loves - often pays off in a moment you can't fully predict or control in advance. Do the faithful thing now; the opportunity may come later.
"And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. "
"Hushai said to Absalom, 'The advice Ahithophel has given this time isn't good.'"
I want you to find courage to speak an unpopular but true opinion when something important is at stake, even against someone with far more authority or reputation than you. Being right sometimes means standing entirely alone at first.
"For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. "
"Hushai continued, 'You know your father and his men - they're mighty warriors, and right now they're as fierce and dangerous as a bear robbed of her cubs in the wild. Besides, your father is an experienced soldier; he won't be sleeping out in the open with the ordinary troops.'"
I want you to notice how powerfully fear and vivid imagery can shape a decision, for better or worse. Recognise when someone, or your own mind, is using a frightening picture to steer you - and ask whether the underlying facts actually support the fear.
"Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. "
"'He's probably hiding right now in some cave or another hideout. And if some of your men are defeated in the very first clash, word will spread instantly: "There's been a massacre among Absalom's forces!"'"
I want you to think about how fragile confidence and morale really are, in your own life as much as in any conflict - a single setback, blown out of proportion, can derail something that was actually still winnable. Guard your own resolve carefully during setbacks.
"And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. "
"'Then even your bravest soldier, with the heart of a lion, will lose his nerve completely - because all Israel knows your father is a formidable warrior, and that the men with him are seasoned fighters too.'"
I want you to recognise how someone's past reputation, good or bad, can loom larger in people's minds than their present reality. Be fair in reassessing people rather than letting an old story about them decide everything in the present.
"Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person. "
"'So my advice is this: gather all of Israel together to you, from Dan all the way to Beersheba - as numerous as the sand on the seashore - and lead the army into battle yourself, in person.'"
I want you to see how the more cautious, 'responsible-sounding' option isn't always genuinely wiser - sometimes it's simply better disguised. Look past how confident or grand a plan sounds and ask what it will actually achieve.
"So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one. "
"'Then we'll come upon him wherever he's found, falling on him like dew settling on the ground, and none of him or his men will be left alive.'"
I want you to notice how beautiful language can be used to make violence sound acceptable or even inevitable. Don't let elegant words disguise the true weight of what's actually being described or proposed.
"Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. "
"'And if he manages to escape into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes and drag that entire city down into the nearest river, until not even a single stone is left there.'"
I want you to notice how grand, sweeping promises can be more persuasive than modest, realistic ones, even when they're less likely to actually happen. Be wary of any plan - in politics, business, or your own life - that promises total, effortless victory.
"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 good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. "
"Absalom and all the men of Israel said, 'Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's.' For it was the LORD who had determined to frustrate Ahithophel's good advice, in order to bring disaster on Absalom."
I want you to hold onto hope that even when it looks like the wisest or most powerful voice in the room is about to win, there's room for outcomes that human strategy alone can't fully explain. Keep bringing your honest fears into your prayers, as David did - it matters more than it might seem in the moment.
"Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. "
"Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, 'Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders to do this and this, but I advised them to do this and this instead.'"
I want you to see the value of following through fully on a plan, not just achieving the first goal but making sure the outcome actually reaches the people who need it. Good intentions still need to be carried all the way to completion.
"Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him. "
"'Now send word quickly and tell David: don't spend the night at the fords of the wilderness - cross over the Jordan immediately, or the king and everyone with him could be wiped out.'"
I want you to keep working diligently even after a victory, rather than assuming the danger has passed the moment things go your way. Stay watchful until you're genuinely through to safety.
"Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told king David. "
"Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel, since they couldn't risk being seen entering the city. A servant girl went and gave them the message, and they went and told King David."
I want you to appreciate the real courage it takes to serve faithfully in a role that's quiet, unglamorous, and genuinely risky. Not every act of service gets noticed, but it still matters enormously to the people depending on it.
"Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man’s house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down. "
"But a young boy spotted them and told Absalom. So the two men hurried away quickly and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in its courtyard, and they climbed down into it."
I want you to remember that even well-prepared plans can hit unexpected obstacles, and that's not a sign of failure but simply real life. What matters is how resourcefully and courageously you respond in that moment, not whether everything goes perfectly.
"And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. "
"The woman of the house spread a covering over the mouth of the well and scattered grain on top of it, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary."
I want you to know that history and life are full of unnamed people whose quiet courage changes everything, even though they never get remembered by name. Your own unseen acts of courage and kindness matter more than you may ever know.
"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 brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. "
"When Absalom's men came to the woman's house and asked, 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' she told them, 'They've already crossed over the stream.' The men searched but couldn't find them, and gave up, returning to Jerusalem."
I want you to notice how much depends, in this story, on the courage of one ordinary woman willing to lie to protect innocent lives from unjust violence. When protecting the vulnerable is genuinely at stake, love sometimes requires hard, complicated choices.
"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 thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you. "
"After the men had left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well and went and told David, 'Get up and cross the water quickly - this is what Ahithophel has advised against you.'"
I want you to hold onto the truth that faithful, patient effort - by David, Hushai, the priests, their sons, and an unnamed woman - all comes together here for a single life-saving outcome. No one person did it alone; every faithful link in that chain mattered.
"Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan. "
"So David and all his people got up and crossed the Jordan River. By the time morning came, not a single one of them was left on the other side."
I want you to see how acting promptly on trustworthy warning, rather than delaying out of exhaustion or doubt, made all the difference here. When you're given wise counsel from people who genuinely care about you, don't be too proud or too tired to actually act on it.
"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 hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. "
"When Ahithophel saw that his advice hadn't been followed, he saddled his donkey, went home to his own town, put his affairs in order, and then hanged himself. He was buried in his father's tomb."
I want you to know that no failure, no rejected plan, no political defeat is ever actually worth your life - there is always a way back, always another chapter possible, no matter how final things feel in the moment. If you ever find yourself in Ahithophel's despair, please know that your life still has infinite worth, and reaching out for help is not weakness.
"Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. "
"David arrived at Mahanaim, and Absalom, along with all the men of Israel, crossed the Jordan too."
I want you to see that safety often isn't a single dramatic escape but an ongoing process, requiring continued vigilance and preparation even after the most immediate danger has passed. Keep building on the breathing room you're given rather than assuming the danger is entirely over.
"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 Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother. "
"Absalom appointed Amasa as commander of his army in place of Joab. Amasa's father was Ithra the Israelite, and his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, who was also the sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother."
I want you to feel the real weight of how conflict and division can tear apart even the closest relationships. Whenever you're tempted into a fight that pulls family or close friends into opposing sides, weigh very carefully whether the cause is truly worth that cost.
"So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. "
"So Israel and Absalom set up camp in the region of Gilead."
I want you to notice how even in the quiet, transitional moments of a story, not just the dramatic ones, things are still moving towards their outcome. Don't dismiss the quiet seasons of your own life as unimportant; they're still part of the story unfolding.
"And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, "
"When David arrived at Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim all came to help."
I want you to stay open to receiving help from unexpected people, and to being that kind of unexpected help for someone else. Kindness doesn't need to come from your usual circle to be real and valuable.
"Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, "
"They brought bedding, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, and roasted legumes."
I want you to see the value of specific, practical generosity rather than vague good wishes. When someone you care about is going through hardship, ask what they actually need and provide exactly that, rather than a generic gesture.
"And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. "
"They also brought honey, butter, sheep, and cheese, for David and everyone with him to eat - because they said, 'The people are hungry, exhausted, and thirsty out here in the wilderness.'"
I want you to notice how the chapter ends not on strategy or violence but on simple human kindness meeting real physical need. When someone is exhausted and afraid, sometimes the most loving thing you can do is simply feed them, comfort them, and let them rest.