Hushai Counters Ahithophel’s Advice

1And Achitophel sayde vnto Absalom: I wil chose out twolue thousande me, and wyl get me vp, and persue Dauid by nighte, 2and fall vpo him whan he is feble and weery: When I vexe him the, so that all the people which is by him, flieth, I wil smite the kynge onely, 3and brynge all the people vnto the agayne. So whan euery man is brought vnto the as thou desyrest, then shal all the people be in peace. 4Absalom thought that good, and so dyd all the Elders in Israel.

5But Absalom sayde: I praye you call Chusai the Arachite also, and let vs heare what he sayeth therto. 6And wha Chusai came in to Absalom, Absalom saide vnto him: Thus hath Achitophel spoken, Saye thou now, shal we do it or not? 7Then sayde Chusai vnto Absalom: It is no good councell yt Achitophel hath geuen at this tyme. 8And Chusai sayde morouer: Thou knowest thy father well and his men, that they are stronge and of a wrothfull stomack, euen as a Beer that is robbed of hir yonge ones in the felde, Thy father also is a man of warre, and wyl not be necliget with the people. 9Beholde, he hath now peraduenture hyd hymselfe in some caue or in some place. Yf it came to passe then that it chaunced euell at the first, & there shulde come a rumor and saye: There is a slaughter done in the people that folowed Absalo: 10the shulde euery man be discoraged, which els is valeaunt, & hath a hert like a lyo: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is stronge, and that all they which be with him, are mightie men. 11But this is my coucell, that thou gather together all Israel from Dan vnto Berseba in nombre as the sonde of the See, and go thou thine owne person amonge them, 12then wil we fall vpon him in what place we finde him, and wyll ouerwhelme him euen as the dew falleth vpon the earth, so that we shal not leaue one of him and of all his men. 13But yf he resorte in to a cite, then shal all Israel cast roapes aboute the same cite, and drawe it in to the riuer, so that there shal not one stone of it be founde 14Then sayde Absalom and euery man in Israel: The councell of Chusai the Arachite is better then Achitophels councell. But the LORDE broughte it so to passe, that ye good councell of Achitophel was hyndred, that the LORDE mighte brynge euell vpon Absalom.

Hushai’s Warning Saves David
(Psalm 55:1–23)

15And Chusai sayde vnto Sadoc & Abiathar the prestes: Thus and thus hath Achitophel counceled Absalom and the Elders in Israel: but so and so haue I counceled. 16Sende now therfore in all the haist, and tell Dauid, and saye: Abyde not all nighte in the playne felde of the wyldernes, but get the ouer, that the kynge be not swalowed vp, and all the people that is with him. 17As for Ionathas and Ahimaaz, they stode by the well of Rogel, and a damsell wente thither and tolde them. They wente on their waye, and tolde kynge Dauid, for they durst not be sene to come in to the cite. 18But a lad sawe them, and tolde Absalom. Neuertheles they wente on their waye, and came to a mans house at Bahurim, which had a well in his courte, and they wete downe in to it. 19And the woman toke and spred a couerynge ouer the welles mouth, & strowed firmentye corne theron, that it was not perceaued. 20Now whan Absaloms seruauntes came to the woman in to the house, they sayde: where is Ahimaaz and Ionathas? The woma sayde vnto them: They are gone ouer the litle water. And wha they soughte and founde them not, they wente agayne to Ierusalem.

21And whan they were gone, they clymmed vp out of the well, and wente their waye, and tolde Dauid ye kynge, and sayde vnto Dauid: Get you vp, and go soone ouer ye water, for thus and thus hath Achitophel geuen councell agaynst you. 22Then Dauid gat him vp, and all the people that was with him, and passed ouer Iordane tyll it was cleare mornynge. And there was not one, but he wente ouer Iordane.

23Whan Achitophel sawe that his coucell wente not forth, he sadled his asse, gat him vp, and wete home in to his cite and put his house to poynte, and hanged him selfe, and dyed, and was buried in his fathers graue.

24And Dauid came to Mahanaim, and Absalom wente ouer Iordane, & all the men of Israel wt him. 25And Absalom had set Amasa ouer the hoost in Ioabs steade. Amasa was the sonne of a man, whose name was Iethra a Iesraelite, which laye with Abigail the doughter of Nahas the sister of Zeru Ia Ioabs mother. 26But Israel and Absalom pitched in Gilead.

27Whan Dauid was come to Mahanaim, Nahas of Rabbath of the childre of Ammon, and Machir the sonne of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barsillai a Gileadite of Roglim 28broughte bedstuffe, tapestrie worke, basens, earthen vessell, whete, barly, meel, parched corne, beenes, otemeell, ryse, 29hony, butter, shepe and fat oxen vnto Dauid, and to ye people that was with him, for to eate: for they thought, The people shall be hongrie, weerye and thirstye in the wyldernes.