1. Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose 12,000 men and leave tonight to go after David.
2. I’ll attack him while he’s tired and weak, and I’ll cause him to panic. All the people with him will flee, but I’ll kill only him.
3. I’ll return all the people to you as a bride is returned to her husband. Since you will be seeking the life of only one man, all the people will have peace.”
4. Absalom and all the leaders of Israel approved this plan.
5. Absalom said, “Please call Hushai, who is descended from Archi’s family, and let us hear what he, too, has to say.”
6. When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him, “Ahithophel has told us his plan. Should we do what he says? If not, tell us.”
7. “This time Ahithophel’s advice is no good,” Hushai said to Absalom.
8. “You know your father and his men. They are warriors as fierce as a wild bear whose cubs have been stolen. Your father is an experienced soldier. He will not camp with the troops tonight.
9. He has already hidden in one of the ravines or some other place. If some of our soldiers are killed in the initial attack, others will definitely hear about it and say, ‘The troops that support Absalom have been defeated.’
10. Even the bravest man with a heart like a lion would lose his courage, because all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and the men with him are brave.
11. So my advice is to gather all Israel’s troops from Dan to Beersheba, since they are as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Lead them into battle yourself.
12. Then we’ll attack him wherever we find him. We’ll fall on him as dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left ⌊alive⌋.