Wisdom Verses

And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:

Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so {is} my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. {comfortable: Heb. for rest} {to discern: Heb. to hear}

To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord {is} wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all {things} that {are} in the earth.

And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor, from his city, {even} from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

And {one} told David, saying, Ahithophel {is} among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; {as} I {have been} thy father's servant hitherto, so {will} I now also {be} thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, {was} as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so {was} all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. {oracle: Heb. word}

Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. {what...: Heb. what is in his mouth}

And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given {is} not good at this time. {given: Heb. counselled}

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. {that thou...: Heb. that thy face, or, presence go, etc}

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. {appointed: Heb. commanded}