⁵ Then Jonadab said to him, Go to your bed, and let it seem that you are ill: and when your father comes to see you, say to him, Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread, and get the food ready before my eyes, so that I may see it and take it from her hand.

²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's women who are here looking after his house; then all Israel will have the news that you are hated by your father, and the hands of your supporters will be strong.

²² So they put up the tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's women before the eyes of all Israel.

²³ In those days the opinions of Ahithophel were valued as highly as if through him a man might get direction from God; so were they valued by David as much as by Absalom.

¹ Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me take out twelve thousand men and this very night I will go after David:

² And I will come up with him when he is tired and feeble, and make him full of fear: and all the people with him will go in flight; and I will make an attack on the king only:

³ And I will make all the people come back to you as a bride comes back to her husband: it is the life of only one man you are going after; so all the people will be at peace.

⁴ And the saying was pleasing to Absalom and to the responsible men of Israel.

¹⁸ When you saw a thief, you were in agreement with him, and you were joined with those who took other men's wives.

¹⁹ You have given your mouth to evil, your tongue to words of deceit.

²⁷ A son who no longer gives attention to teaching is turned away from the words of knowledge.

²⁴ And she went out and said to her mother, What is my request to be? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

²⁵ And she came in quickly to the king, and said, My desire is that you give me straight away on a plate the head of John the Baptist.

¹⁵ So now, will you and the Sanhedrin make a request to the military authorities to have him sent down to you, as if you were desiring to go into the business in greater detail; and we, before ever he gets to you, will be waiting to put him to death.