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Who then can save the one warred against by God? And who can destroy the one helped by Him? Considering all these things, Hushai, becoming hopeful, went where he was sent; and when he arrived, seeing the tyrant riding in, he approached. But he, seeing him suddenly, and drunk with the love of power, did not examine him closely, but mocking him and reproaching him, "Go away," he said, "with your companion," not even enduring to say his name, from much hatred and enmity. To whom Hushai, not at all disturbed or troubled, said: "When God was with him, I was on his side; but since He is now with you, it is fitting to serve your interests." This puffed up the tyrant, and inflated him, and having examined nothing closely—for a light-minded man believes every word; which indeed he also suffered, and being hurled down by the opposite things, he immediately brings him in among his genuine followers, and enrolls him among the first of his friends. But God was orchestrating the whole thing, being present and directing what was happening. And so, when counsel was being held concerning the war, and some were introducing one thing and others another, regarding whether they should attack immediately, or after a short delay; Ahithophel came forward, that skilled counselor, and bringing forth his opinion, he introduced this advice, saying: "Let us attack your father now while he is weary and troubled. For by not allowing him to make even a little stand, we shall thus capture him; for if we attack him now while he is unprepared, we shall have no trouble." Hearing these things, the tyrant also calls Hushai, the one who had deserted to him in pretense, and he shares with him also the word of the council; which was not according to human consequence, to so honor one who had come suddenly, and to consider him trustworthy, as even to deem him worthy of counsel concerning such matters; but, as I said before, when God directs, even difficult things become easy. And Hushai is brought in, and he gives him leave to speak freely, and asks him to say what comes to mind. What then does Hushai say? 55.83 "Never," he says, "has Ahithophel erred." Do you see the man's wisdom? He does not immediately reject his opinion, but with praise. For having first admired him for giving timely counsel in former times, he thus finds fault with the present opinion. And what he says is this: "I wonder how he has erred now; for this counsel does not seem to me to be advantageous. For if we attack now, like a provoked bear, your father, being full of rage, and despairing of his own life, and fighting with his anger at its peak, will take no account of his own safety, and will fall upon us with great vehemence. But if we should yield a little, we shall attack with greater preparation, and greater security, and without toil and with all ease, as if taking him in a net, we shall thus bring him back." Absalom praises the opinion, and said that it was more advantageous for him. But Hushai said these things, wishing to give time to David, so that he might make a little stand, and catch his breath, and gather an army. Thus then, having rejected the opinion of Ahithophel, he sent word by some hidden men and reported everything to David, and that the tyrant had approved his own opinion, which brought victory to David. So indeed it happened. For when he had yielded a little, David, having prepared himself, attacked, and set up the trophy of victory. Which Ahithophel, foreseeing from his great wisdom and skill, and having learned from this the outcome already, that this opinion was destruction for Absalom, not bearing the resulting insolence, went away, tied a noose and hanged himself, and so ended his life.

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Τίς οὖν σῶσαι δύναται τὸν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ πολεμούμενον; τίς δὲ ἀπολέσαι τὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνου βοηθούμενον; Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα φιλοσοφῶν ὁ Χουσὶ, καὶ γενόμενος εὔελπις, ἀπῆλθεν ἔνθα ἐπέμπετο· καὶ ὡς ἐπέστη, ἰδὼν εἰσελαύνοντα τὸν τύραννον, προσῆλθεν. Ὁ δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀθρόον, καὶ τῇ φιλαρχίᾳ μεθύων, οὐκ ἐξήτασεν ἀκριβῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπισκώπτων αὐτὸν καὶ ὀνειδίζων, Ἄπιθι, φησὶ, μετὰ τοῦ ἑταίρου σου, οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομα ὑπομείνας εἰπεῖν, ὑπὸ μίσους καὶ ἀπεχθείας πολλῆς. Πρὸς ὃν ὁ Χουσὶ οὐδὲν διαταραχθεὶς, οὐδὲ διαθορυβηθεὶς, φησί· Ὅτε ἦν ὁ Θεὸς μετ' αὐτοῦ, τὰ ἐκείνου ἐφρόνουν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ μετὰ σοῦ νῦν ἐστιν, ἀκόλουθον θεραπεύειν τὰ σά. Ἐπῆρε τοῦτο τὸν τύραννον, καὶ ἐφύσησε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐξετάσας ἀκριβὲς κοῦφος γὰρ ἀνὴρ πιστεύει παντὶ λόγῳ· ὃ δὴ κἀκεῖνος ἔπαθε, καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐκτραχηλισθεὶς, εὐθέως αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς γνησίους εἰσάγει, καὶ εἰς τοὺς πρώτους ἐγγράφει τῶν φίλων. Τὸ δὲ πᾶν ὁ Θεὸς ᾠκονόμει, παρὼν καὶ στρατηγῶν τοῖς γινομένοις. Καὶ λοιπὸν βουλῆς προκειμένης περὶ πολέμου, καὶ ἑτέρων ἕτερα εἰσηγουμένων περὶ τοῦ, πότερον εὐθέως ἐπιθέσθαι χρὴ, ἢ μικρὸν ἀναβαλλομένους· παρελθὼν ὁ Ἀχιτόφελ, ὁ δεινὸς ἐκεῖνος συμβουλεῦσαι, καὶ γνώμην εἰσενεγκὼν, ταύτην εἰσηγεῖται τὴν συμβουλὴν λέγων· Τεταλαιπωρημένῳ νῦν καὶ τεταραγμένῳ ἐπιθώμεθα τῷ πατρὶ τῷ σῷ. Καὶ γὰρ μὴ συγχωρήσαντες μηδὲ μικρὸν αὐτὸν στῆναι, οὕτως ἂν ἕλωμεν· ἂν γὰρ ἀπαρασκευάστῳ ὄντι νῦν ἐπιθώμεθα, οὐδὲ εἷς ἡμῖν ἔσται πόνος. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ τύραννος, καλεῖ καὶ τὸν Χουσὶ, τὸν αὐτομολήσαντα ἐν ὑποκρίσει πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ μεταδίδωσι καὶ αὐτῷ τοῦ τῆς βουλῆς λόγου· ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν κατὰ ἀκολουθίαν ἀνθρωπίνην, τὸν ἀθρόον ἐλθόντα, τοῦτον οὕτω τιμῆσαι, καὶ νομίσαι ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι, ὡς καὶ συμβουλῆς ἀξιοῦν πραγμάτων ἕνεκεν τοιούτων· ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς στρατηγῇ, καὶ τὰ δύσκολα εὔκολα γίνεται. Καὶ εἰσάγεται ὁ Χουσὶ, καὶ μεταδίδωσιν αὐτῷ παῤῥησίας, καὶ ἀξιοῖ λέγειν τὸ παριστάμενον. Τί οὖν ὁ Χουσί; 55.83 Οὐδέποτε, φησὶ, διήμαρτεν ὁ Ἀχιτόφελ. Εἶδες σύνεσιν ἀνδρός; Οὐκ εὐθέως αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην ἐκβάλλει, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐγκωμίου. Θαυμάσας γὰρ αὐτὸν πρῶτον, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις καιρίως συμβουλεύοντα, οὕτω τὴν παροῦσαν κακίζει γνώμην Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Θαυμάζω πῶς νῦν διήμαρτεν· οὐ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ συμφέρειν οὗτος ὁ λογισμός. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ νῦν ἐπιθώμεθα, καθάπερ ἄρκτος παροιστρῶσα, θυμοῦ γέμων ὁ πατήρ σου, καὶ ἀπεγνωκὼς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ζωῆς, καὶ ἐνακμαζούσῃ τῇ ὀργῇ πολεμῶν, οὐδένα τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ποιήσεται λόγον, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς ἐμπεσεῖται τῆς σφοδρότητος ἡμῖν. Εἰ δὲ μικρὸν ἐνδοίημεν, μετὰ πλείονος ἐπιθησόμεθα τῆς προπαρασκευῆς, καὶ μείζονος τῆς ἀσφαλείας, καὶ ἀπονητὶ καὶ μετ' εὐκολίας πάσης, ὥσπερ ἐν σαγήνῃ λαβόντες αὐτὸν, οὕτως ἐπανάξομεν. Ἐπαινεῖ τὴν γνώμην ὁ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ, καὶ λυσιτελεστέραν εἶναι ἔφησεν αὐτῷ. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ὁ Χουσὶ, βουλόμενος δοῦναι καιρὸν τῷ ∆αυῒδ, ὥστε στῆναι μικρὸν, καὶ ἀναπνεῦσαι, καὶ στράτευμα συναγαγεῖν. Οὕτω τοίνυν ἐκβαλὼν τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ τὴν γνώμην, διά τινων κεκρυμμένων ἀνδρῶν πέμψας ἀπήγγειλεν ἅπαντα τῷ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ὅτι τὴν αὐτοῦ γνώμην ἐκύρωσεν ὁ τύραννος τὴν φέρουσαν τῷ ∆αυῒδ τὴν νίκην. Οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐγένετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μικρὸν ἐνέδωκε, παρασκευασάμενος ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐπέθετο, καὶ τὸ τρόπαιον ἔστησεν. Ὅπερ ὁ Ἀχιτόφελ ἀπὸ πολλῆς συνέσεως καὶ δεινότητος συνορῶν, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τὸ τέλος καταμαθὼν, ὅτι ὄλεθρος ἦν τῷ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ αὕτη ἡ γνώμη, οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐπήρειαν, ἀπελθὼν βρόχον ἀνῆψε καὶ ἀπήγξατο, καὶ οὕτω τὸν βίον κατέλυσε.