¹⁶ “Quickly! Send a message to David. Tell him not to stay tonight at the ·crossings into the desert [fords in the wilderness] but to cross over the Jordan River at once. ·If he crosses the river, he and all his people won’t be destroyed [^LOtherwise the king and everyone with him will be swallowed up].”

¹⁷ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. They did not want to ·be [risk being] seen going into the city, so a servant girl would go out to them and give them messages. Then Jonathan and Ahimaaz would go and tell King David.

¹⁸ But a ·boy [lad; young man] saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom. So Jonathan and Ahimaaz left quickly and went to a man’s house in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it.