And when Absalom's servants were come into the house, they said to the woman: Where is Achimaas and Jonathan? and the woman answered them: They passed on in haste, after they had tasted a little water. But they that sought them, when they found them not, returned into Jerusalem.

And the servants of Absalom come in unto the woman to the house, and say, 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' and the woman saith to them, 'They passed over the brook of water;' and they seek, and have not found, and turn back to Jerusalem.

And Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone from here to the stream. And after searching for them, and seeing nothing of them, they went back to Jerusalem.

And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said: 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' And the woman said unto them: 'They are gone over the brook of water.' And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. .

And when the servants of Absalom had entered into the house, they said to the woman, "Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman responded to them, "They passed through hurriedly, after they had taken a little water." But those who were seeking them, when they had not found them, returned to Jerusalem.

As soon as ever she had hid the men she went into the house, as if busy about her usual occupations. Had Absalom's servants, who had had information from some of the people of Bahurim that the men had come to this house, found her in the court it might have directed their attention to the peeled barley.
Over the brook of water - Compare 2-Samuel 16:9 note. The word for "brook" ("Michal") occurs only here. One has been found in this very district, still so called. The woman showed great presence of mind and adroitness in not denying that they had been there.

And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the (i) brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find [them], they returned to Jerusalem.
(i) The Chaldee text reads: Now they have passed the Jordan.

And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house,.... Who were sent after then, had intelligence which way they took, and into what house they turned:
they said, where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? calling them by their names, being persons well known, and as to them, so to the woman of the house, as they supposed:
and the woman said unto them, they be gone over the brook of water; the river Jordan; so the Targum,"they have already passed over Jordan;''
this was a lie she told them, which is not to be justified; the Vulgate Latin version,"they passed over hastily, having drank a little water;''and so Josephus (r) in some copies:
and when they had sought and could not find them; not only searched that house, but very probably others in Bahurim:
they returned to Jerusalem; to give an account what success they had.
(r) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 9. sect. 7. Hudson. not. in ib.

When Absalom's servants came and asked for the priest's sons, the woman said, They have gone over the little water-brook (המּים מיכל, ἁπ. λεγ.), and thus led them wrong, so that they did not find them.

Over the brook of water - That is, over Jordan. This was a manifest lie.