2 Samuel 16

16And ^awhen David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, ^bZiba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred ^cbunches of raisins, and an hundred ^dof summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. ²And the king said unto Ziba, ^eWhat meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be ^ffaint in the wilderness may drink. ³And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? ^gAnd Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. ⁴Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, ^†I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

⁵And when king David came to ^hBahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ⁱShimei, the son of Gera: ^||he came forth, and cursed still as he came. ⁶And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. ⁷And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou ^†bloody man, and thou ^kman of Belial: ⁸The Lord ^lhath returned upon thee ^mall the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, ^†behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man. ⁹Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this ⁿdead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. ¹⁰And the king said, ^oWhat have I to do with you, ^pye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? ¹¹And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which ^qcame forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him. ^12rIt may be that the Lord ^swill look on mine ^||affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. ¹³And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and ^†cast dust. ¹⁴And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

¹⁵And ^tAbsalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶And it came to pass, when Hushai the ^uArchite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, ^†God save the king, God save the king. ¹⁷And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? ^wwhy wentest thou not with thy friend? ¹⁸And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide. ¹⁹And again, ^xwhom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.

²⁰Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. ²¹And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s ^yconcubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou ^zart abhorred of thy father: then shall ^athe hands of all that are with thee be strong. ²²So they spread Absalom a tent upon ^bthe top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines ^cin the sight of all Israel. ²³And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the ^†oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel ^dboth with David and with Absalom.