2 Samuel 15:13–16:14

David Flees

¹³A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee,^t or none of us will escape from Absalom.^u We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”

¹⁵The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

¹⁶The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines^v to take care of the palace. ¹⁷So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. ¹⁸All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites^w and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

¹⁹The king said to Ittai^x the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner,^y an exile from your homeland. ²⁰You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander^z about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”^ca

²¹But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”^b

²²David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

²³The whole countryside wept aloud^c as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley,^d and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴Zadok^e was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark^f of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar^g offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place^h again. ²⁶But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.ⁱ”

²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand?^j Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan.^k You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸I will wait at the fords^l in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping^m as he went; his headⁿ was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹Now David had been told, “Ahithophel^o is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³²When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai^p the Arkite^q was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust^r on his head. ³³David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden^s to me. ³⁴But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’^t then you can help me by frustrating^u Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace.^{v 36}Their two sons, Ahimaaz^w son of Zadok and Jonathan^x son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷So Hushai,^y David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom^z was entering the city.

David and Ziba

16When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,^a the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.^b

²The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”

Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh^c those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

³The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”^d

Ziba^e said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’ ”

⁴Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth^f is now yours.”

“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

⁵As King David approached Bahurim,^g a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei^h son of Gera, and he cursedⁱ as he came out. ⁶He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. ⁷As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! ⁸The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.^j The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”^k

⁹Then Abishai^l son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog^m curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”ⁿ

¹⁰But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?^o If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’ ”^p

¹¹David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,^q my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.^{r 12}It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery^s and restore to me his covenant blessing^t instead of his curse today.^u”

¹³So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. ¹⁴The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.^v And there he refreshed himself.