2 Samuel 16

Mephibosheth’s Servant

16When ^aDavid was a little past the top of the mountain, there was ^bZiba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. ²And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?”

So Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for ^cthose who are faint in the wilderness to drink.”

³Then the king said, “And where is your ^dmaster’s son?”

^eAnd Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ”

⁴So the king said to Ziba, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”

And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”

Shimei Curses David

⁵Now when King David came to ^fBahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^gShimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. ⁶And he threw 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. ⁷Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You ¹bloodthirsty man, ^hyou ²rogue! ⁸The Lord has ⁱbrought upon you all ^jthe blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a ³bloodthirsty man!”

⁹Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^kdead dog ^lcurse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”

¹⁰But the king said, ^m“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because ⁿthe Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ ^oWho then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”

¹¹And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how ^pmy son who ^qcame from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. ¹²It may be that the Lord will look on ⁴my affliction, and that the Lord will ^rrepay me with ^sgood for his cursing this day.” ¹³And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and ⁵kicked up dust. ¹⁴Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

The Advice of Ahithophel

¹⁵Meanwhile ^tAbsalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, ^uDavid’s friend, came to Absalom, that ^vHushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”

¹⁷So Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^wWhy did you not go with your friend?”

¹⁸And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹“Furthermore, ^xwhom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I be in your presence.”

²⁰Then Absalom said to ^yAhithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”

²¹And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s ^zconcubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you ^aare abhorred by your father. Then ^bthe hands of all who are with you will be strong.” ²²So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^cin the sight of all Israel.

²³Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel ^dboth with David and with Absalom.