2 Samuel 19:16–23

¹⁶And ^sShimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷There were a thousand men of ^tBenjamin with him, and ^uZiba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the king. ¹⁸Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good.

David’s Mercy to Shimei

Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan. ¹⁹Then he said to the king, ^v“Do not let my lord ⁵impute iniquity to me, or remember what ^wwrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should ^xtake it to heart. ²⁰For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am, the first to come today of all ^ythe house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”

²¹But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, ^zbecause he ^acursed the Lord’s anointed?”

²²And David said, ^b“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? ^cShall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³Therefore ^dthe king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king swore to him.