| Chapter
16 |
| 1 | And
when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of
Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred
loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer
fruits, and a bottle of wine. |
| 2
| And the king said unto Ziba, What 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 faint in
the wilderness may drink. |
| 3 |
And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And 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. |
| 4 | Then 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. |
| 5 | And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came
out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of
Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. |
|
6 | And 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. |
| 7 |
And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man,
and thou man of Belial: |
| 8 |
The LORD hath returned upon thee all 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. |
| 9 | Then
said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse
my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. |
| 10 | And the king said, What have I
to do with you, ye 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? |
| 11 | And David said to
Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came 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. |
| 12 | It may be that the LORD will look on
mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this
day. |
| 13 | And 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. |
| 14 | And the king, and all the people that
were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there. |
| 15 | And Absalom, and all the people the
men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. |
| 16 | And it came to pass, when Hushai the
Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom,
God save the king, God save the king. |
| 17 | And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy
friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend? |
| 18 | And 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. |
| 19 | And
again, whom 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. |
| 20 | Then said Absalom to
Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. |
| 21 | And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go
in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all
Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of
all that are with thee be strong. |
|
22 | So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and
Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. |
| 23 | And the counsel of
Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at
the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and
with Absalom. |
