2 Samuel 16:1-23
16 * And David, passing a little beyond the crest, found Meribaal’s man Siba coming to meet him, with a pair of saddled donkeys and on them two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred clusters of raisins and a hundred of dates, and a skin of wine;
2 and the king said to Siba “What have you here?” And Siba said “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, and the bread and dates for the men to eat, and the wine for anyone who grows faint in the wilderness to drink.”
3 * And the king said “And where is your master’s son?” and Siba said to the king “You will find him staying in Jerusalem, because he thought ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my father’s kingship.’”
4 And the king said to Siba “Here, everything that belongs to Meribaal is yours.” And Siba said “My duty to your majesty; I thank your majesty.”
5 And King David came to Bahurim, and found coming out from there a man of Saul’s clan named Shimei son of Gera, cursing as he came out
6 and pelting David and all King David’s officers with stones, while all the people and all the champions were on his right and on his left;
7 and what Shimei said in his cursing was “Out with you, out with you, you cutthroat, you rowdy!
8 Jehovah has sent back upon you all the blood of the family of Saul in whose place you have reigned! and Jehovah has given the kingship into the hands of your son Absalom, and here you are in your trouble, cutthroat that you are!”
9 And Abishai the son of Serujah said to the king “Why should this dead dog be cursing your majesty? let me go over and take off his head.”
10 ** But the king said “What business is it of you sons of Serujah that he curses, and that Jehovah has said to him ‘Curse David,’ and who is to say ‘How came you to do so?’”
11 And David said to Abishai and to all his officers “Here my own son, who came of my body, is hunting for my life, how much more then may the Benjamite? leave him to curse, because Jehovah has told him to.
12 Perhaps Jehovah will look upon my wretched state, and Jehovah will repay me good for my cursing today.”
13 And David and his men went on in the road, with Shimei going along the mountain-slope parallel with them, cursing and pelting with stones opposite to them as he went, and throwing dust.
14 * And the king and all the people who were with him came to ʽAyephim, and there they rested up;
15 but Absalom and all the men of Israel came into Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16 And when David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom “Long live the king! long live the king!”
17 And Absalom said to Hushai “There is friendship for you! why did you not go with your friend?”
18 But Hushai said to Absalom “No, whomever Jehovah and this people and all the men of Israel choose, I will be for him and stay with him.
19 * And in the next place, whom should I serve? should it not be before his son? as I have served your father, such I will be before you.”
20 And Absalom said to Ahithophel “Give us your advice what to do.”
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom “Go in to your father’s concubines whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you are at deadly feud with your father, and all who are with you will be on their mettle.”
22 And they pitched the tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in sight of all Israel.
23 Now the advice Ahithophel gave in those days was as if one submitted a question to the word of God: such was all Ahithophel’s advice both to David and to Absalom.
Footnotes
^ 16:1 (dates) Unc.
^ 16:3 Or Jerusalem; for he said
^ 16:10 Lit. What do I and you sons of Seruiah have that he
^ 16:10 Or Seruiah? when he curses, and when Jehovah has said to him ‘Curse David,’ who is to say
^ 16:14 Or came faint to . . . (name of place omitted)
^ 16:19 Or if I serve anybody should I not