Second Book of Samuel 16

¹ When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Meribbaal came to meet him with a pair of donkeys, saddled and laden with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of the season’s fruits, and a skin of wine.

² The king said to Ziba, ‘What are you going to do with that?’ ‘The donkeys’ Ziba replied ‘are for the king’s family to ride, the bread and the fruit for the soldiers to eat, the wine is for drinking by those who grow weary in the wilderness.’

³ ‘And where is your master’s son?’ the king asked. Ziba answered the king, ‘Why, he has stayed in Jerusalem because, he says, “The House of Israel will give me back my father’s kingdom today”‘.

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, ‘All that Meribbaal owns is now yours’. Ziba said, ‘My homage, lord king! May I deserve your favour!’

⁵ As David was reaching Bahurim, out came a man of the same clan as Saul’s family. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he came he uttered curse after curse

⁶ and threw stones at David and at all King David’s officers, though the whole army and all the champions flanked the king right and left.

⁷ The words of his curse were these, ‘Be off, be off, man of blood, scoundrel!

⁸ Yahweh has brought on you all the blood of the House of Saul[*a] whose sovereignty you have usurped; and Yahweh has transferred that same sovereignty to Absalom your son. Now your doom has overtaken you, man of blood that you are.’

⁹ Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, ‘Is this dead dog to curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut his head off.’

¹⁰ But the king replied, ‘What business is it of mine and yours, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse. If Yahweh said to him, “Curse David”, what right has anyone to say, “Why have you done this?”‘

¹¹ David said to Abishai and all his officers, ‘Why, my own son, sprung from my body, is now seeking my life; so now how much the more this Benjaminite? Let him curse on if Yahweh has told him to.

¹² Perhaps Yahweh will look on my misery and repay me with good for his curse today.’

¹³ So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei continued along the mountainside opposite him, cursing as he went, throwing stones and flinging earth.

¹⁴ The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at…[*b] where he refreshed himself.

¹⁵ Absalom entered Jerusalem with all the men of Israel; with him was Ahithophel.

¹⁶ When Hushai the Archite, the companion of David, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, ‘Long live the king! Long live the king!’

¹⁷ ‘Is this your affection for your friend?’ Absalom said to Hushai. ‘Why did you not leave with your friend?’

¹⁸ Hushai answered Absalom, ‘No, I belong to the man whom Yahweh and these people and all the men of Israel have chosen, and on his side I will remain.

¹⁹ Besides, whom should I serve, if not his son? As I served your father, so I shall serve you.’

²⁰ Absalom said to Ahithophel, ‘Think carefully. What shall we do?’

²¹ Ahithophel answered Absalom, ‘Go to your father’s concubines whom he left to look after the palace; then all Israel will hear that you have incurred your father’s enmity, and the resolution of all your supporters will be strengthened’.

²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the housetop and in the sight of all Israel Absalom went to his father’s concubines.

²³ In those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like an oracle asked from God; and so was all Ahithophel’s advice respected, as by David, so by Absalom.