2Sa 9, 2Sa 16 | ESV | STEP | And David said , Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul , that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake ?

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may ^ashow him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^bZiba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show ^cthe kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of ^dJonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of ^eMachir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And ^fMephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, ^gfor I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and ^hyou shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for ⁱa dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson ^jshall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had ^kfifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ^late at David’s ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew my} table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, ⁿwhose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for ^ohe ate always at the king’s table. Now ^phe was lame in both his feet.

2 Samuel 16

David and Ziba

1 When David had passed a little beyond ^qthe summit, ^rZiba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, ^sa hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, ^t“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 those who ^ufaint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” ^vZiba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

5 When King David came to ^wBahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^xShimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^yhe cursed continually. 6 And 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. 7 And Shimei said as he ^zcursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The Lord ^aahas avenged on you all ^abthe blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^acdead dog ^adcurse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, ^ae“What have I to do with you, ^afyou sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^agmy own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, ^{▼▼Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction} and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and ^aicursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, ^ajarrived weary at the Jordan. ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan} And there he refreshed himself.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 ^alNow Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, ^amDavid’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, ^an“Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^aoWhy did you not go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 And again, ^apwhom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to ^aqyour father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and ^arthe hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom ^ason the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^atin the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, ^auboth by David and by Absalom.