2 Samuel 16-17New King James Version (NKJV)
Mephibosheth’s Servant
16 When David was a little past the top of
the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him
with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of
bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin
of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What do you
mean to do with these?”
So Ziba said, “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 are faint in the wilderness to drink.”
3 Then the king said, “And
where is your master’s son?”
And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in
Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of
my father to me.’”
4 So the king said to Ziba, “Here,
all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”
And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I
may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 Now when King David came to
Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei
the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he
came. 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 Also Shimei said
thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you
rogue! 8 The Lord has brought upon you
all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and
the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son.
So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a
bloodthirsty man!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah
said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let
me go over and take off his head!”
10 But the king said, “What have I to
do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, 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 all
his servants, “See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much
more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse;
for so the Lord has ordered him. 12 It
may be that the Lord will look on my affliction,[a] and that
the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.” 13 And
as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside
opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up
dust. 14 Now the king and all the people who were with
him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.
The Advice of Ahithophel
15 Meanwhile Absalom and all the
people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with
him. 16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite,
David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live
the king! Long live the king!”
17 So Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this
your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No,
but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose,
his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore,
whom should I serve? Should I not serve in
the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I
be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel,
“Give advice as to what we should 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 abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all
who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they
pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his
father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel,
which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the
oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with
David and with Absalom.
17 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Now let
me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 I
will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him
afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I
will strike only the king. 3 Then I will bring back
all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the
people will be at peace.” 4 And the saying pleased
Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
The Advice of Hushai
5 Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai
the Archite also, and let us hear what he says too.” 6 And
when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, “Ahithophel has
spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up.”
7 So Hushai said to Absalom: “The
advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this
time. 8 For,” said Hushai, “you know your father
and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged
in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your
father is a man of war, and will not camp with the
people. 9 Surely by now he is hidden in some pit,
or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are
overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say,
‘There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10 And
even he who is valiant, whose heart is like
the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your
father is a mighty man, and those who are with
him are valiant men. 11 Therefore
I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like
the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to
battle in person. 12 So we will come upon him in
some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on
the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there
shall not be left so much as one. 13 Moreover, if
he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city;
and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found
there.”
14 So Absalom and all the men of
Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than
the advice of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had purposed to defeat the
good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring
disaster on Absalom.
Hushai Warns David to Escape
15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and
Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of
Israel, and thus and so I have advised. 16 Now therefore,
send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend this night in the plains of
the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people
who are with him be swallowed up.’” 17 Now
Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into
the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and
tell King David. 18 Nevertheless a lad saw them,
and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man’s house
in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it. 19 Then
the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth, and spread ground
grain on it; and the thing was not known. 20 And
when Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz
and Jonathan?”
So the woman said to them, “They have gone over the water
brook.”
And when they had searched and could not find them, they
returned to Jerusalem. 21 Now it came to pass,
after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told
King David, and said to David, “Arise and cross over the water quickly. For
thus has Ahithophel advised against you.” 22 So
David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed
over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone
over the Jordan.
23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his
advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his
house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and
died; and he was buried in his father’s tomb.
24 Then David went to Mahanaim. And
Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 And
Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the
son of a man whose name was Jithra,[b] an Israelite,[c] who had gone in to
Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26 So
Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
27 Now it happened, when David had
come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of
Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from
Rogelim, 28 brought beds and basins, earthen
vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans,
lentils and parched seeds, 29 honey and
curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with
him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the
wilderness.”
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