2 Samuel 16

Ziba and Shimei meet David

¹David had gone a little way past the top of the hill when Ziba, Mephibosheth’s attendant, met him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 portions of summer fruit and a skin of wine. ²The king asked Ziba, “What do you mean by these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on. The bread and the summer fruit are food for the young men, and the wine is for anyone who grows faint in the wilderness.” ³The king asked, “And where is your master’s grandson?” Ziba answered the king, “He is staying in Jerusalem. He has said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.’” ⁴Then the king said to Ziba, “Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” Ziba said, “I bow before you. May I find favor with you, my lord the king.” ⁵As King David reached Bahurim, a man from the clan of Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he came out he kept cursing. ⁶He threw stones at David and at all King David’s officials, even though all the people and all the warriors were on David’s right and on his left. ⁷As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out! Get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! ⁸The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of Saul’s family, whose throne you took. The LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. And see, disaster has caught you, because you are a man of blood!” ⁹Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me cross over and cut off his head.”

¹⁰But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse like this, because the LORD has told him, ‘Curse David.’ Who then can ask, ‘Why have you done this?’”^a

¹¹David said to Abishai and to all his officials, “Look, my own son, who came from my own body, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse, because the LORD has told him to. ¹²Perhaps the LORD will look on my distress and repay me with good in place of his cursing today.”^{b 13}So David and his men went on along the road, while Shimei kept pace with him on the hillside across from him, cursing as he went, throwing stones toward him and flinging dust.

¹⁴The king and all the people with him arrived worn out, and he rested there and recovered his strength.^{c 15}Meanwhile Absalom came to Jerusalem with all the people, the men of Israel, and Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your faithful love for your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸Hushai answered Absalom, “No! I will belong to the one whom the LORD, this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, and I will stay with him. ¹⁹Besides, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”

Ahithophel’s advice

²⁰Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” ²¹Ahithophel answered Absalom, “Sleep with your father’s concubines, whom he left to look after the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself hateful to your father, and all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²²So they set up the tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. ²³In those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like asking for a word from God. That is how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.