⁴ Saul’s son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nanny picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.^(A)

⁶ Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”^(A)

⁸ Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog^(B) like me?”

⁹ Then the king summoned Saul’s attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s^[a] table just like one of the king’s sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica.^(C) All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. ¹³ However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.

Ziba Helps David

16 When David had gone a little beyond the summit,^[a] Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant,^(A) was right there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of summer fruit, and a clay jar of wine.

⁴ The king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” ^(A)

“I bow before you,” Ziba said. “May I find favor with you, my lord the king!”

²⁴ Mephibosheth,^(A) Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. ²⁵ When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Mephibosheth, why didn’t you come with me?”

²⁶ “My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said, ‘I’ll saddle the donkey for myself^[a] so that I may ride it and go with the king’—for your servant is lame.^{(B) 27} Ziba slandered your servant to my lord the king.^(C) But my lord the king is like the angel of God,^(D) so do whatever you think best.^{[b] 28} For my grandfather’s entire family deserves death from my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table.^(E) So what further right do I have to keep on making appeals to the king?”

²⁹ The king said to him, “Why keep on speaking about these matters of yours? I hereby declare: you and Ziba are to divide the land.”^(F)

³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has come to his palace safely, let Ziba take it all!”

⁷ David spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son.^(A)