大卫和洗巴

16 大卫刚越过了山顶,就看见米非波设的仆人洗巴牵着两头驴,驴背上驮着二百个面饼、一百个葡萄饼、一百个夏天的果饼和一皮袋酒来迎接他。 王问洗巴说:“你带这些来做什么?”洗巴说:“驴是给王的家眷骑的,饼和夏天的水果是给你的随从吃的,酒是供他们在旷野疲惫时喝的。” 王又问他:“你主人的孙子米非波设在哪里?”洗巴说:“他在耶路撒冷,因为他相信现在以色列人会把他祖父的国归还给他。” 王就对洗巴说:“米非波设的一切现在都归你了。”洗巴说:“愿我在我主我王面前蒙恩!”说着,便叩拜大卫王。

示每咒诅大卫

大卫王来到巴户琳时,扫罗家族基拉的儿子示每出来对着大卫破口大骂, 还朝大卫和他的臣仆扔石头,无视大卫身边的众多部下和勇士。 示每骂大卫:“滚吧!滚吧!你这个杀人凶手,你这个败类! 你杀扫罗的家人,夺其王位,耶和华报应了你,把江山交给了你儿子押沙龙。你这杀人凶手是自食恶果!”

洗鲁雅的儿子亚比筛对王说:“这死狗竟敢辱骂我主我王,让我过去砍掉他的头!” 10 王却说:“洗鲁雅的儿子啊,不要管我的事。如果是耶和华叫他来咒骂我,谁能干涉他呢?” 11 大卫对亚比筛和他所有臣仆说:“我的亲生儿子尚且要取我的命,何况这个便雅悯人呢?由他去吧!因为这是耶和华的意思。 12 也许耶和华会体察我的困苦,因我今天所受的咒骂而赐福给我。” 13 于是,大卫和随从继续赶路,示每也沿着对面的山坡边走边骂,向他们扔石头,撒灰尘。 14 王和众人来到约旦河边时,疲惫不堪,便在那里歇息。

15 押沙龙和以色列众人进了耶路撒冷,亚希多弗也和他在一起。 16 大卫的朋友亚基人户筛去见押沙龙,对他说:“愿王万岁!愿王万岁!” 17 押沙龙问户筛说:“这就是你对朋友的忠诚吗?你为什么不跟你的朋友去呢?” 18 户筛说:“我不去,谁是耶和华和全体以色列人民所拣选的,我就归属谁,留在谁那里。 19 再说,我应当服侍谁呢?难道不该服侍王的儿子吗?我要像服侍你父亲一样服侍你。”

20 押沙龙问亚希多弗下一步应该怎么办。 21 亚希多弗说:“你父亲留下几个妃嫔看守宫殿,你要跟她们同寝,叫所有的以色列人知道你与父亲誓不两立,这样支持你的人会更坚定。” 22 于是,他们便为押沙龙在殿顶盖了一座帐篷,他就当着所有以色列人的面与父亲的妃嫔同寝。 23 那时,亚希多弗出的主意如同是来自上帝的话,大卫曾对他言听计从,现在押沙龙也是一样。

David and Ziba

16 When David had passed a little beyond (A)the summit, (B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, (C)a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, (D)“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 (E)faint in the wilderness to drink.” And the king said, “And where is your master's son?” (F)Ziba 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.’” 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

When King David came to (G)Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was (H)Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came (I)he cursed continually. 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. And Shimei said as he (J)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord (K)has avenged on you all (L)the 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.”

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this (M)dead dog (N)curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, (O)“What have I to do with you, (P)you 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, (Q)my 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,[a] 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 (R)cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, (S)arrived weary at the Jordan.[b] And there he refreshed himself.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 (T)Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, (U)David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, (V)“Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? (W)Why 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, (X)whom 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 (Y)your 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 (Z)the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom (AA)on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines (AB)in 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, (AC)both by David and by Absalom.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 16:12 Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction
  2. 2 Samuel 16:14 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan

David and Ziba

16 When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth,[a] was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.

“What are these for?” the king asked Ziba.

Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

“And where is Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson?” the king asked him.

“He stayed in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied. “He said, ‘Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.’”

“In that case,” the king told Ziba, “I give you everything Mephibosheth owns.”

“I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family. He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. “The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!”

“Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. “Let me go over and cut off his head!”

10 “No!” the king said. “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?”

11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul[b] have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged[c] and will bless me because of these curses today.” 13 So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.

14 The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.[d]

Ahithophel Advises Absalom

15 Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel. 16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. “Long live the king!” he exclaimed. “Long live the king!”

17 “Is this the way you treat your friend David?” Absalom asked him. “Why aren’t you with him?”

18 “I’m here because I belong to the man who is chosen by the Lord and by all the men of Israel,” Hushai replied. 19 “And anyway, why shouldn’t I serve you? Just as I was your father’s adviser, now I will be your adviser!”

20 Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, “What should I do next?”

21 Ahithophel told him, “Go and sleep with your father’s concubines, for he has left them here to look after the palace. Then all Israel will know that you have insulted your father beyond hope of reconciliation, and they will throw their support to you.” 22 So they set up a tent on the palace roof where everyone could see it, and Absalom went in and had sex with his father’s concubines.

23 Absalom followed Ahithophel’s advice, just as David had done. For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God.

Footnotes

  1. 16:1 Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.
  2. 16:11 Hebrew this Benjaminite.
  3. 16:12 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads see my iniquity.
  4. 16:14 As in Greek version (see also 17:16); Hebrew reads when they reached their destination.