⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart ^(A)all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will ^(B)bring back your harm on your own head.

Shimei Curses David

⁵ When King David came to ^(A)Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^(B)Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^(C)he 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 ^(D)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! ⁸ The Lord ^(E)has avenged on you all ^(F)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.”

⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^(G)dead dog ^(H)curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” ¹⁰ But the king said, ^(I)“What have I to do with you, ^(J)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, ^(K)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 ^(L)cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ^(A)“Blessed be the Lord who has ^(B)avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, ^(C)and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. ^(D)The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and ^(E)spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

²⁰ for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is ^(A)written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

⁹ But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.