2 Samuel 15:23-16
New American Standard Bible
23 While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people were crossing over. The king was also crossing over (A)the brook Kidron, and all the people were crossing over toward (B)the way of the wilderness.
24 Now behold, (C)Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him, (D)carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and (E)Abiathar came up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. 25 And the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then (F)He will bring me back and show me both it and (G)His habitation. 26 But if He says this: ‘(H)I have no delight in you,’ then here I am, (I)let Him do to me as seems good [a]to Him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not (J)a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your (K)two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I am going to wait (L)at the river crossing places of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.
30 And David was going up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, and (M)his head was covered, and he was walking (N)barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his own head, and they were going up, weeping as they went. 31 Now someone informed David, saying, “(O)Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “Lord, please (P)make the advice of Ahithophel foolish.”
32 It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the (Q)Archite met him with his [b]coat torn, and [c]dust on his head. 33 And David said to him, “If you go over with me, then you will become (R)a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and (S)say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; even as I was your father’s servant in time past, so now I will also be your servant,’ then you can foil the advice of Ahithophel for me. 35 Are Zadok and Abiathar the priests not with you there? So it shall be that (T)whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Behold (U)their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and (V)by them you shall send me everything that you hear.” 37 So Hushai, (W)David’s friend, came into the city, and (X)Absalom came into Jerusalem.
Ziba, a False Servant
16 Now when David had gone on (Y)a little beyond the summit, behold, (Z)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him (AA)with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “(AB)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine, (AC)for whoever is weary in the wilderness to drink.” 3 Then the king said, “And where is (AD)your master’s son?” And (AE)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, 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, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; may I find favor in your sight, my lord, the king!”
David Is Cursed
5 When King David came to (AF)Bahurim, behold, a man was coming out from there from the family of the house of Saul, and (AG)his name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he was coming out, (AH)cursing as he came. 6 He also threw stones at David and all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left. 7 This is what Shimei said when he cursed: “Go away, go away, (AI)you man of bloodshed and worthless man! 8 (AJ)The Lord has brought back upon you all (AK)the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have become king; and the Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. And behold, you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
9 Then (AL)Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should (AM)this dead dog (AN)curse my lord the king? Now let me go over and [d]cut off his head.” 10 But the king said, “[e](AO)What business of mine is yours, you sons of Zeruiah? (AP)If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ (AQ)then who should say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, (AR)my son who came out of my own body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, (AS)for the Lord has told him. 12 Perhaps the Lord will look on my [f]misery and [g](AT)return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13 So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei kept going on the hillside close beside him, and as he went he cursed and threw stones and dirt at him. 14 And the king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted, and he refreshed himself there.
Absalom Enters Jerusalem
15 (AU)Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 Now it came about, when (AV)Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (AW)Hushai said to Absalom, “(AX)Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 But Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your [h]loyalty to your friend? (AY)Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 So Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whomever the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I shall be, and with him I shall remain. 19 Besides, (AZ)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? Just as I have served in your father’s presence, so I shall be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What should we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “(BA)Have relations with your father’s concubines, whom he has left behind to take care of the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, (BB)and Absalom had relations with his father’s concubines (BC)in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now (BD)the advice of Ahithophel, which he [i]gave in those days, was taken as though one inquired of the word of God; (BE)so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 15:26 Lit in His sight
- 2 Samuel 15:32 Or tunic
- 2 Samuel 15:32 Lit earth
- 2 Samuel 16:9 Lit take off
- 2 Samuel 16:10 Lit What to me and to you, an ancient idiom
- 2 Samuel 16:12 As in ancient versions; MT wrongdoing
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Lit the Lord will return
- 2 Samuel 16:17 Or faithfulness
- 2 Samuel 16:23 Lit advised
2 Samuel 15:23-16
New Living Translation
23 Everyone cried loudly as the king and his followers passed by. They crossed the Kidron Valley and then went out toward the wilderness.
24 Zadok and all the Levites also came along, carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices[a] until everyone had passed out of the city.
25 Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. “If the Lord sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle[b] again. 26 But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.”
27 The king also told Zadok the priest, “Look,[c] here is my plan. You and Abiathar[d] should return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. 28 I will stop at the shallows of the Jordan River[e] and wait there for a report from you.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to the city and stayed there.
30 David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill. 31 When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”
32 When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. 33 But David told him, “If you go with me, you will only be a burden. 34 Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, ‘I will now be your adviser, O king, just as I was your father’s adviser in the past.’ Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel’s advice. 35 Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there. Tell them about the plans being made in the king’s palace, 36 and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.”
37 So David’s friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem, getting there just as Absalom arrived.
David and Ziba
16 When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth,[f] 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.
2 “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.”
3 “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.’”
4 “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
5 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. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. 7 “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. 8 “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!”
9 “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[g] 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[h] 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.[i]
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
- 15:24 Or Abiathar went up.
- 15:25 Hebrew and his dwelling place.
- 15:27a As in Greek version; Hebrew reads Are you a seer? or Do you see?
- 15:27b Hebrew lacks and Abiathar; compare 15:29.
- 15:28 Hebrew at the crossing points of the wilderness.
- 16:1 Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.
- 16:11 Hebrew this Benjaminite.
- 16:12 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads see my iniquity.
- 16:14 As in Greek version (see also 17:16); Hebrew reads when they reached their destination.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
