¹⁷ With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba,^(A) the steward of Saul’s household,^(B) and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was.

David and Ziba

16 When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,^(A) the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.^(B)

² The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”

Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh^(C) those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

³ The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”^(D)

Ziba^(E) said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth^(F) is now yours.”

“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”

² Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.^(A) They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“At your service,” he replied.

²⁶ He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame,^(A) I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba^(B) my servant betrayed me. ²⁷ And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel^(C) of God; so do whatever you wish.

¹⁰ You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson^(A) may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)