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.”

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.

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. ²⁸ All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death^(D) from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table.^(E) So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”

²⁹ The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.”