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2 Samuel 16
1599 Geneva Bible
2 Samuel 16
1599 Geneva Bible
16 1 The infidelity of Ziba. 5 Shimei curseth David. 16 Hushai cometh to Absalom. 21 The counsel of Ahithophel for the concubines.
1 When David was a little past the [a]top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred cakes of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of [b]dried figs, and a bottle of wine.
2 And the King said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, They be [c]asses for the king’s household to ride on, and bread, and dried figs for the young men to eat, and wine, that the faint may drink in the wilderness.
3 And the King said, But where is thy master’s son? Then Ziba answered the King, Behold, he remaineth in Jerusalem: for he said, This day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.
4 Then said the King to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, [d]I beseech thee, let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, O King.
5 ¶ And when King David came to [e]Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, named Shimei, the son of Gera: and he came out and cursed.
6 And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of King David: and all the people, and all the men of war were on his [f]right hand, and on his left.
7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come forth, come forth thou [g]murderer, and [h]wicked man.
8 The Lord hath brought upon thee all the [i]blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned: and the Lord hath delivered thy kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and behold, thou art taken in thy wickedness, because thou art a murderer.
9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the King, Why doth (A)this dead dog curse my lord the King: let me go, I pray thee, and take away his head.
10 ¶ But the King said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? for he curseth, even because the Lord hath [j]bidden him curse David: who dare then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?
11 And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son which came out of mine own bowels, seeketh my life: then how much more now may this son of Benjamin? Suffer him to curse: for the Lord hath bidden him.
12 It may be that the Lord will look on [k]mine affliction, and [l]do me good for his cursing this day.
13 And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went by the side of the mountain over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones against him, and cast dust.
14 Then came the King and all the people that were with him weary, and refreshed themselves [m]there.
15 ¶ And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16 And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, Hushai said unto Absalom, [n]God save the King, God save the King.
17 Then Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy [o]friend? Why wentest thou not with thy friend?
18 Hushai then answered unto Absalom, Nay, but whom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with them will I dwell.
19 And [p]moreover, unto whom shall I do service? not to his son? as I served before thy father, so will I before thee.
20 ¶ Then spake Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel what we shall do.
21 And [q]Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in to thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house: and when all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father, the hands of all that are with thee, shall be strong.
22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days, was like as one had asked [r]counsel at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 16:1 Which was the hill of olives, 2 Sam. 15:30.
- 2 Samuel 16:1 Or, fig cakes.
- 2 Samuel 16:2 Commonly there are no viler traitors than they, which under pretence of friendship accuse others.
- 2 Samuel 16:4 Hebrew, I worship.
- 2 Samuel 16:5 Which was a city in the tribe of Benjamin.
- 2 Samuel 16:6 That is, round about him.
- 2 Samuel 16:7 Hebrew, man of blood.
- 2 Samuel 16:7 Hebrew, man of Belial.
- 2 Samuel 16:8 Reproaching him, as though by his means Ishbosheth and Abner were slain.
- 2 Samuel 16:10 David felt that this was the judgment of God for his sin, and therefore humbleth himself to his rod.
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Or, my tears.
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Meaning, that the Lord will send comfort to his, when they are oppressed.
- 2 Samuel 16:14 To wit, at Bahurim.
- 2 Samuel 16:16 Hebrew, let the king live.
- 2 Samuel 16:17 Meaning, David.
- 2 Samuel 16:19 Hebrew, the second time.
- 2 Samuel 16:21 Suspecting the change of the Kingdom, and so his own overthrow, he giveth such counsel as might most hinder his father’s reconciliation: and also declare to the people that Absalom was in highest authority.
- 2 Samuel 16:23 It was so esteemed for the success thereof.
2 Samuel 16
New International Version
2 Samuel 16
New International Version
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.”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim,(G) a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei(H) son of Gera, and he cursed(I) as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.(J) The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”(K)
9 Then Abishai(L) son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog(M) curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”(N)
10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?(O) If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”(P)
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,(Q) my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.(R) 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery(S) and restore to me his covenant blessing(T) instead of his curse today.(U)”
13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14 The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.(V) And there he refreshed himself.
The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai
15 Meanwhile, Absalom(W) and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel(X) was with him. 16 Then Hushai(Y) the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?”(Z)
18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. 19 Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”(AA)
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.(AB)
23 Now in those days the advice(AC) Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David(AD) and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.
2 Samuel 16
New King James Version
2 Samuel 16
New King James Version
Mephibosheth’s Servant
16 When(A) David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was (B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?”
So Ziba said, “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 (C)those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.”
3 Then the king said, “And where is your (D)master’s son?”
(E)And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed 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, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”
And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 Now when King David came to (F)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was (G)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. 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 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You [a]bloodthirsty man, (H)you [b]rogue! 8 The Lord has (I)brought upon you all (J)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a [c]bloodthirsty man!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this (K)dead dog (L)curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”
10 But the king said, (M)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because (N)the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ (O)Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”
11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how (P)my son who (Q)came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on [d]my affliction, and that the Lord will (R)repay me with (S)good for his cursing this day.” 13 And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and [e]kicked up dust. 14 Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.
The Advice of Ahithophel
15 Meanwhile (T)Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, (U)David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (V)Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 So 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, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore, (X)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to (Y)Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s (Z)concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you (AA)are abhorred by your father. Then (AB)the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines (AC)in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel (AD)both with David and with Absalom.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 16:7 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:7 worthless man
- 2 Samuel 16:8 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:12 So with Kt., LXX, Syr., Vg.; Qr. my eyes; Tg. tears of my eyes
- 2 Samuel 16:13 Lit. dusted him with dust
2 Samuel 16
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 16
English Standard Version
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. 2 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.” 3 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.’” 4 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
5 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. 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 (J)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 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.”
9 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
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction
- 2 Samuel 16:14 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.