2 Samuel 9
Contemporary English Version
David Is Kind to Mephibosheth
9 (A) One day, David thought, “I wonder if any of Saul's family are still alive. If they are, I will be kind to them, because I made a promise to Jonathan.” 2 David called in Ziba, one of the servants of Saul's family. David said, “So you are Ziba.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, I am.”
3 (B) David asked, “Are any of Saul's family still alive? If there are, I want to be kind to them.”
Ziba answered, “One of Jonathan's sons is still alive, but he can't walk.”
4 “Where is he?” David asked.
Ziba replied, “He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir the son of Ammiel.”
5-6 David sent some servants to bring Jonathan's son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth,[a] and he was the grandson of Saul. He came to David and knelt down.
David asked, “Are you Mephibosheth?”
“Yes, I am, Your Majesty.”
7 David said, “Don't be afraid. I'll be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I'm going to give you back the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth knelt down again and said, “Why should you care about me? I'm worth no more than a dead dog.”
9 David called in Ziba, Saul's chief servant, and told him, “Since Mephibosheth is Saul's grandson, I've given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his family. 10 You and your 15 sons and 20 servants will work for Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops, so that Saul's family and servants[b] will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat with me at my table.”
11-13 Ziba replied, “Your Majesty, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.” So Ziba's family and servants worked for Mephibosheth.
Mephibosheth was lame, but he lived in Jerusalem and ate at David's[c] table, just like one of David's own sons. And he had a young son of his own, named Mica.
2 Samuel 9
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
V.— LA SUCESIÓN DE DAVID (9—20)
David y Mefibóset (9,1-13)
9 Cierto día David preguntó:
— ¿Queda algún superviviente de la familia de Saúl a quien yo pueda favorecer en memoria de Jonatán?
2 Había un criado de la familia de Saúl, llamado Sibá, al que hicieron venir ante David. El rey le preguntó:
— ¿Eres tú Sibá?
Y él respondió:
— Soy tu servidor.
3 El rey le dijo:
— ¿Queda alguien de la familia de Saúl a quien yo pueda favorecer como Dios manda?
Sibá respondió al rey:
— Aún queda un hijo de Jonatán, cojo de ambos pies.
4 El rey le preguntó:
— ¿Dónde está?
Y Sibá respondió al rey:
— En Lodebar, en casa de Maquir, el hijo de Amiel.
5 El rey mandó que lo trajeran de allí. 6 Cuando Mefibóset, hijo de Jonatán y nieto de Saúl, llegó ante David, inclinó la cabeza e hizo una reverencia. David le preguntó:
— ¿Eres Mefibóset?
Él contestó:
— Aquí está tu servidor.
7 David le dijo:
— No temas, porque estoy dispuesto a favorecerte en memoria de tu padre, Jonatán. Te devolveré todas las tierras de tu abuelo Saúl y además comerás siempre a mi mesa.
8 Él hizo una reverencia y dijo:
— ¿Quién es tu servidor, para que te fijes en un perro muerto como yo?
9 El rey llamó a Sibá, el criado de Saúl, y le dijo:
— Todas las posesiones de Saúl y su familia se las he entregado al hijo de tu amo. 10 Tú, tus hijos y tus siervos le cultivarán las tierras y le entregarás las cosechas para el mantenimiento de la familia de tu amo. Pero Mefibóset, el hijo de tu amo, comerá siempre a mi mesa.
Sibá, que tenía quince hijos y veinte esclavos, 11 contestó al rey:
— Tu servidor hará todo lo que el rey le ha mandado.
Mefibóset comía a la mesa del rey, como uno de sus hijos. 12 Tenía un hijo pequeño, llamado Micá. Todos los moradores de la casa de Sibá estaban al servicio de Mefibóset. 13 Pero él vivía en Jerusalén, porque comía siempre a la mesa del rey y, además, estaba cojo de ambos pies.
2 Samuel 9
New International Version
David and Mephibosheth
9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”(A)
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.(B) They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan;(C) he is lame(D) in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir(E) son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.(F)
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.(G) I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.(H)”
8 Mephibosheth(I) bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog(J) like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 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(K) may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.(L)
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.(M) 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 9:11 Septuagint; Hebrew my
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