David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may (A)show him [a]kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was (B)Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show (C)the kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is (D)lame in his feet.”

So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of (E)Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

Now when (F)Mephibosheth[b] the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such (G)a dead dog as I?”

And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, (H)“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son (I)shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had (J)fifteen sons and twenty servants.

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at [c]my table like one of the king’s sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son (K)whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, (L)for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he (M)was lame in both his feet.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 9:1 covenant faithfulness
  2. 2 Samuel 9:6 Or Merib-Baal
  3. 2 Samuel 9:11 LXX David’s table

And David said, Whether any man is, that (is) left of the house of Saul, that I do mercy with him for Jonathan? (And David asked, Is there any man who is left of Saul’s family, to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?)

And there was a servant, Ziba by name, of the house of Saul; whom when the king had called to himself, the king said to him, Whether thou art not Ziba? (Art thou Ziba?) And he answered, I am thy servant.

And the king said, Whether any man liveth of the house of Saul, that I do with him the mercy of God? And Ziba said to the king, A son of Jonathan liveth, feeble in the feet. (And the king said, Is there any man left of Saul’s family, to whom I can show the kindness that God commandeth? And Ziba said to the king, A son of Jonathan liveth, who is lame, or crippled.)

And the king said, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Lo! he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.

Therefore king David sent, and took Jonathan’s son from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. (And so King David sent for Jonathan’s son, and brought him to Jerusalem from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.)

And when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, [the] son of Saul, had come to David, he felled into his face, and worshipped. And David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, I am present, thy servant. (And when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face, and honoured him. And David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, I am thy servant.)

And David said to him, Dread thou not, for I doing shall do mercy to thee for Jonathan, thy father; and I shall restore to thee all the fields of Saul, thy father, and thou shalt eat bread in my table ever[more]. (And David said to him, Fear not, for I shall do kindness to thee because of thy father Jonathan; and I shall restore to thee all the fields of Saul, thy grandfather, and thou shalt have a place at my table forevermore.)

Which worshipped him (Who bowed low before him again), and said, Who am I, thy servant, for thou hast beheld on a dead dog like me?

Therefore the king called Ziba, the servant of Saul; and said to him, I have given to the son of thy lord all things, whichever were of Saul, and all the house of him; (And so the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, I have given to thy lord’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul, and his family;)

10 therefore work thou the land to him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants, and thou shalt bring in meats to the son of thy lord, that he be fed; but Mephibosheth, the son of thy lord, shall eat ever bread on my board. And fifteen sons and twenty servants were to Ziba. (and so work thou the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants, and thou shalt bring in the harvest for the family of thy lord, so that they can be fed; but Mephibosheth, the grandson of thy lord, shall have a place at my table forevermore. And Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 And Ziba said to the king, As thou, my lord (the) king, hast commanded to thy servant, so thy servant shall do; and Mephibosheth, as one of the sons of the king, shall eat on thy board (and Mephibosheth, like one of the king’s sons, ate at the king’s table).

12 And Mephibosheth had a little son, Micha by name; and all the family of the house of Ziba served Mephibosheth.

13 And Mephibosheth dwelled in Jerusalem; for he ate continually of the king’s board, and was crooked, or halt, on either foot. (And so Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; and he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame, or crippled, in both feet.)