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Ziba Meets David

16 Now David had passed (A)a little beyond the summit, and behold, (B)Ziba the young man of Mephibosheth met him (C)with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “(D)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, (E)for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” Then the king said, “And where is (F)your master’s son?” And (G)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will return the kingdom of my father to me.’” So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”

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David’s Experience with His Adversaries

16 Now just as David happened to have passed the summit of the Mount of Olives,[a] suddenly Mephibosheth’s servant Ziba met him, accompanied by a couple of saddled donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 pieces of summer fruit, and a skin of wine! The king asked Ziba, “What are those for?”

Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for your young men to eat, and the wine is for whoever wants to drink if they get weary in the wilderness.”

Then the king asked, “Where is your master’s son?”

“He’s staying in Jerusalem!” Ziba answered the king. “He’s saying ‘The nation[b] of Israel will restore my father’s kingdom to me today!’”

So the king told Ziba, “Pay attention! Everything that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!”

In response Ziba said, “I’m submitting to you. Let me find favor in your sight, your majesty the king!”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 16:1 The Heb. lacks of the Mount of Olives
  2. 2 Samuel 16:3 Lit. house