2 Samuel 16

1 And David has passed on a little from the top, and behold, Ziba, servant of Mephibosheth, [is there] to meet him, and a couple of donkeys [are] saddled, and on them [are] two hundred loaves, and one hundred bunches of raisins, and one hundred of summer-fruit, and a bottle of wine.

And David passed on a little way from Ros; and, behold, Siba the servant of Memphibosthe [came] to meet him; and he had a couple of asses laden, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred [bunches of] raisins, and a hundred [cakes of] dates, and bottle of wine.

2 And the king says to Ziba, “What [are] these to you?” And Ziba says, “The donkeys for the household of the king to ride on, and the bread and the summer-fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for the wearied to drink in the wilderness.”

And the king said to Siba, What meanest thou by these? and Siba, said, The asses [are] for the household of the king to sit upon, and the loaves and the dates [are] for the young men to eat, and the wine [is] for them that are faint in the wilderness to drink.

3 And the king says, “And where [is] the son of your lord?” And Ziba says to the king, “Behold, he is abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel gives back the kingdom of my father to me.”

And the king said, And where [is] the son of thy master? and Siba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem; for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.

4 And the king says to Ziba, “Behold, all that Mephibosheth has [is] for you”; and Ziba says, “I have bowed myself—I find grace in your eyes, my lord, O king.”

And the king said to Siba, Behold, all Memphibosthe's property [is] thine. And Siba did obeisance and said, My lord, O king, let me find grace in thine eyes.

5 And King David has come to Bahurim, and behold, a man there is coming out, of the family of the house of Saul, and his name [is] Shimei, son of Gera, he comes out, coming out and reviling;

And king David came to Baurim; and, behold, there came out from thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, and his name [was] Semei the son of Gera. He came forth and cursed as he went,

6 and he stones David with stones, and all the servants of King David, and all the people, and all the mighty men on his right and on his left.

and cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on the right and left hand of the king.

7 And thus said Shimei in his reviling: “Go out, go out, O man of blood, and man of worthlessness!

And thus Semei said when he cursed him, Go out, go out, thou bloody man, and man of sin.

8 YHWH has turned back on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you have reigned, and YHWH gives the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom; and behold, you [are] in your evil, for you [are] a man of blood.”

The Lord has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, because thou hast reigned in his stead; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of Abessalom thy son: and, behold, thou [art taken] in thy mischief, because thou [art] a bloody man.

9 And Abishai son of Zeruiah says to the king, “Why does this dead dog revile my lord the king? Please let me pass over and I turn aside his head.”

And Abessa the son of Saruia said to the king, Why does this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over now and take off his head.

10 And the king says, “And what do I [have to do] with you, O sons of Zeruiah? For let him revile; even because YHWH has said to him, Revile David; and who says, Why have You done so?”

And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Saruia? even let him alone, and so let him curse, for the Lord has told him to curse David: and who shall say, Why hast thou done thus?

11 And David says to Abishai, and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came out of my bowels is seeking my life, and also surely now the Benjamite; leave him alone, and let him revile, for YHWH has commanded [so] to him;

And David said to Abessa and to all his servants, Behold, my son who came forth out of my bowels seeks my life; still more now may the son of Benjamin: let him curse, because the Lord has told him.

12 it may be YHWH looks on my affliction, and YHWH has turned back good to me for his reviling this day.”

If by any means the Lord may look on my affliction, thus shall he return me good for his cursing this day.

13 And David goes with his men in the way, and Shimei is going at the side of the hill opposite him, going on, and he reviles, and stones with stones close by him, and has dusted with dust.

And David and all the men with him went on the way: and Semei went by the side of the hill next to him, cursing as he went, and casting stones at him, and sprinkling him with dirt.

14 And the king comes in, and all the people who [are] with him, wearied, and they are refreshed there.

And the king, and all the people with him, came away and refreshed themselves there.

15 And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, have come to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him,

And Abessalom and all the men of Israel went into Jerusalem, and Achitophel with him.

16 and it comes to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, has come to Absalom, that Hushai says to Absalom, “Let the king live! Let the king live!”

And it came to pass when Chusi the chief friend of David came to Abessalom, that Chusi said to Abessalom, Let the king live.

17 And Absalom says to Hushai, “[Is] this your kindness with your friend? Why have you not gone with your friend?”

And Abessalom said to Chusi, [Is] this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not forth with thy friend?

18 And Hushai says to Absalom, “No, for he whom YHWH has chosen, and this people, even all the men of Israel, I am his, and I abide with him;

And Chusi said to Abessalom, Nay, but following whom the Lord, and this people, and all Israel have chosen, —his will I be, and with him I will dwell.

19 and secondly, for whom do I labor? Is it not before his son? As I served before your father, so I am before you.”

And again, whom shall I serve? should I not in the presence of his son? As I served in the sight of thy father, so will I be in thy presence.

20 And Absalom says to Ahithophel, “Give counsel for yourself [for] what we do.”

And Abessalom said to Achitophel, Deliberate among yourselves concerning what we should do.

21 And Ahithophel says to Absalom, “Go in to the concubines of your father, whom he left to keep the house, and all Israel has heard that you have been abhorred by your father, and the hands of all who [are] with you have been strong.”

And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Go in to thy father's concubines, whom he left to keep his house; and all Israel shall hear that thou hast dishonoured thy father; and the hands of all that are with thee shall be strengthened.

22 And they spread out the tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom goes in to the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel.

And they pitched a tent for Abessalom on the roof, and Abessalom 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 [is] as [when] one inquires at the word of God; so [is] all the counsel of Ahithophel both to David and to Absalom.

And the counsel of Achitophel, which he counselled in former days, [was] as if one should enquire of the word of God: so [was] all the counsel of Achitophel both to David and also to Abessalom.