1
And David went··over a··little from the head of the mount, and behold, Ziba, the lad of Mephibosheth met him with a pair of donkeys saddled, and upon them two··hundred loaves of bread and a hundred clusters··of··raisins and a hundred summer··fruits, and a jug of wine.
2
And the king said unto▵ Ziba, What are these to thee? And Ziba said, The donkeys are for the king’s house to ride on; and as for the bread and the summer··fruit, they are for the lads to eat; and the wine to drink for him who is faint in the wilderness.
3
And the king said, And where◦ is the son of thy lord? And Ziba said to▵ the king, Behold, he dwells in Jerusalem; for he said, Today shall the house of Israel return to me the kingdom of my father.
4
And the king said to Ziba, Behold thine is all that was Mephibosheth’s. And Ziba said, I bow··down, Let me find grace in thine eyes, my lord, O king.
5
And king David came even··to Baḥurim, and behold, thence came··out a man◦ from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei the son of Gera; coming··out, he came··out and reviled him.
6
And he stoned◦ David and all the servants of king David with stones; and all the people and all the heroes were at his right and at his left.
7
And thus said Shimei when he reviled him, Go··out, go··out, thou man◦ of blood, and man◦ of Belial;
8
Jehovah has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and Jehovah has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and behold, thou art in thine evil, because◦ thou◦ art a man◦ of blood.
9
And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said unto▵ the king, Why should this dead dog revile my lord the king; let me cross··over now◦, and remove his head.
10
And the king said, What is there to me and to you*, ye sons of Zeruiah? For let him revile me, because◦ Jehovah has said to him, Revile David. And who shall say, Why hast thou done so?
11
And David said to▵ Abishai and to▵ all his servants, Behold, my son who came··out from my bowels seeks my soul; and why not then the Benjaminite? Let· him ·stay, and let him revile me, for Jehovah has said it to him.
12
Perhaps Jehovah may see my affliction, and Jehovah will return me good instead of his reviling this day.
13
And David and his men◦ went by the way, and Shimei walked on◦ the rib of the mountain alongside him, walking and reviling him and stoned◦ him with stones alongside him, and dusted him with dust.
14
And the king, and all the people who were with◦ him, came faint, and refreshed· their ·soul there.
15
And Absalom and all the people the men◦ of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with◦ him.
16
And it was, when▵ Hushai the Archite, a companion of David, came unto▵ Absalom, that Hushai said unto▵ Absalom, May the king live! may the king live!
17
And Absalom said to▵ Hushai, Is this thy mercy with◦ thy companion? why wentest◦ thou not with◦ thy companion?
18
And Hushai said unto▵ Absalom, No, but◦ when▵ Jehovah, and this people, and all the men◦ of Israel choose, his will I be, and with◦ him will I sit.
19
And secondly, whom should I◦ serve? Should it not be before his son? As◦ I have served before thy father, so will I be before thee.
20
And Absalom said to▵ Ahithophel, Give▵ counsel for yourselves what we shall do.
21
And Ahithophel said to▵ Absalom, Go··in to▵ the concubines of thy father, whom he has placed to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou stinkest with◦ thy father; and the hands of all who are with◦ thee shall be made··firm.
22
And they stretched for Absalom a tent on the roof; and Absalom came··in to▵ the concubines of his father before the eyes of all Israel.
23
And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those◦ days, was as◦ if a man◦ would ask the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both◦ for David and◦ for Absalom.
