1 And David crossed over a little from the top, and behold Ziba, Mephibosheth's young man, came to meet him with a pair of loaded donkeys, and upon them were two hundred loaves and a hundred clusters of raisins and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What are these you have?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king's house and to ride and for the bread and the summer fruits for the young men to eat. And the wine for the weary one to drink in the wilderness.” 3 “And where is the son of your lords?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, dwelling in Jerusalem. For he said, 'Today Israel's house will return to me my father's kingdom.'” 4 And the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said to the king, “I bow. I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
5 And David the king came unto Young Men. i And from there came out a man from the family of Saul's house and his name was Shimei, son of Gera, coming out and continually cursing. ii 6 And he threw stones at David and all the king's servants and all the people. And all the mighty men were on his right and his left. 7 And thus Shimei said in his cursing, “Go out, go out, the man of blood and the man of Belial! 8 Yehvah is returning upon you all the blood of Saul's house, where you have reigned instead of him. And Yehvah has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. And look at you in your bad, for you are a man of blood.”
9 And Abishai, son of Zeruiah, said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me cross over and take away his head.” 10 And the king said, “What is it to me and to you, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse, so for Yehvah said to him, 'Curse David.' So, who can say, 'Why are you doing this?'” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My son who has gone out from my own body seeks my soul. How much more now the Benjamite? Let him be, and let him curse, so Yehvah has said to him. 12 Perhaps, Yehvah will look upon my affliction, and Yehvah will return to me good instead of his curse this day.” 13 And David and his men went on the road, and Shimei was going on the side of the mountain to his side and going along and cursing and throwing stones to his side and dusting iii with the dust. iv 14 And the king came in and all the people with him, weary, and they refreshed themselves there.
15 And Absalom and all the people, men of Israel, came in to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And it was, just as Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came in to Absalom, so Hushai said to Absalom, “May the king live. May the king live.” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “This is your kindness with your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whoever Yehvah and this people and every man of Israel choose, will I not be? v And with him I will dwell. 19 And the second, to whom should I serve? Should I not be before his son, just as I served before your father? So, I will be before you.”
20 And Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give for you vi counsel. What should we do?” 21 And Ahithophel said, “Go in to your father's concubines whom he set to keep the house. And all Israel will hear that you are repulsive to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 And they pitched for Absalom the tent upon the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the eyes of all Israel. 23 And Ahithophel's counsel that he gave in those days was just as he asked the word of the Gods, so was all Ahithophel's counsel both to David and to Absalom.
Translated by Darwin Fish. See original pdf.
- ם חורי בח) bachuriym) “Young Men” (= “young men” e.g. Numbers 11:28); NKJV, etc. “Bahurim.” ^
- Exodus 22:28 ^
- ר פח עי`) ipar) “dusting”; YLT “dusted”; NAS “threw”; NKJV “kicked” - this verb only found here. ^
- ר פר ער`) âphâr) “dust” - same word as in Genesis 2:7. ^
- Written אא ל) lo') “not” (i.e. “will I not be?”); read לו) lo) “his” (i.e. “his will I be”) ^
- םם לרכ) lâkhem) “for you” - plural “you” ^
And he reproached Israel. And Jonathan, son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him. -- Written שִׁמְעִי (shim`iy) “Shimei” (same name as in 2 Samuel 16:5; see also footnote for Exodus 6:17); read שִׁמְעָה (shim`âh) “Shimah.” Parallel passage 1 Chronicles 20:7 has שִׁמְעָא (shimâ') “Shimea” which matches 1 Chronicles 2:13 for David's brother.