2 Samuel 16

And David passed over a little from the top, and behold, meeting him {was} Ziba, the young man of Mephibosheth, and a pair of saddled donkeys, and on them 200 {loaves of} bread and 100 clusters of raisins and 100 summer fruit and a skin of wine. \*

And the king said to Ziba, “What {are} these to you?” \* And Ziba said, “The donkeys {are} for the house of the king to ride, and the bread and the summer fruit {are for} the young men to eat, and the wine {is for} the faint in the wilderness to drink.” \*

And the king said, “And where {is} the son of your master?” \* And 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.’” \*

And the king said to Ziba, “Behold, to you {is} all that {was} to Mephibosheth.” \* And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself. May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.” \*

And King David came to Bahurim. And behold, a man from the clan of the house of Saul was coming out from there, and his name {was} Shimei, the son of Gera. {He} was coming out, coming out and cursing.

And he stoned David with stones and all of the servants of King David, and all of the people and all of the mighty {were} on his right and on his left. \*

And thus Shimei said in his cursing, “Get out, get out, man of blood, man of wickedness!

God has brought back upon you all of the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you are king, and God has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. And behold you in your evil, for you {are} a man of blood.” \*

And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and let me remove his head.” \*

And the king said, “What to me and to you, sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because God has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done thus’?” \*

And David said to Abishai and to all of his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out from my belly, is seeking my life. And how much more that now a Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse, if God has spoken to him.

Perhaps God will look at my affliction, and God will return good to me in place of his cursing this day.” \*

So David and his men walked on the road, and Shimei was walking on the side of the hill beside him, walking and he cursed, and he stoned with stones beside him, and he dusted with dust.

And the king and all of the people who {were} with him came, weary. And he refreshed himself there. \*

And Absalom and all of the people, a man of Israel, came {to} Jerusalem, and Ahithophel {was} with him.

And it happened, when Hushai the Archite, the friend of David, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “May the king live! May the king live!” \*

And Absalom said to Hushai, “{Is} this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” \*

And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, but whom God has chosen, and this people, and every man of Israel, to him I will be, and with him I will stay. \*

And second, I, before whom shall I serve? {Is it} not to the face of his son? Just as I served to the face of your father, thus I will be to your face.” \*

And Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give counsel for yourselves. What shall we do?” \*

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to the concubines of your father whom he left to keep the house, and all of Israel will hear that you have made yourself stink with your father, and the hands of all who {are} with you will become strong.” \*

So they spread a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to the concubines of his father to the eyes of all of Israel. \*

Now the counsel of Ahithophel that he counseled in those days {was} just as if one inquired of the word of God. Thus {was} all of the counsel of Ahithophel, both to David and to Absalom. \*