Old Testament · History

2 Samuel chapter 16

When David had gone a little past the , —’s servant—was there waiting for him with a pair of saddled donkeys carrying two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.The king asked Ziba, “What are you doing with all this?” Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone who gets exhausted in the .”The king asked, “And where is ?” Ziba told the king, “He’s staying in Jerusalem because he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s .’”The king said to Ziba, “Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” Ziba said, “I bow before you! Let me find , my lord the king.”When King David reached , a man from Saul’s clan came out—his name was son of Gera. He came out as he walked,and he threw stones at David and at all of King David’s officials, even though all the troops and all the flanked David on his right and left.This is what Shimei said as he cursed: “Get out, get out, you ! You ! has for all the blood of Saul’s household—the kingdom you stole from him. Yahweh has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. Now look at you—caught in your own evil, because you are a man of blood!”Then son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this curse my lord the king? Let me go over there and cut off his head!”But the king said, “, ? If he’s cursing because Yahweh told him, ‘Curse David’—then who has the right to ask, ‘Why are you doing this?’”Then David said to Abishai and all his officials, “Look—my own son, who came from my own body, is trying to kill me. How much more then this ! Leave him alone and let him curse, because Yahweh told him to.”Maybe Yahweh will see my and in return for the cursing I’m receiving today.”So David and his men continued down the road while Shimei walked along the hillside parallel to him, cursing as he went, throwing stones at him and .The king and all the people with him arrived , and he rested there.Meanwhile, Absalom and all the Israelites with him entered Jerusalem, and was with him.When —David’s —came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is how you show to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”Hushai replied to Absalom, “No—the one Yahweh has , and these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen—I belong to him, and with him I’ll stay.And besides—who should I serve? Shouldn’t it be his son? Just as I your father, so I’ll serve you.”Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your . What should we do?”Ahithophel told Absalom, “Go sleep with your father’s —the ones he left behind to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you’ve , it will of everyone who supports you.”So they pitched a tent for Absalom , and Absalom slept with his father’s concubines .In those days, the Ahithophel gave was treated like someone had . That’s how both David and Absalom regarded everything Ahithophel said.