September 11, 2019

2 SAMUEL 15:29 – 16:8

15:29 So Zadok and Abiathar brought the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
15:30 And David went up the ascent to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up, and he had his head covered and he went barefoot. And all the people who were with him each covered his own head; and they went up, weeping as they went up.
15:31 Then someone told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, Turn, I pray, the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness, O Jehovah.
15:32 Then when David came to the summit, where God was worshipped, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and with earth on his head.
15:33 And David said to him, If you pass over with me, you will be a burden to me.
15:34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I am your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant in the past, so will I be your servant now; then you will defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.
15:35 And will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you there? Therefore whatever you hear from the king’s house you shall tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
15:36 And there with them will be their two sons, Ahimaaz the son of Zadok and Jonathan the son of Abiathar; and through them you shall send to me whatever you hear.
15:37 So Hushai, David’s friend, came to the city; and Absalom came to Jerusalem.
16:1 And when David was a little past the summit, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s attendant, came to meet him with a pair of saddled asses and upon them two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred clusters of raisins and a hundred summer fruit and a skin of wine.
16:2 And the king said to Ziba, Why do you have these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on, and the bread and the summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.
16:3 And the king said, And where is your master’s son? And Ziba said to the king, He is now dwelling in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my father.
16:4 And the king said to Ziba, Now all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I bow myself to you. May I find favor in your sight, O my lord the king.
16:5 And when King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul came forth from there, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth, cursing as he came forth.
16:6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right and on his left.
16:7 And Shimei spoke thus in his cursing, Go away, go away, you man of bloodshed and worthless fellow.
16:8 Jehovah has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Jehovah has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son; and now you have been taken in your own mischief, for you are a man of bloodshed.