2 Samuel 16

¹ When David had gone a short distance past the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met 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.

² The king said to Ziba, "What do you mean by these?" Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for anyone who becomes faint in the wilderness to drink."

³ The king said, "And where is your master's son?" Ziba said to the king, "He is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore to me my father's kingdom.'"

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours." Ziba said, "I bow down before you. May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king."

⁵ When King David came to Bahurim, a man from the clan of Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he came out cursing as he went.

⁶ He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, while all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left.

⁷ This is what Shimei said as he cursed: "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!"

⁸ "The LORD has repaid you for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And look—you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of blood!"

⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!"

¹⁰ But the king said, "What do I have to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, 'Curse David'—then who can say, 'Why have you done this?'"

¹¹ David also said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Look, my own son who came from my body seeks my life. How much more now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to."

¹² "Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and repay me with good for his cursing of me today."

¹³ So David and his men went along the road while Shimei went along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went, throwing stones at him, and flinging dust.

¹⁴ The king and all the people with him arrived exhausted, and he refreshed himself there.

¹⁵ Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.

¹⁶ When Hushai the Arkite, David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?"

¹⁸ Hushai said to Absalom, "No! The one whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen—his I will be, and with him I will stay."

¹⁹ "And besides, whom should I serve? Should it not be in the presence of his son? Just as I served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence."

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your counsel. What should we do?"

²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he left to care for the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened."

²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

²³ Now in those days, the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as though one inquired of the word of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both to David and to Absalom.