2 Samuel 19

1And it was told Joab, Behold, the kingH4428 weepeth and mourneth for AbsalomH53. 2And the victory that day was turned into mourningH56 unto all the people; for the people heard say that day, The kingH4428 grieveth for his son. 3And the peopleH5971 gat them by stealth that dayH3117 into the city, as peopleH5971 that are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 4And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 5And Joab came into the house to the kingH4428, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the facesH6440 of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sonsH1121 and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 6in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hast declared this dayH3117, that princes and servantsH5650 are nought unto thee: for this dayH3117 I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this dayH3117, then it had pleased thee well. 7Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servantsH5650; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now. 8Then the king aroseH6965, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, sayingH1696, Behold, the king is sitting in the gate: and all the people cameH935 before the king.

NowH6258 Israel had fled every manH376 to his tent. 9And all the peopleH5971 were at strife throughout all the tribes of IsraelH3478, sayingH559, The kingH4428 delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fledH5127 out of the land from Absalom. 10And AbsalomH53, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. NowH6258 thereforeH6258 why speak ye not a word of bringing the kingH4428 back?

11And kingH4428 David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, WhyH4100 are ye the last to bringH7725 the kingH4428 backH7725 to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the kingH4428, to bringH7725 him to his house. 12Ye are my brethren, ye are my bone and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the lastH314 to bringH935 backH7725 the kingH4428? 13And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not my boneH6106 and my fleshH1320? God do so to me, and more also, if thou beH1961 not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. 14And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent unto the king, sayingH559, Return thou, and all thy servants. 15So the kingH4428 returnedH7725, and came to the Jordan. And JudahH3063 came to Gilgal, to goH7971 to meet the kingH4428, to bringH7725 the kingH4428 over the Jordan.

16And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hasted and cameH935 down with the men of JudahH3063 to meet kingH4428 David. 17And there were a thousand menH376 of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sonsH1121 and his twenty servants with him; and they wentH3381 through the Jordan in the presence of the kingH4428. 18And there went over a ferry-boat to bring over the king’sH4428 householdH1004, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the sonH1121 of Gera fell down before the kingH4428, when he was come over the JordanH3383. 19And he said unto the kingH4428, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the kingH4428 went out of Jerusalem, that the kingH4428 should take it to his heart. 20For thy servantH5650 doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am comeH3318 this dayH3117 the first of all the house of Joseph to goH3318 down to meet my lordH113 the kingH4428.

21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah’s anointed? 22And David saidH559, What have I to do with you, ye sonsH1121 of ZeruiahH6870, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be putH4191 to deathH4191 this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? 23And the kingH4428 saidH559 unto Shimei, Thou shalt not dieH4191. And the kingH4428 sware unto him.

24And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the kingH4428; and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the kingH4428 departed until the day he came home in peace. 25And it cameH935 to pass, when he was comeH935 to Jerusalem to meet the kingH4428, that the kingH4428 said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, MephiboshethH4648? 26And he answered, My lord, O kingH4428, my servant deceived me: for thy servant saidH559, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and goH1980 with the kingH4428; because thy servant is lame. 27And he hath slandered thy servantH5650 unto my lordH113 the kingH4428; but my lordH113 the kingH4428 is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes. 28For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lordH113 the kingH4428; yet didst thou set thy servantH5650 among them that did eat at thine ownH5869 table. What right therefore have I yet that I should cry any more unto the kingH4428? 29And the kingH4428 said unto him, WhyH4100 speakest thou any more of thy matters? I say, Thou and Ziba divide the land. 30And Mephibosheth saidH559 unto the kingH4428, yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the kingH4428 is come in peace unto his own house.

31And Barzillai the Gileadite cameH935 down from Rogelim; and he wentH935 over the Jordan with the kingH4428, to conduct him over the Jordan. 32Now BarzillaiH1271 was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the kingH4428 with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man. 33And the kingH4428 said unto BarzillaiH1271, Come thou over with me, and I will sustainH3557 thee with me in Jerusalem. 34And BarzillaiH1271 saidH559 unto the kingH4428, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the kingH4428 unto JerusalemH3389? 35I am this dayH3117 fourscore years old: can I discern between good and bad? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the kingH4428? 36Thy servantH5650 would but just go over the Jordan with the kingH4428: and whyH4100 should the kingH4428 recompense it me with such a reward? 37Let thy servantH5650, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold, thy servantH5650 Chimham; let him go over with my lord the kingH4428; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee. 38And the kingH4428 answered, Chimham shall goH7725 over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem goodH2896 unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee. 39And all the people went over the Jordan, and the kingH4428 went over: and the kingH4428 kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto his ownH5869 place.

40So the kingH4428 wentH7725 over to Gilgal, and Chimham wentH7725 over with him: and all the peopleH5971 of Judah broughtH7725 the kingH4428 over, and also half the peopleH5971 of Israel. 41And, behold, all the men of IsraelH3478 came to the kingH4428, and said unto the kingH4428, Why have our brethren the men of JudahH3063 stolen thee away, and brought the kingH4428, and his household, over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him? 42And all the menH376 of JudahH3063 answered the menH376 of IsraelH3478, Because the kingH4428 is near of kin to us: wherefore then are ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all at the king’sH4428 cost? or hath he given us any gift? 43And the menH376 of IsraelH3478 answeredH6030 the menH376 of JudahH3063, and said, We have ten parts in the kingH4428, and we have also moreH4480 right in David than ye: whyH4100 then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our kingH4428? And the wordsH1697 of the menH376 of JudahH3063 were fiercer than the wordsH1697 of the menH376 of IsraelH3478.