2 Samuel 19
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24
1 And it was told Joab,
Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.
2 And the victory that day was turned
into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the
king was grieved for his son.
3 And the people gat them by stealth that
day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
4 But the king covered his face, and the
king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
5 And Joab came into the house to the
king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which
this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters,
and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;
6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and
hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither
princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and
all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak
comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth,
there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee
than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.
8 Then the king arose, and sat in the
gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in
the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man
to his tent.
9 And all the people were at
strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the
hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and
now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us,
is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king
back?
11 And king David sent to Zadok and to
Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye
the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is
come to the king, even to his house.
12 Ye are my brethren, ye are
my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?
13 And say ye to Amasa, Art thou
not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not
captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.
14 And he bowed the heart of all the men
of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word
unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.
15 So the king returned, and came to
Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king
over Jordan.
16 And Shimei the son of
Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the
men of Judah to meet king David.
17 And there were a thousand men of
Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen
sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the
king.
18 And there went over a ferry boat to
carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei
the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan;
19 And said unto the king, Let not my lord
impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did
perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king
should take it to his heart.
20 For thy servant doth know that I have
sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of
Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered
and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S
anointed?
22 And David said, What have I to do with
you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall
there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am
this day king over Israel?
23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei,
Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
24 And Mephibosheth the son
of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor
trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until
the day he came again in peace.
25 And it came to pass, when he was come
to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest
not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my
servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may
ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.
27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto
my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do
therefore what is good in thine eyes.
28 For all of my father’s house
were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among
them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any
more unto the king?
29 And the king said unto him, Why
speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the
land.
30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king,
Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto
his own house.
31 And Barzillai the
Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king, to conduct
him over Jordan.
32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even
fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at
Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come
thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How
long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
35 I am this day fourscore years
old: and can I discern between good and evil? 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 king?
36 Thy servant will go a little way over
Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with such a
reward?
37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back
again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my
father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my
lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.
38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go
over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and
whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.
39 And all the people went over Jordan.
And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and
he returned unto his own place.
40 Then the king went on to
Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the
king, and also half the people of Israel.
41 And, behold, all the men of Israel came
to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah
stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all David’s
men with him, over Jordan?
42 And all the men of Judah answered the
men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then be
ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? or
hath he given us any gift?
43 And the men of Israel answered the men
of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right
in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be
first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were
fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
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