1
And when David was a littlepast the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephiboshethmet him, with a couple of assessaddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
2
And the kingsaid unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Zibasaid, The asses be for the king'shousehold to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.
3
And the kingsaid, And where is thy master'sson? And Zibasaid unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israelrestore me the kingdom of my father.
4
Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Zibasaid, I humbly[a] beseech thee that I may findgrace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
5
And when kingDavidcame to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth,[b] and cursed still as he came.
6
And he caststones at David, and at all the servants of kingDavid: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7
And thus saidShimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody[c]man, and thou man of Belial:
8
The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief,[d] because thou art a bloodyman.
9
Then saidAbishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this deaddogcurse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.
10
And the kingsaid, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, CurseDavid. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?