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2 Samuel 16
EasyEnglish Bible
2 Samuel 16
EasyEnglish Bible
David and Ziba
16 When David had passed beyond the top of the Mount of Olives, he met Mephibosheth's servant Ziba.[a] Ziba was waiting there for him with two donkeys. The donkeys were ready for people to ride them. They also carried 200 loaves of bread, 100 blocks of raisins, 100 blocks of figs and a leather bag of wine.
2 The king asked Ziba, ‘Why have you brought all these things?’
Ziba answered, ‘The donkeys are for the king's family to ride. The bread and the fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine will help people who become weak when you travel through the desert.’
3 The king asked, ‘Where is your master's grandson?’[b]
Ziba answered, ‘He is staying in Jerusalem. He thinks that the Israelites will now give back to him his grandfather Saul's kingdom.’
4 Then the king said to Ziba, ‘Everything that Mephibosheth had will now belong to you.’
Ziba said, ‘Thank you, sir. I hope that you will always be pleased with me.’
Shimei curses David
5 King David and his people arrived near Bahurim town.[c] Gera's son Shimei came out to meet David. He was a relative of Saul. Shimei cursed David in a loud voice as he came towards him. 6 He threw stones at David and at the king's officers. There was a big group of people and brave soldiers all around David. 7 Shimei said, ‘Go away! Get out of here! You are a murderer, a wicked man! 8 The Lord has punished you because of all the people that you killed from Saul's family. You made yourself king, instead of Saul. But now the Lord has given the kingdom to your son, Absalom. All this trouble has come to you because you are a murderer!’
9 Then Zeruiah's son, Abishai, said to the king, ‘This man is only a useless dog! He must not curse you, my lord the king. I should go and cut off his head!’
10 The king said, ‘No! You sons of Zeruiah should not tell me what to do! Perhaps he is cursing me because the Lord has said to him, “Curse David.” Then we cannot say that he is wrong to curse me.’
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his officers, ‘My own son is trying to kill me. Now this man from Benjamin's tribe wants to do the same thing. The Lord has told him to do this, so do not stop him cursing me. 12 Perhaps the Lord will understand my trouble. He may see how Shimei is cursing me and he may bless me instead.’
13 David and his men continued to walk along the road. Shimei walked along the side of the hill, near the road. As he went, he cursed David and he threw stones and dirt at David and his people. 14 When King David and all the people who were with him reached the Jordan River, they were tired and weak. So they rested there.
Ahithophel gives advice to Absalom
15 So Absalom and all the Israelites who were with him arrived in Jerusalem. Ahithophel came with him. 16 David's friend, Hushai the Arkite, had also come there. He went to Absalom and he said to him, ‘May the king live for ever! May the king live for ever!’
17 Absalom asked Hushai, ‘Why have you not been faithful to your friend David? Why did you not go with him?’
18 Hushai replied, ‘No, I will serve you. You are the king that the Lord has chosen. And all these people and the men of Israel have chosen you too. So I will stay with you. 19 I served your father when he was king. So now it is surely right for me to serve you, his son.’
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, ‘What do you think that we should do now? What is your advice?’
21 Ahithophel answered, ‘Sleep with your father's slave wives that are here. He left them to take care of his palace. Then all the people in Israel will know that you have insulted your father. They will know that he must now hate you. That will help your own men to be strong.’
22 So they put up a tent for Absalom on the roof of the palace. There he had sex with his father's slave wives, and all the Israelites could see him.
23 In those days, people thought that Ahithophel's words were as good as a message from God. So Absalom trusted Ahithophel as his advisor, as David had done too.
Footnotes
- 16:1 Ziba looked after all Mephibosheth's land. See 2 Samuel 9:7-10.
- 16:3 Mephibosheth was King Saul's grandson.
- 16:5 Bahurim was east of the Mount of Olives.
2 Samuel 16
King James Version
2 Samuel 16
King James Version
16 And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, 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 king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household 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 king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.
4 Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.
5 And when king David came 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, and cursed still as he came.
6 And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody 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, because thou art a bloody man.
9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.
10 And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?
11 And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.
12 It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.
13 And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
14 And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.
15 And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16 And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.
17 And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?
18 And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the Lord, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
19 And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.
20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.
21 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.
22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
2 Samuel 16
New King James Version
2 Samuel 16
New King James Version
Mephibosheth’s Servant
16 When(A) David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was (B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “What do you mean to do with these?”
So Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for (C)those who are faint in the wilderness to drink.”
3 Then the king said, “And where is your (D)master’s son?”
(E)And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’ ”
4 So the king said to Ziba, “Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.”
And Ziba said, “I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!”
Shimei Curses David
5 Now when King David came to (F)Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was (G)Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came. 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 hand and on his left. 7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You [a]bloodthirsty man, (H)you [b]rogue! 8 The Lord has (I)brought upon you all (J)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a [c]bloodthirsty man!”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this (K)dead dog (L)curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!”
10 But the king said, (M)“What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because (N)the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ (O)Who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ ”
11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how (P)my son who (Q)came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on [d]my affliction, and that the Lord will (R)repay me with (S)good for his cursing this day.” 13 And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and [e]kicked up dust. 14 Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.
The Advice of Ahithophel
15 Meanwhile (T)Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, (U)David’s friend, came to Absalom, that (V)Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 So Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? (W)Why did you not go with your friend?”
18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 Furthermore, (X)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so will I be in your presence.”
20 Then Absalom said to (Y)Ahithophel, “Give advice as to what we should do.”
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s (Z)concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you (AA)are abhorred by your father. Then (AB)the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines (AC)in the sight of all Israel.
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel (AD)both with David and with Absalom.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 16:7 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:7 worthless man
- 2 Samuel 16:8 Lit. man of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 16:12 So with Kt., LXX, Syr., Vg.; Qr. my eyes; Tg. tears of my eyes
- 2 Samuel 16:13 Lit. dusted him with dust
2 Samuel 16
New International Version
2 Samuel 16
New International Version
David and Ziba
16 When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba,(A) the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.(B)
2 The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”
Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh(C) those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
3 The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”(D)
Ziba(E) said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”
4 Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth(F) is now yours.”
“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David approached Bahurim,(G) a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei(H) son of Gera, and he cursed(I) as he came out. 6 He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. 7 As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! 8 The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned.(J) The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”(K)
9 Then Abishai(L) son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog(M) curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”(N)
10 But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?(O) If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”(P)
11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son,(Q) my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.(R) 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery(S) and restore to me his covenant blessing(T) instead of his curse today.(U)”
13 So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14 The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted.(V) And there he refreshed himself.
The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai
15 Meanwhile, Absalom(W) and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel(X) was with him. 16 Then Hushai(Y) the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?”(Z)
18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. 19 Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”(AA)
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”
21 Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.(AB)
23 Now in those days the advice(AC) Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David(AD) and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.
2 Samuel 16
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 16
English Standard Version
David and Ziba
16 When David had passed a little beyond (A)the summit, (B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, (C)a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, (D)“The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who (E)faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master's son?” (F)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
Shimei Curses David
5 When King David came to (G)Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was (H)Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came (I)he cursed continually. 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 hand and on his left. 7 And Shimei said as he (J)cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The Lord (K)has avenged on you all (L)the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this (M)dead dog (N)curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, (O)“What have I to do with you, (P)you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, (Q)my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me,[a] and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and (R)cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, (S)arrived weary at the Jordan.[b] And there he refreshed himself.
Absalom Enters Jerusalem
15 (T)Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, (U)David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, (V)“Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? (W)Why did you not go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 And again, (X)whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to (Y)your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and (Z)the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom (AA)on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines (AB)in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, (AC)both by David and by Absalom.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction
- 2 Samuel 16:14 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan
EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)
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New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.