2 Samuel 19:16-23

Common English Bible

¹⁶ Gera’s son Shimei, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, hurried down with the people of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ A thousand men from Benjamin were with him. Ziba too, the servant of Saul’s house, along with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, rushed to the Jordan ahead of the king ¹⁸ to do the work of ferrying^[a] over the king’s household and to do whatever pleased him.

Gera’s son Shimei fell down before the king when he crossed the Jordan. ¹⁹ He said to the king, “May my master not hold me guilty or remember your servant’s wrongdoing that day my master the king left Jerusalem. Please forget about it, Your Majesty,^{[b] 20} because your servant knows that I have sinned. But look, I am the first person from the entire family of Joseph to come down today and meet my master the king.”

²¹ Zeruiah’s son Abishai responded, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for that—for cursing the Lord’s anointed?”

²² But David said, “My problems aren’t yours, you sons of Zeruiah. Why are you becoming my enemy today? Should anyone in Israel be put to death today? Don’t I know that today I am again king over Israel?”

²³ Then the king told Shimei, “You will not die.” And the king swore this to him.