Old/New Testament
9 9 David restoreth all the lands of Saul’s to Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan. 10 He appointeth Ziba to see to the profit of his lands.
1 And David said, Is there yet any man left of the house of Saul, that I may show him mercy for [a]Jonathan’s sake?
2 And there was of the household of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, I thy servant am he.
3 Then the King said, Remaineth there yet none of the house of Saul, on whom I may show the [b]mercy of God? Ziba then answered the King, Jonathan hath yet a son (A)lame of his feet.
4 Then the King said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.
5 ¶ Then king David sent, and took him out of the house of Machir the son of [c]Ammiel of Lo Debar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth? And he answered, Behold thy servant.
7 Then David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the [d]fields of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a [e]dead dog as I am?
9 Then the king called Ziba Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s [f]son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
10 Thou therefore and [g]thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him, and bring in that thy master’s son may have food to eat. And Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread always at my table (now Ziba had fifteen sons, and twenty servants.)
11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do, [h]that Mephibosheth may eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth also had a young son named Micha, and all that dwelled in the house of Ziba, were servants unto Mephibosheth.
13 And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table, and was lame on both his feet.
10 4 The messengers of David are villainously entreated of the king of Ammon. 7 Joab is sent against the Ammonites.
1 After this, the (B)King of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.
2 Then said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father [i]showed kindness unto me. And David sent his servants to comfort him for his father. So David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, [j]Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comforters to thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, [k]to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?
4 Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the half of their beard, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 ¶ When it was told unto David, he sent to meet them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the king said, Tarry at Jericho, until your beards be grown, then return.
6 ¶ And when the children of Ammon saw that they [l]stank in the sight of David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the [m]Aramites of the house of Rehob, and the Aramites of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.
7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the strong men.
8 And the children of Ammon came out and put their army in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Aramites of [n]Zoba, and of Rehob, and of Ish-Tob, and of Maacah were by themselves in the field.
9 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Aramites.
10 And the rest of the people, he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon.
11 And he said, If the Aramites be stronger than I, thou shalt help me, and if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will come and succor thee.
12 Be strong and let us be valiant for [o]our people, and for the cities of our God, and let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes.
13 Then Joab, and the people that was with him, joined in battle with the Aramites, who fled before him.
14 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramites fled, they fled also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.
15 ¶ And when the Aramites saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered them together.
16 And [p]Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Aramites that were beyond the [q]River: and they came to Helam, and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadadezer went before them.
17 When it was showed David, then he gathered [r]all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam: and the Aramites set themselves in array against David, and fought with him:
18 And the Aramites fled before Israel: and David destroyed [s]seven hundred chariots of the Aramites, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of his host, who died there.
19 And when all the kings, that were servants to Hadadezer, saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. and the Aramites feared to help the children of Ammon anymore.
11 1 The city Rabbah is besieged. 4 David committeth adultery. 17 Uriah is slain. 27 David marrieth Bathsheba.
1 And when the year was [t]expired in the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent (C)Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, who destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah: but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 And when it was evening-tide, David arose out of his [u]bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s palace: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself: and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and inquired what woman it was: and one said, Is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, wife to Uriah the [v]Hittite?
4 Then David sent messengers, and took her away: and she came unto him and he lay with her: (now she was (D)purified from her uncleanness) and she returned unto her house.
5 And the woman conceived: therefore she sent and [w]told David, and said, I am with child.
6 ¶ Then David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 And when Uriah came unto him, David demanded him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.
8 Afterward David said to Uriah, [x]Go down to thine house, and wash thy feet. So Uriah departed out of the king’s palace, and the king sent a present after him.
9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.
10 Then they told David, saying, Uriah went not down to his house: and David said unto Uriah, Comest thou not from thy journey? why didst thou not go down to thine house?
11 Then Uriah answered David, [y]The Ark and Israel, and Judah dwell in tents: and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide in the open fields: shall I then go into mine house to eat and drink, and lie with my wife? by thy life, and by the life of thy soul, I will not do this thing.
12 Then David said unto Uriah, Tarry yet this day, and tomorrow I will send thee away. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
13 Then David called him, and he did eat and drink before him, and he made him [z]drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.
14 And on the morrow David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote [aa]thus in the letter, [ab]Put ye Uriah in the forefront of the strength of the battle, and recule ye back from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
16 ¶ So when Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah unto a place, where he knew that strong men were.
17 And the men of the city came out, and fought with Joab: and there fell of the people of the servants of David, and Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war.
19 ¶ And he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling all the matters of the war unto the King,
20 [ac]And if the king’s anger arise, so that he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye unto the city to fight? knew ye not that they would hurl from the wall?
21 Who smote Abimelech son of [ad]Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, and he died in Thebez? why went you nigh the wall? Then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.
22 So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.
23 And the messenger said unto David, Certainly the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, but we [ae]pursued them unto the entering of the gate.
24 But the shooters shot from the wall against thy servants, and some of the king’s servants be dead: and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.
25 Then David said unto the messenger, [af]Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing trouble thee: for the sword devoureth [ag]one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and destroy it, and encourage thou him.
26 ¶ And when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 So when the mourning was past, David sent and took her into his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son: but the thing that David had done, [ah]displeased the Lord.
11 ¶ [a]He said moreover, A certain man had two sons,
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of the goods that falleth to me. So he divided unto them his substance.
13 So not many days after, when the younger son had gathered all together, he took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted his goods with riotous living.
14 Now when he had spent all, there arose a great dearth throughout that land, and he began to be in necessity.
15 Then he went and clave to a citizen of that country, and he sent him to his farm, to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine ate: but no man gave them him.
17 [b]Then he came to himself, and said, How many hired servants at my father’s have bread enough, and I die for hunger?
18 I will rise and go to my father, and say unto him, Father, I have sinned against [c]heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thine hired servants.
20 So he arose and came to his father, and when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 [d]And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 Then the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet,
23 And bring the fat calf, and kill him, and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again: and he was lost, but he is found. And they began to be merry.
25 [e]Now the elder brother was in the field, and when he came and drew near to the house, he heard melody, and dancing,
26 And called one of his servants, and asked what those things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fat calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 Then he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
29 But he answered, and said to his father, Lo, these many years have I done thee service, neither brake I at anytime thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends.
30 But when this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy goods with harlots, thou hast for his sake killed the fat calf.
31 And he said unto him, Son thou art ever with me, and all that I have, is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again: and he was lost, but he is found.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.