2 Samuel 16:1-17
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 16
1Now when David had gone on a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2And the king said to Ziba, 'Why do you have these?' And Ziba said, 'The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is weary in the wilderness to drink.' 3Then the king said, 'And where is your master’s son?' And Ziba said to the king, 'Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’?' 4So the king said to Ziba, 'Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.' And Ziba said, 'I prostrate myself; may I find favor in your sight, my lord, the king!'
5When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man was coming out from there from the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he was coming out, cursing as he came.
6He also threw stones at David and all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left.
7This is what Shimei said when he cursed: 'Go away, go away, you man of bloodshed and worthless man!
8The Lord has brought back upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have become king; and the Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. And behold, you are caught in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!'
9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, 'Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Now let me go over and cut off his head.'
10But the king said, 'What business of mine is yours, you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who should say, ‘Why have you done so?’?'
11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, 'Behold, my son who came out of my own body seeks my life; how much more now this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him.
12Perhaps the Lord will look on my misery and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.'
13So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei kept going on the hillside close beside him, and as he went he cursed and threw stones and dirt at him.
14And the king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted, and he refreshed himself there.
15Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16Now it came about, when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, 'Long live the king! Long live the king!'
17But Absalom said to Hushai, 'Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?'
King James Version
2And 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.
3And 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.
4Then 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.
5And 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.
6And 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.
7And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:
8The 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.
9Then 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.
10And 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?
11And 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.
12It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.
13And 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.
14And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.
15And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16And 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.
Christian Standard Bible
5When King David got to Bahurim, a man belonging to the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he was yelling curses as he approached.
6He threw stones at David and at all the royal servants, the people and the warriors on David’s right and left.
7Shimei said as he cursed: "Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, you wicked man!
8The Lord has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you became king, and the Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. Look, you are in trouble because you’re a man of bloodshed!"
10The king replied, "Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? He curses me this way because the Lord told him, ‘Curse David!’ Therefore, who can say, ‘Why did you do that?’"
11Then David said to Abishai and all his servants, "Look, my own son, my own flesh and blood, intends to take my life —how much more now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone and let him curse me; the Lord has told him to.
12Perhaps the Lord will see my affliction and restore goodness to me instead of Shimei’s curses today."
13So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei was going along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he cursed David, threw stones at him, and kicked up dust.
14Finally, the king and all the people with him arrived exhausted, so they rested there.
New Living Translation
5As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family.
6He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him.
7Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!' he shouted at David.
8The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!'
11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, 'My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it.
12And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.'
13So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.
English Standard Version
Chapter 16
1When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "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 faint in the wilderness to drink." 3And the king said, "And where is your master 's son?" 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.’" 4Then 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."
5When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.
6And 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.
7And Shimei said as he cursed, "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!
8The Lord has avenged on you all 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."
9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head."
10But the king said, "What have I to do with you, 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?’"
11And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, 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.
12It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today."
13So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.
14And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.
15Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16And when Hushai the Archite, David 's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"
17And Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"
New International Version
5As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.
6He 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.
7As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel!
8The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!"
11David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, 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.
12It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today."
13So 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.
14The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
New King James Version
5Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came.
6And 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.
7Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue!
8The Lord has brought upon you all 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 bloodthirsty man!”
11And David said to Abishai and all his servants, “See how my son who 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.
12It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.”
13And 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 kicked up dust.
14Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.
