Lectionary Calendar
Friday, July 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

2 Samuel 16:13

David and the others went on down the road. Shimei went along the hillside by the road, cursing and throwing rocks and dirt at them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Clemency;   Dust;   Forgiveness;   Imprecation;   Meekness;   Shimei;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Hadadezer or Hadarezer;   Shimel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Solomon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Shimei;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Stone;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shimei ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Dust;   Jerusalem;   Shimei;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Shim'ei;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Dust;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Dust;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shimei;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So 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.
Hebrew Names Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shim`i went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
Then David and his men went on the road, with Shimei going on the side of the hill beside him, cursing as he went. He threw stones beside him and threw dust in the air.
English Standard Version
So 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.
New Century Version
So David and his men went on down the road, but Shimei followed on the nearby hillside. He kept cursing David and throwing stones and dirt at him.
New English Translation
So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.
Amplified Bible
So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei went along on the hillside close beside David and cursed as he went and threw stones and dust at him.
New American Standard Bible
So 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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Shimei went by the side of the mountaine ouer against him, and cursed as he went, & threw stones against him, and cast dust.
Legacy Standard Bible
So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him.
Complete Jewish Bible
So David and his men went on their way, while on the opposite hillside Shim‘i kept pace with him, cursing, throwing stones and flinging dust as he went.
Darby Translation
And David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Easy-to-Read Version
So David and his men went on their way down the road. Shimei kept following David. He walked on the other side of the road by the side of the hill. He kept cursing David on his way. Shimei also threw stones and dirt at David.
George Lamsa Translation
And as David and his servants went on the way, Shimei walked along the mountain side opposite him and cursed him as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust at him.
Good News Translation
So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up with them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them as he went.
Literal Translation
And David went with his men in the highway, and Shimei was going along at the side of the hill across from him. As he went, he cursed, and stoned with stones across from him, and dusted with dust.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So Dauid wente on his waye with his men. But Semei wente on by the mount besyde him, and cursed, and cast stones at him, & threwe clottes of earth.
American Standard Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Bible in Basic English
So David and his men went on their way: and Shimei went by the hillside parallel with them, cursing and sending stones and dust at him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Semei went along on the hilles syde ouer against him, & cursed as he went, and threwe stones at him, and cast duste.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
King James Version (1611)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hilles side ouer against him, and cursed as hee went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David and all the men with him went on the way: and Semei went by the side of the hill next to him, cursing as he went, and casting stones at him, and sprinkling him with dirt.
English Revised Version
So David and his men went by the way: and Shimei went along on the hill side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Berean Standard Bible
So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei went along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he yelled curses, threw stones, and flung dust at David.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Dauid yede, and hise felowis, bi the weie with hym; forsothe Semey yede bi the slade of the hil `bi the side ayens hym; and curside, and sente stoonus ayens him, and spreynte erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
And David goeth with his men in the way, and Shimei is going at the side of the hill over-against him, going on, and he revileth, and stoneth with stones over-against him, and hath dusted with dust.
Update Bible Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side across from him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
New King James Version
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 kicked up dust.
New Living Translation
So 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.
New Life Bible
So David and his men went on the way. And Shimei went beside him on the hill. He spoke against David as he went, and threw stones and dust at him.
New Revised Standard
So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, throwing stones and flinging dust at him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when David and his men went along in the way, Shimei, was going along on the side of the hill over against him, cursing as he went, pelting him with stones, and throwing dust.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David and his men with him went by the way. And Semei by the hill’s side went over against him, cursing, and casting stones at him, and scattering earth.
Revised Standard Version
So David and his men went on the road, while Shim'e-i went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him and flung dust.
THE MESSAGE
David and his men went on down the road, while Shimei followed along on the ridge of the hill alongside, cursing, throwing stones down on them, and kicking up dirt.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him.

Contextual Overview

5 David was near the town of Bahurim when a man came out and started cursing him. The man was Shimei the son of Gera, and he was one of Saul's distant relatives. 6 He threw stones at David, at his soldiers, and at everyone else, including the bodyguards who walked on each side of David. 7 Shimei was yelling at David, "Get out of here, you murderer! You good-for-nothing, 8 the Lord is paying you back for killing so many in Saul's family. You stole his kingdom, but now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. You're a murderer, and that's why you're in such big trouble!" 9 Abishai said, "Your Majesty, this man is as useless as a dead dog! He shouldn't be allowed to curse you. Let me go over and chop off his head." 10 David replied, "What will I ever do with you and your brother Joab? If Shimei is cursing me because the Lord has told him to, then who are you to tell him to stop?" 11 Then David said to Abishai and all his soldiers: My own son is trying to kill me! Why shouldn't this man from the tribe of Benjamin want me dead even more? Let him curse all he wants. Maybe the Lord did tell him to curse me. 12 But if the Lord hears these curses and sees the trouble I'm in, maybe he will have pity on me instead. 13 David and the others went on down the road. Shimei went along the hillside by the road, cursing and throwing rocks and dirt at them. 14 When David and those with him came to the Jordan River, they were tired out. But after they rested, they felt much better.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cursed: 2 Samuel 16:5, 2 Samuel 16:6

cast dust: Heb. dusted him with dust, Acts 23:23, It was an ancient custom, in those warm and arid countries, to lay the dust before a person of distinction, by sprinkling the ground with water. Dr. Pococke and the consul were treated with this respect when they entered Cairo. The same custom is alluded to in the well-known fable of Phedrus, in which a slave is represented going before Augustus and officiously laying the dust. To throw dust in the air while a person was passing was therefore an act of great disrespect; to do so before a sovereign prince, an indecent outrage. But it is probable that Shimei meant more than disrespect and outrage to this afflicted king. Sir John Chardin informs us, that in the East, in general, those who demand justice against a criminal throw dust upon him, signifying that he ought to be put in the grave, and hence the common imprecation among the Turks and Persians, "Be covered with earth," or, "Earth be upon thy head.

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 19:21 - cursed

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,
Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the Lord for this."
Genesis 16:7
Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the Lord came to her
Genesis 16:9
The angel said, "Go back to Sarai and be her slave.
Genesis 16:10
I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all.
Genesis 16:12
But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him."
Genesis 22:14
Abraham named that place "The Lord Will Provide." And even now people say, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
Genesis 28:17
Then Jacob became frightened and said, "This is a fearsome place! It must be the house of God and the ladder to heaven."
Genesis 31:42
If the fearsome God worshiped by Abraham and my father Isaac had not been on my side, you would have sent me away without a thing. But God saw my hard work, and he knew the trouble I was in, so he helped me. Then last night he told you how wrong you were.
Judges 6:24
Gideon built an altar for worshiping the Lord and called it "The Lord Calms Our Fears." It still stands there in Ophrah, a town in the territory of the Abiezer clan.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as David and his men went by the way,.... In the high road that led to Bahurim, taking no notice of the cursing of Shimei, which made him bolder and more impudent; here is a large pause in the Hebrew text, in the midst of this verse:

Shimei went along on the hill side over against him; as David and his men walked in the plain, he went on a range of hills that ran along right against them:

and cursed as he went; continued his curses and imprecations, to which he was the more emboldened by the behaviour of David and his men:

and threw stones at him, and cast dust; in a way of contempt, though the stones recoiled on his own head, and the dust flew in his own face, as the consequence of things showed; and now David composed and penned the seventh psalm, Psalms 7:1.


 
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