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¹ AND when David had passed a little beyond the place where he used to worship, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth came to meet him, with a couple of asses, laden with two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred bunches of raisins and a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.² And the king said to Ziba, Where did you get these? Ziba said to him, The asses are to carry the burden of the kings household; and the bread and fig cakes are for the young men to eat, and the wine, that those who faint in the wilderness may drink.³ And the king said to him, Where is your masters son? Ziba said to him, Behold he remains at Jerusalem; for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of Saul my father.⁴ Then David said to Ziba, Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is given to you. And Ziba said to him, I have plenty, and I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king.

⁵ And when King David came to Beth-hurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth and cursed David;⁶ And he threw stones at him and at all his servants and at all his people and at all his servants who were on his right hand and on his left.⁷ And thus said Shimei to David when he cursed him, Get out, get out, you bloody man, you wicked man;⁸ The LORD has requited upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son; and, behold, you have been requited for your evil, because you are a bloody man.⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zoriah said to David, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.¹⁰ And King David said to him, What is it to me and to you, O sons of Zoriah? Let him curse, it is the LORD who has told him to curse David. Therefore who can say to me, Why has this happened?¹¹ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my own son, who came forth from my loins, seeks my life; so now let this Benjamite alone, let him curse; for God has bidden him.¹² It may be the LORD will look on my affliction and requite me good for his cursing this day.¹³ 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.¹⁴ And the king and all the people who were with him arrived at their destination weary, and they refreshed themselves there.

¹⁵ And Absalom and all the people who were with him and all Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.¹⁶ And when Hushai the Archite, Davids friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king! long live the king!¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom. No; but whom the LORD and this people and all Israel have chosen, with him will I dwell, and his will I be.¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? I have no choice. As I have served in your fathers presence, so will I serve before you.²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give me counsel, as to what we shall do.²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your fathers concubines, whom he has left to keep his house; and when all Israel shall hear that you have gone in to your fathers concubines, then shall the hands of all who are with you be strengthened.²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom upon the roof; and Absalom went in to his fathers concubines in the sight of all Israel.²³ And the counsel of Ahithophel which he gave in those days was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.