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Chapter 19
- 19:1
- And it was told Joab, Behold, the
king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.
- 19:2
- And the victory that day was
turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say
that day how the king was grieved for his son.
- 19:3
- And the people gat them by stealth
that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they
flee in battle.
- 19:4
- But the king covered his face, and
the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son,
my son!
- 19:5
- And Joab came into the house to
the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy
servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy
sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives
of thy concubines;
- 19:6
- In that thou lovest thine enemies,
and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou
regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that
if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had
pleased thee well.
- 19:7
- Now therefore arise, go forth, and
speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou
go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that
will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy
youth until now.
- 19:8
- Then the king arose, and sat in
the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king
doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for
Israel had fled every man to his tent.
- 19:9
- And all the people were at strife
throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of
the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the
Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
- 19:10
- And Absalom, whom we anointed over
us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of
bringing the king back?
- 19:11
- And king David sent to Zadok and
to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah,
saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house?
seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his
house.
- 19:12
- Ye are my brethren, ye are my
bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the
king?
- 19:13
- And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not
of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou
be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.
- 19:14
- And he bowed the heart of all the
men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this
word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.
- 19:15
- So the king returned, and came to
Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct
the king over Jordan.
- 19:16
- And Shimei the son of Gera, a
Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of
Judah to meet king David.
- 19:17
- And there were a thousand men of
Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his
fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over
Jordan before the king.
- 19:18
- And there went over a ferry boat
to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good.
And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come
over Jordan;
- 19:19
- And said unto the king, Let not my
lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy
servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of
Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
- 19:20
- For thy servant doth know that I
have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all
the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
- 19:21
- But Abishai the son of Zeruiah
answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because
he cursed the LORD's anointed?
- 19:22
- And David said, What have I to do
with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries
unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for
do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?
- 19:23
- Therefore the king said unto
Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
- 19:24
- And Mephibosheth the son of Saul
came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor
trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king
departed until the day he came again in peace.
- 19:25
- And it came to pass, when he was
come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him,
Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?
- 19:26
- And he answered, My lord, O king,
my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass,
that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is
lame.
- 19:27
- And he hath slandered thy servant
unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do
therefore what is good in thine eyes.
- 19:28
- For all of my father's house were
but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant
among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have
I yet to cry any more unto the king?
- 19:29
- And the king said unto him, Why
speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba
divide the land.
- 19:30
- And Mephibosheth said unto the
king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come
again in peace unto his own house.
- 19:31
- And Barzillai the Gileadite came
down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king, to conduct him
over Jordan.
- 19:32
- Now Barzillai was a very aged man,
even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of sustenance
while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
- 19:33
- And the king said unto Barzillai,
Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
- 19:34
- And Barzillai said unto the king,
How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto
Jerusalem?
- 19:35
- I am this day fourscore years old:
and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I
eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and
singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto
my lord the king?
- 19:36
- Thy servant will go a little way
over Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me
with such a reward?
- 19:37
- Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn
back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the
grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham;
let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem
good unto thee.
- 19:38
- And the king answered, Chimham
shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good
unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for
thee.
- 19:39
- And all the people went over
Jordan. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai,
and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place.
- 19:40
- Then the king went on to Gilgal,
and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted
the king, and also half the people of Israel.
- 19:41
- And, behold, all the men of Israel
came to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the
men of Judah stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his
household, and all David's men with him, over Jordan?
- 19:42
- And all the men of Judah answered
the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore
then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king's
cost? or hath he given us any gift?
- 19:43
- And the men of Israel answered the
men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have
also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our
advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the
words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of
Israel.
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