2 Samuel 19

¹ And it was tolde Ioab, Behold, the King weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.

² Therefore the victorie of that day was turned into mourning to all the people: for the people heard say that day, The King soroweth for his sonne.

³ And the people went that day into the citie secretly, as people confounded hide them selues when they flee in battell.

⁴ But the kingAs they do that mourn.covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

⁵ And Joab came into theAt Mahanaim.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;

⁶ In that thou louest thine enemies, and hatest thy friendes: for thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither thy princes nor seruants: therefore this day I perceiue, that if Absalom had liued, and we all had dyed this day, that then it would haue pleased thee well.

⁷ Nowe therefore vp, come out, and speake comfortably vnto thy seruants: for I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tarie one man with thee this night: and that wil be worse vnto thee, then all the euill that fell on thee from thy youth hitherto.

⁸ Then the king arose, and sat in theWhere the most resort of the people haunted.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.

⁹ And all the people were atEveryone blamed another and strove who should first bring him home.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.

¹⁰ And Absalom, whome we anoynted ouer vs, is dead in battel: therefore why are ye so slow to bring the King againe?

¹¹ And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar theThat they should reprove the negligence of the elders, seeing the people were so forward.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.

¹² Ye are my brethren: my bones and my flesh are ye: wherefore then are ye the last that bring the King againe?

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 theBy this policy David thought that by winning the captain, he would have the hearts of all the people.room of Joab.

¹⁴ So he bowed the heartes of all the men of Iudah, as of one man: therefore they sent to the King, saying, Returne thou with all thy seruants.

¹⁵ So the King returned, and came to Iorden; Iudah came to Gilgal, for to goe to meete the King, and to conduct him ouer Iorde.

¹⁶ AndWho had before reviled him, (2Sa_16:13).Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which [was] of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.

¹⁷ And a thousande men of Beniamin with him, and Ziba the seruant of the house of Saul, and his fifteene sonnes and twentie seruants with him: and they went ouer Iorden before ye king.

¹⁸ And there went ouer a boate to carie ouer the Kings houshold, and to do him pleasure. Then Shimei the sonne of Gera fell before the King, when he was come ouer Iorden,

¹⁹ And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant didFor in his adversity he was his most cruel enemy, and now in his prosperity, seeks by flattery to creep into favour.perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.

²⁰ For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house ofBy Joseph he means Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin (of which he was) because those three were under one standard, (Num_2:18).Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

²¹ But Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah answered, and said, Shal not Shimei die for this, because he cursed the Lordes anoynted?

²² And Dauid saide, What haue I to do with you, ye sonnes of Zeruiah, that this day ye should be aduersaries vnto me? Shall there any man die this day in Israel? For doe not I know that I am this day King ouer Israel?

²³ Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt notBy my hands, or during my life, see (1Ki_2:8,9).die. And the king sware unto him.

²⁴ And Mephibosheth the sonne of Saul came downe to meete the king, and had neither washed his feete, nor dressed his beard, nor washed his clothes from the time the king departed, vntill he returned in peace.

²⁵ And it came to pass, whenWhen Mephibosheth being at Jerusalem had met the King.he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?

²⁶ And he answered, My lorde the king, my seruant deceiued me: for thy seruant said, I would haue mine asse sadled to ride thereon, for to goe with the king, because thy seruant is lame.

²⁷ And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king [is] as anAble for his wisdom to judge in all matters.angel of God: do therefore [what is] good in thine eyes.

²⁸ For all [of] my father's house wereWorthy to die for Saul's cruelty to you.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?

²⁹ And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide theDavid did evil in taking his land from him before he knew the cause, but much worse, that knowing the truth, he did not restore them.land.

³⁰ And Mephibosheth saide vnto the king, Yea, let him take all, seeing my lorde the king is come home in peace.

³¹ Then Barzillai the Gileadite came downe from Rogelim, & went ouer Iorden with the king, to conduct him ouer Iorden.

³² Nowe Barzillai was a very aged man, euen fourescore yeere olde, and he had prouided the king of sustenance, while he lay at Mahanaim: for he was a man of very great substance.

³³ And the king said vnto Barzillai, Come ouer with me, and I will feede thee with me in Ierusalem.

³⁴ And Barzillai said vnto the king, Howe long haue I to liue, that I should goe vp with the king to Ierusalem?

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 aHe thought it was not fitting to receive benefits from him to whom he was not able to do service again.burden unto my lord the king?

³⁶ Thy seruant will goe a litle way ouer Iorden with the King, and why wil the king recompence it me with such a rewarde?

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 servantMy son.Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

³⁸ And the king answered, Chimham shal go with me, and I will do to him that thou shalt be content with: and whatsoeuer thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.

³⁹ So all the people went ouer Iorden: and the King passed ouer: and the King kissed Barzillai, and blessed him, and hee returned vnto his owne place.

⁴⁰ Then the king went on toWhere the tribe of Judah waited to receive him.Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people ofWho had taken the side of the king.Israel.

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, overToward Jerusalem.Jordan?

⁴² And all the men of Iudah answered the men of Israel, Because the King is neere of kin to vs: and wherefore now be ye angry for this matter? Haue we eaten of the Kings cost, or haue wee taken any bribes?

⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Iudah, and saide, Wee haue ten partes in the King, and haue also more right to Dauid then ye: Why then did ye despise vs, that our aduise should not bee first had in restoring our King? And the wordes of the men of Iudah were fiercer then the wordes of the men of Israel.