2 Samuel 19
1 And it was
told Joab, Behold, the
king weepeth and
mourneth for
Absalom. 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. 3 And the
people gat them by
stealth that
day into the
city, as
people being
ashamed steal
away when they
flee in
battle. 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! 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; 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.
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.
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. 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. 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?
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. 12 Ye are my
brethren, ye are my
bones and my
flesh: wherefore then are ye the
last to bring
back the
king? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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? 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? 23 Therefore the
king said unto
Shimei, Thou shalt not
die. And the
king sware unto him.
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. 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? 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. 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. 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? 29 And the
king said unto him, Why
speakest thou any more of thy
matters? I have
said, Thou and
Ziba divide the
land. 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. 31 And
Barzillai the
Gileadite came
down from
Rogelim, and went
over Jordan with the
king, to
conduct him over
Jordan. 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. 33 And the
king said unto
Barzillai, Come thou
over with me, and I will
feed thee with me in
Jerusalem. 34 And
Barzillai said unto the
king, How
long have I to
live, that I should go
up with the
king unto
Jerusalem? 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 wo
men? wherefore then should thy
servant be yet a
burden unto my
lord the
king? 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? 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.
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.
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. 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. 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? 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? 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.