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2 SAM UEL 17
page 287
4 “In that case,” the king told Ziba, “I give you
everything Mephibosheth owns.”
“I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king.”
Shimei Curses David
5 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came
out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei
son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king’s
officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. 7 “Get out of here, you murderer,
you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. 8 “The
Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed
in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the
Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last
you will taste some of your own medicine, for
you are a murderer!”
9 “Why should this dead dog curse my lord
the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded.
“Let me go over and cut off his head!”
10 “No!” the king said. “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the Lord has told
him to curse me, who are you to stop him?”
11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t
this relative of Saul* have even more reason to
do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for
the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the
Lord will see that I am being wronged* and will
bless me because of these curses today.” 13 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.
14 The king and all who were with him grew
weary along the way, so they rested when they
reached the Jordan River.*
Ahithophel Advises Absalom
15 Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel
arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel. 16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite
arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom.
“Long live the king!” he exclaimed. “Long live
the king!”
17 “Is this the way you treat your friend David?” Absalom asked him. “Why aren’t you with
him?”
18 “I’m here because I belong to the man who
is chosen by the Lord and by all the men of
Israel,” Hushai replied. 19 “And anyway, why
shouldn’t I serve you? Just as I was your father’s
adviser, now I will be your adviser!”
20 Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and
asked him, “What should I do next?”
21 Ahithophel told him, “Go and sleep with
your father’s concubines, for he has left them
16:11 Hebrew this Benjaminite. 16:12 As in Greek and Syriac
versions; Hebrew reads see my iniquity. 16:14 As in Greek
version (see also 17:16); Hebrew reads when they reached their
destination. 17:3 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads like the
return of all is the man whom you seek.
here to look after the palace. Then all Israel will
know that you have insulted your father beyond
hope of reconciliation, and they will throw their
support to you.” 22 So they set up a tent on the
palace roof where everyone could see it, and
Absalom went in and had sex with his father’s
concubines.
23 Absalom followed Ahithophel’s advice, just
as David had done. For every word Ahithophel
spoke seemed as wise as though it had come
directly from the mouth of God.
17
Now Ahithophel urged Absalom, “Let
me choose 12,000 men to start out after
David tonight. 2 I will catch up with him while
he is weary and discouraged. He and his troops
will panic, and everyone will run away. Then I
will kill only the king, 3 and I will bring all the
people back to you as a bride returns to her
husband. After all, it is only one man’s life that
you seek.* Then you will be at peace with all
the people.” 4 This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.
Hushai Counters Ahithophel’s Advice
5 But then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the
Arkite. Let’s see what he thinks about this.”
6 When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what
Ahithophel had said. Then he asked, “What is
your opinion? Should we follow Ahithophel’s
advice? If not, what do you suggest?”
7 “Well,” Hushai replied to Absalom, “this
time Ahithophel has made a mistake. 8 You
know your father and his men; they are mighty
warriors. Right now they are as enraged as a
mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs.
And remember that your father is an experienced man of war. He won’t be spending the
night among the troops. 9 He has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. And when he
comes out and attacks and a few of your men
fall, there will be panic among your troops,
and the word will spread that Absalom’s men
are being slaughtered. 10 Then even the bravest
soldiers, though they have the heart of a lion,
will be paralyzed with fear. For all Israel knows
what a mighty warrior your father is and how
courageous his men are.
11 “I recommend that you mobilize the entire
army of Israel, bringing them from as far away
as Dan in the north and Beersheba in the south.
That way you will have an army as numerous as
the sand on the seashore. And I advise that you
personally lead the troops. 12 When we find David, we’ll fall on him like dew that falls on the
ground. Then neither he nor any of his men will
be left alive. 13 And if David were to escape into
some town, you will have all Israel there at your
command. Then we can take ropes and drag the
walls of the town into the nearest valley until
every stone is torn down.”