the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerufalem: for he faid, To day fhall the house of Ifrael reftore me the kingdom of my father. 4 Then faid the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibofheth. And Ziba faid, I humbly be feech thee that I may find grace in thy fight, my lord, O king. And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the houfe of Saul, whofe name was Shimei the fon of Gera: he came forth, and curfed ftill as he came. 6 And he caft ftones at David, and at all the fervants of king David: and all the people, and all the mighty men were on his right hand, and on his left. And thus faid Shimei when he curfed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: 8 The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the houfe of Saul, in whofe ftead thou haft reigned, and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Abfalom thy fon; and behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man. 9Then faid Abifhai the fon of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curfe my lord the king? let me go over,I pray thee, and take off his head. I 10 And the king faid, What have to do with you,ye fons of Zeruiah? fo let him curfe, because the LORD hath faid unto him, Curfe David. Who fhall then fay, Wherefore haft thou done fo? Abithophels counfel 16 And it came to pafs when Hufhai the Archite, Davids friend, was come unto Abfalom,that Hufhai faid unto Abfalom, God fave the king, God fave theking 17 And Abfalom faid to Hufhai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wenteft thou not with thy friend? 18 And Hufhai faid unto Absalom, Nay, but whom the LORD and this people,and all the men of Ifrael choofe, his will I be, and with him will I abide. 19 And again, whom should I ferve? Should I not ferve in the prefence of his fon? as I have ferved in thy fathers prefence, fo will I be in thy prefence. 20Then faid Abfalom to Ahithophel, Give counfel among you what we fhall do. 21 And Ahithophel faid untoAbfalom, Go in unto thy fathers concubines, which he hath left to keep the houfe, and all Ifrael fhall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father, then fhall the hands of all that are with thee be ftrong. 22 So they spread Abfalom a tent upon the top of the houfe, and Abfalom went in unto his fathers concubines, in the fight of all Ifrael. 23 And the counfel of Ahichophel which he counfelled in thofe days,was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: fo was all the counfel of Ahithophel,both with David and with Abfalom CHAP. XVII. Ahithophels counsel is overthrown by Hufbai's according to Gods appointment. 15 Secret intelligence is fent to David. 23 Ahithophel hangeth himself. hatch ou fai, and M to all his fervants, Behold, my fon which came forth of my bowels, feeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do ? let him alone, and let him curfe: for the LORD hath bidden him. 12 It may be that the LORD will look on mine affli&ion, and that the LORD will requite me good for his curfing this day. 13 And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hills fide over against him, and curfed as he went, and threw ftones at him, and caft duft. 14 And the king and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there. 15 And Abfalom and all the people the men of Ifrael, came to Jerufalem, and Ahichophel with him. Oreover, Abichophel faid unto twelve thousand men, and I will arife and pursue after David this night. 2 And I will come upon him while he is weary, and weak-handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him fhall flee, and I will (mite the king only. 3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou feekeft, is as if all returned: fo all the people fhall be in peace. 4 And the faying pleafed Abfalom well, and all the elders of Ifrael. 5 Then faid Abfalom, Call now Hufhai the Archite alfo, and let us hear likewife what he faith. 6 And when Hufhai was come to Abfalom, Abfalom fpake unto him, faying, Ahichophel hath spoken after this manner: fhall we do after his faying? if not; fpeak thou. overthrown by Hubai: Chap. xvii, viii.. He hangeth himfelf. 7 And Hufhai faid unto Abfalom, told Abfalom: but they went both of The counsel that Ahithophel hach gi- them away quickly, and came to a mans ven, is not good at this time. houfe in Bahurim, which had a well in his court, whither they went down. 8 For (faid Hufhai) thou knoweft thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. 9 Behold, he is hid now in fome pit, or in fome other place: and it will come to pals, when fome of them be overthrown at the first, that whofoever heareth it, will fay, There is a flaughter among the people that follow Abfalom. 10 And he also that is valiant, whofe heart is as the heart of a lion, fhall utterly melt: for all Ifrael knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. 11 Therefore I counsel, that all Ifrael be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-fheba, as the fand that is by the fea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own perfon. 12 So fhall we come upon him, in fome place where he fhall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground and of him and of all the men that are with him, there fhall not be left fo much as one. 13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then fhall all Ifrael bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one fmall ftone found there. 14 And Abfalom and all the men of Ifrael faid, The counsel of Hufhai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel: for the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counfel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Abfalom. 15 Then faid Hufhai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Ablalom and the elders of Ifrael; and thus and thus have I counselled. 16 Now therefore fend quickly, and tell David, faying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but fpeedily pafs over; left the king be fwallowed up, and all the people that are with him. " 17 Now Jonathan and Abimaaz ftayed by En-rogel, (for they might not be feen to come into the city) and a wench went and told them: and they went and told king David. 18 Nevertheless, a lad faw them, and 19 And the woman took and fpread a covering over the wells mouth, and fpread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. 20 And when Abfaloms fervants came to the woman to the house, they faid, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman faid unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had fought and could not find them, they returned to Jerufalem. 21 And it came to pass after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and faid unto David, Arife, and pafs quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahichophel counfelled against you. 22 Then David arofe, and all the people that were with him, and they paffed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan. 23 And when Ahithophel faw that his counsel was not followed, he faddled his ass, and arose and gat him home to his houfe, to his city, and put his houfhold in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the fepulchre of his father. 24 Then David came to Mahanaim: and Abfalom paffed over Jordan, he and all the men of Ifrael with him. 25 And Abfalom made Amafa captain of the hoft inftead of Joab: which Amafa was a mans fon, whofe name was Ichra an Ifraelite, that went into Abigail the daughter of Nahash, fifter to Zeruiah, Joabs mother. 26 So Ifrael and Abfalom pitched in the land of Gilead. 27 And it came to pafs when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the fon of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the fon of Ammiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, 28 Brought beds, and bafons, and earthen veffels, and wheat, and barley, and flour and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulfe, 29 And hony, and butter, and fheep, and cheefe of kine for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they faid, The people is hungry and weary, and thirfty in the wilderness. CHAP. XVIII. 1 David viewing the armies, giveth them cha anus, and captams arças them. And David fent forth a third part e people under the hand of Joab, third part under the hand of Abithe fon of Zeruiah Joabs brother, 13 Otherwife I fhould have wrought falfhood againft mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thy felf wouldst have fet thy felf againft me. 7 a third part under the hand of 14 Then faid Joab, I may not tarry the Gittite: and the king faid un- thus with thee. And he took three darts he people, I will furely go forth in his hand, and thruft them through you my felf alfo. the heart of Abfalom, while he was yet alive in the midft of the oak. But the people answered, Thou shalt And the king faid unto them, What So the people went out into the againft Ifrael: and the battle was e wood of Ephraim; Where the people of Ifrael were before the fervants of David, and was there a great flaughter that of twenty thousand men. For the battle was there fcattered the face of all the country: and wood devoured more people that than the fword devoured." 15 And ten young men that bare Joabs armour, compaffed about, and smote Abfalom and few him. 16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from purfuing after Ifrael: for Joab held back the people. 17 And they took Abfalom and caft him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of ftones upon him: and all Ifrael fied every one to his tent. 18 Now Abfalom in his life time had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the kings dale: for he said, I have no fon to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto this day, Abfaloms place. 19 Then faid Ahimaaz che fon of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies. 20 And Joab faid unto him, Thou fhalt not bear tidings this day, but thou fhalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the kings fon is dead. 221 Then faid Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou baft seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. And Abfalom met the fervants of d; and Abfalom rode upon a mule, the mule went under the thick 22 Then faid Ahimaaz the fon of hs of a great oak,& his head caught Zadok yet again to Joab, But howfoof the oak,and he was taken up be-ever, let me, I pray thee, alfo run after n the heaven and the earth, and the Cufhi. And Joab faid, Wherefore wilt that was under him went away. thou run, my fon, feeing that thou haft And a certain man faw it, and told no tidings ready? , and faid, Behold, 1 faw Abfalom ed in an oak. And Joab faid to the man that him, and behold, thou faweft him, 23 But howfoever (faid he) let me run. And he faid unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and over-ran Cufhi. And David for bannan He alfo bringeth tidings. ters, and the lives of thy wives, and the And the watchman faid, Methink-lives of thy concubines: = running of the foremoft, is like ning of Ahimanz the son of ZaAnd the king faid, He is a good and cometh with good tidings. And Ahimaaz called and faid unking, All is well. And he fell o the earth upon his face before g, and faid, Bleffed be the LORD d, which hath delivered up the at lift up their hand against my king. 6 In that thou loveft thine enemies, and hateft thy friends; for thou haft declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes, nor fervants: for this day I perceive, that if Abfalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleafed thee well. nd the king faid, Is the young nd behold, Cufhi came, and Cu- 1. t was told Joab, Behold, the ; weepeth and mourneth for he victory that day was turned ing unto all the people: for heard fay that day, how the rieved for his fon. he people gat them by stealth to the city, as people being teal away when they flee in 7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and fpeak comfortably unto thy fervants : 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 befel thee from thy youth until now. 8 Then the king rofe, and fat in the gate: and they told unto all the people, faying, Behold, the king doth fit in the gate: and all the people came before the king: for Ifrael had fled every man to his tent. 9 And all the people were at ftrife throughout all the tribes of Ifrael, faying, The king faved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philiftines, and now he is fled out of the land for Abfalom. 10 And Abfalom whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle: now therefore why fpeak ye not a word of bringing the king back? 11 And king David fent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priefts, faying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, faying, Why are ye the laft to bring the king! back to his house? (feeing the fpeech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house) 12 Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my fleth: wherefore then are ye the laft to bring back the king? 13 And fay ye to Amafa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flefl? God do fo to me and more alfo, if thou be not captain of the hoft 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, fo that they fent this word unto the king, Return thou and all thy fervants. 15 So the king returned, and came to Shimer's fubmiffion. IL Samuel to meet the king, to condu&t the king over Jordan. 16 And Shimei the fon of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hafted 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 fervant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen fons, and his twenty fervants with him, and they went over Jordan before the king. 18 And there went over a ferry-boat to carry over the kings houfhold, and to do what he thought good: and Shimei the fon of Gera fell down before the king as he was come over Jordan; 19 And faid unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy fervant did perverfly the day that my lord the king went out of Jerufalem,that the king fhould take it to his heart. 20 For thy, fervant doth know that I have finned: therefore behold, I am come the firft this day of all the house of Jofeph, to go down to meet my lord the king. 21 But Abihai the son of Zeruiah anwered,and faid, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he curfed the LORDS anointed? 22 And David faid, What have I to do with you, ye fons of Zeruiah, that ye Thould this day be adverfaries unto me? hall there any man be put to death this day in Ifrael? for do not I know, that am this day king over Ifrael? I 23 Therefore the king faid unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die: and the king Sware unto him. 24 And Mephibofheth the fon of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dreffed 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 Jerufalem to meet the king, that the king faid unto him, Wherefore wenteft not thou with me, Mephibofheth? 26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my fervant deceived me; for thy fervant faid, I will faddle me an afs, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king, because thy fervant is lame. 27 And he hath flandered thy fervant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes, Mephibolbeth 28 For all of my fathers houfe, were but dead men before my lord the king: yer didft thou fet thy fervant among them that did eat at thine own table: what right therefore have I yet to cry a ny more unto the king? 29 And the king faid unto him, Why fpeakeft thou any more of thy matters? I have faid, Thou & Ziba divide the land. 30 And Mephibofheth faid unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forafmuch 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 condu& him over Jordan. 32 Now Barzillai was a very aged may, even fourscore years old, and he had provided the king of fuftenance 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 Jerufalem. 34 And Barzilai faid unto the king, How long have I to live, that I fhould go up with the king anto Jerufalem? 35 I am this day fourfcore years old: and can I difcern between good and evil? can thy fervant tafte what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice. of finging-men and finging-women? wherefore then fhould thy fervant be yet a burden unto my lord the king? 36 Thy fervant will go a little way over Jordan with the king: and why fhould the king recompenfe it me with fuch a reward? 37 Let thy fervant, 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 fervant Chimham, let him go over with my lord the king, and do to him what shall feem good unto thee. 38 And the king anfwered, Chimham fhall go over with me, and I will do to him that which fhall feem good unto thee: and whatfoever 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 kiffed Barzillai, and bleffed 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 alfo half the people of Ifrael. And behold, all the men of |