2 Samuel · Brenton's English Septuagint
2 Samuel 16 Brenton's English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
1 And David passed on a little way from Ros; and, behold, Siba the servant of Memphibosthe [came] to meet him; and he had a couple of asses laden, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred [bunches of] raisins, and a hundred [cakes of] dates, and a bottle of wine.
1 When David was a little past the top, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a container of wine.
2 And the king said to Siba, What meanest thou by these? and Siba said, The asses [are] for the household of the king to sit upon, and the loaves and the dates [are] for the young men to eat, and the wine [is] for them that are faint in the wilderness to drink.
2 The king said to Ziba, “What do you mean by these?” Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that those who are faint in the wilderness may drink.”
3 And the king said, And where [is] the son of thy master? and Siba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem; for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.
3 The king said, “Where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem; for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore me the kingdom of my father.’”
4 And the king said to Siba, Behold, all Memphibosthe's property [is] thine. And Siba did obeisance and said, My lord, O king, let me find grace in thine eyes.
4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” Ziba said, “I bow down. Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, O king.”
5 And king David came to Baurim; and, behold, there came out from thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, and his name [was] Semei the son of Gera. He came forth and cursed as he went,
5 When King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
6 and cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on the right and left hand of the king.
6 He cast stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.
7 And thus Semei said when he cursed him, Go out, go out, thou bloody man, and man of sin.
7 Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow!
8 The Lord has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, because thou hast reigned in his stead; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of Abessalom thy son: and, behold, thou [art taken] in thy mischief, because thou [art] a bloody man.
8 Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”
9 And Abessa the son of Saruia said to the king, Why does this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over now and take off his head.
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head.”
10 And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Saruia? even let him alone, and so let him curse, for the Lord has told him to curse David: and who shall say, Why hast thou done thus?
10 The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
11 And David said to Abessa and to all his servants, Behold, my son who came forth out of my bowels seeks my life; still more now may the son of Benjamin: let him curse, because the Lord has told him.
11 David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this Benjamite, now? Leave him alone, and let him curse; for Yahweh has invited him.
12 If by any means the Lord may look on my affliction, thus shall he return me good for his cursing this day.
12 It may be that Yahweh will look on the wrong done to me, and that Yahweh will repay me good for the cursing of me today.”
13 And David and all the men with him went on the way: and Semei went by the side of the hill next to him, cursing as he went, and casting stones at him, and sprinkling him with dirt.
13 So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him, and threw dust.
14 And the king, and all the people with him, came away and refreshed themselves there.
14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary; and he refreshed himself there.
15 And Abessalom and all the men of Israel went into Jerusalem, and Achitophel with him.
15 Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
16 And it came to pass when Chusi the chief friend of David came to Abessalom, that Chusi said to Abessalom, Let the king live.
16 When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, had come to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 And Abessalom said to Chusi, [Is] this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not forth with thy friend?
17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?”
18 And Chusi said to Abessalom, Nay, but following whom the Lord, and this people, and all Israel have chosen,—his will I be, and with him will I dwell.
18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No; but whomever Yahweh and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, I will be his, and I will stay with him.
19 And again, whom shall I serve? should I not in the presence of his son? As I served in the sight of thy father, so will I be in thy presence.
19 Again, whom should I serve? Shouldn’t I serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”
20 And Abessalom said to Achitophel, Deliberate among yourselves concerning what we should do.
20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel what we shall do.”
21 And Achitophel said to Abessalom, Go in to thy father's concubines, whom he left to keep his house; and all Israel shall hear that thou hast dishonoured thy father; and the hands of all that are with thee shall be strengthened.
21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”
22 And they pitched a tent for Abessalom on the roof, and Abessalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.
22 So they spread a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
23 And the counsel of Achitophel, which he counselled in former days, [was] as if one should enquire of the word of God: so [was] all the counsel of Achitophel both to David and also to Abessalom.
23 The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God. All the counsel of Ahithophel was like this both with David and with Absalom.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Gera
Named as the father of Shimei, the Benjamite from Bahurim who cursed David.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 16:5; 2 Samuel 19:16; 1 Kings 2:8
Cross references (21)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 25:18; 2 Samuel 15:32; 1 Samuel 10:3; Jeremiah 40:10; 1 Chronicles 12:40
- 2 2 Samuel 17:29; Judges 10:4; Judges 5:10; 2 Samuel 15:23; Ezekiel 37:18
- 3 2 Samuel 9:9–10; Psalm 15:3; Psalm 88:18; 2 Samuel 19:24–30; Proverbs 1:19
- 4 Proverbs 18:13; Proverbs 18:17; Exodus 23:8; Proverbs 19:2; Deuteronomy 19:15
- 5 2 Samuel 3:16; 1 Samuel 17:43; 1 Kings 2:8–9; Exodus 22:28; 1 Kings 2:36–46
- 7 Deuteronomy 13:13; 1 Kings 21:10; 1 Samuel 2:12; 1 Samuel 25:17; 2 Samuel 3:37
- 8 2 Samuel 1:16; 2 Samuel 3:28–29; 1 Kings 2:32–33; Judges 9:56–57; Judges 9:24
- 9 Exodus 22:28; 2 Samuel 9:8; 1 Samuel 24:14; 2 Samuel 3:8; 1 Peter 2:17
- 10 2 Samuel 19:22; Romans 9:20; John 18:11; 1 Peter 2:23; Genesis 50:20
- 11 2 Chronicles 32:21; Ezekiel 20:25; Ezekiel 14:9; Isaiah 10:5–7; 2 Samuel 12:11–12
- 12 Deuteronomy 23:5; Hebrews 12:10; Psalm 25:18; Romans 8:28; Exodus 2:24–25
- 13 Acts 23:23
- 15 2 Samuel 15:37; 2 Samuel 15:12
- 16 2 Kings 11:12; 1 Samuel 10:24; 1 Kings 1:25; Matthew 21:9; 2 Samuel 15:37
- 17 2 Samuel 19:25; Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 18:24; Deuteronomy 32:6; 2 Samuel 15:32–37
- 18 1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 5:1–3
- 19 2 Samuel 15:34; Psalm 55:21; 1 Samuel 28:2; Galatians 2:13; 1 Samuel 29:8
- 20 Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:23–28; Proverbs 21:30; Isaiah 29:15; Psalm 37:12–13
- 21 2 Samuel 20:3; 2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 2:7; Leviticus 18:8; Zechariah 8:13
- 22 2 Samuel 15:16; 2 Samuel 12:11–12; 2 Samuel 20:3; Numbers 25:6; Jeremiah 3:3
- 23 2 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 17:23; 2 Samuel 17:14; 1 Corinthians 3:19–20; Psalm 19:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For, "Let him curse," saith he, "for the Lord hath bidden him: that the Lord may see my humiliation, and requite me for this cursing of his on this day." And Paul too proclaims the triumph not of those only who incur danger, or are deprived of their goods, but of these also, thus saying, "Call to remembrance the former …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)