1 After David had gone a little way past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, waiting to meet him. He had two donkeys already saddled with him carrying two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 “What did you bring these for?” David asked Ziba. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king's family to ride on, the bread and summer fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who get worn out in the wilderness.” 3 “Where is your master's grandson?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He decided to stay in Jerusalem. He's saying, ‘Today the people of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.’” 4 The king told Ziba, “I give you everything that belongs to Mephibosheth!” “I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May you approve of me, Your Majesty.” 5 As King David arrived at the town of Bahurim, a man from Saul's family was just leaving. His name was Shimei, son of Gera, and he was shouting out curses as he came. 6 He threw stones at David and all the king's officers, even though the king's men and all his bodyguards surrounded David. 7 “Get out of here, just get out, you murderer, you wicked man!” Shimei said as he cursed. 8 “The Lord has paid you back for all of Saul's family that you killed, and for stealing Saul's throne. The Lord has given the kingdom to your son Absalom. Look how you've ended up in disaster because you're a murderer!” 9 Abishai, son of Zeruiah, asked the king, “Why should this dead dog curse Your Majesty? Let me go and cut off his head!” 10 “What's that got to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah?” the king replied. “If he's cursing me because the Lord told him to, then who can question what he's doing?” 11 David said to Abishai and to all his officers, “Look, if my very own son is trying to kill me, why shouldn't this Benjamite want to even more! Leave him alone; let him curse me, for the Lord told him to. 12 Perhaps the Lord will see how I'm suffering and will pay me back with good for his curses today.” 13 David and his men continued down the road, with Shimei keeping up with them on the hillside opposite. He went on cursing as he went along, throwing stones and dirt at David. 14 The king and everyone with him were tired out when they arrived at the Jordan. David rested there. 15 In the meantime Absalom and all the Israelites with him arrived in Jerusalem, along with Ahithophel. 16 Hushai the Archite, David's friend, went to see Absalom and declared, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 “Is this how you show loyalty to your friend?” Absalom asked. “Why didn't you leave with your friend?” 18 “Certainly not!” Hushai replied. “I'm on the side of the one chosen by the Lord, by the army, and by all the people of Israel. I will remain loyal to him. 19 In any case, why shouldn't I serve his son? In the same way I served your father I will serve you.” 20 Then Absalom asked Ahithophel, “Give me your advice. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel told him, “Go and sleep with your father's concubines—the ones he left here to look after the palace. Then everyone in Israel will realize that you have so offended your father there's no turning back, which will encourage all your supporters.” 22 So they put up a tent on the palace roof and Absalom went in and had sex with his father's concubines in the full view of everyone. 23 At that time Ahithophel's advice was like receiving messages from God himself. This was how both David and Absalom viewed Ahithophel's advice.
2 Samuel 16 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Absalom
David's handsome son who avenged Tamar, rebelled against his father, and briefly seized the throne.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 15-18
Ahithophel
David's counselor from Giloh, whose advice was regarded like the word of God; he joined Absalom's conspiracy, advised him to take David's concubines and to pursue David at once,…
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 15:31; 2 Samuel 16:23
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
Hushai
David's friend, who at David's request returned to Jerusalem as Absalom's servant and defeated Ahithophel's counsel with advice Absalom judged better.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 15:32; 2 Samuel 15:37; 2 Samuel 16:16
Shimei
A man of Saul's house from Bahurim, who cursed and threw stones at David as he fled Absalom and then begged forgiveness on David's return, when David swore he would not die.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 16:5; 2 Samuel 16:7; 2 Samuel 19:16
Ziba
A servant of Saul's family whom David summoned to find Jonathan's heir; with fifteen sons and twenty servants he was set to farm Saul's land for Mephibosheth, later brought…
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 9:2; 2 Samuel 9:10; 2 Samuel 16:1
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)