The Second Book of Samuel

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- Chapter 19 -

Someone told Joab that the king was crying and mourning because Absalom had died.

All of David’s soldiers heard that the king was mourning because Absalom was dead. So they became sad that they had defeated Absalom’s men.

The soldiers returned to the city quietly and ashamed, as if they had lost the battle instead of winning it.

The king covered his face with his hands and kept crying loudly, “O, my son Absalom! O, Absalom, my son! My son!”

Joab entered the room where the king was, and said to the king, “Today you have caused your soldiers to be ashamed! You have humiliated the men who saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and your ordinary wives and your slave wives!

It seems that you love those who hate you and that you hate those who love you. Everyone realizes now that your commanders and your officers are not at all important to you. If Absalom were still alive and we were all dead today, you would actually be happy.

So now go and thank your soldiers for what they did. Because I solemnly declare that if you do not do that, none of them will still be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be worse for you than all the disasters that you have experienced since you were a boy.”

David Restored as King

So the king got up and went and sat at the city gate. And all the people were told, “The king is sitting at the gate!” So they all came and gathered around him. Meanwhile, all of Absalom’s men had gone home.

Then all the people throughout the tribes of Israel started to quarrel among themselves. They said to each other, “The king rescued us from the people of Philistia and from our other enemies. But now he has fled from Absalom and left Israel!

We appointed Absalom to be our king, but he died in the battle against David’s soldiers. So why does someone not try to bring King David back?”

King David found out what the people were saying. So he sent the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to say to the leaders of Judah, “The king says that he has heard that all the Israelite people want him to be king again. And he says, ’Why should you be the last ones to bring me back to my palace?

You are my relatives. We have the same ancestor. So why should you be the last ones to bring me back?’”

And say to Amasa, “You are one of my relatives. I hope that God will kill me if I do not appoint you to be, from now on, the commander of my army instead of Joab.”

By sending that message to them, David convinced all the people of Judah that they should be loyal to him. So they sent a message to the king, saying, “We want you and all your officials to return here.”

So the king and his officials started back toward Jerusalem. When they reached the Jordan River, the people of Judah came there to Gilgal to meet the king, and to escort him across the river.

Shimei Pardoned

Shimei, the man from the tribe of Benjamin, also came down quickly to the river with the people of Judah to meet King David.

There were a thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin who came with him. Ziba, who had been the servant of Saul, also hurried down to the Jordan River, bringing twenty of his servants with him. They all came to the king.

They all prepared to take the king and all his family across the river, at the place where they could walk across it. They wanted to do whatever the king wanted. As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei came to him and prostrated himself in front of the king.

He said to the king, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Please do not keep thinking about the terrible thing that I did on the day that you left Jerusalem. Do not think about it anymore.

I know that I have sinned. Look, I have come today, the first one from the northern tribes to come here to greet you today, Your Majesty.”

But Abishai son of Zeruiah, said to David, “He cursed the one whom Yahweh appointed to be the king! So should he not be executed for doing that?”

But David said, “You sons of Zeruiah, what am I going to do with you? It is as though you had become my enemies today. I know that I am still king of Israel, so I say that certainly no one in Israel should be executed today.”

Then the king said to Shimei, “I solemnly promise that I will not execute you.”

Mephibosheth Excused

Then Miphibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down to the river to greet the king. He had not washed his feet or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the time that the king left Jerusalem until the day that he returned.

When he arrived from Jerusalem to greet the king, the king said to him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”

He replied, “Your Majesty, you know that I am crippled. When I heard that you were leaving Jerusalem, I said to my servant Ziba, ‘Put a saddle on my donkey in order that I can ride on it and go with the king.’ But he deceived me and left without me.

He lied to you about me. But your Majesty, you are as wise as God’s angel. So do whatever seems right to you.

All of my grandfather’s family expected that we would be executed. But you did not execute me. You allowed me to eat food with you at your table! So I certainly do not have the right to request from you anything more.”

The king replied, “You certainly do not need to say any more. I have decided that you and Ziba will divide equally the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul.”

Mephibosheth replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I am content that you have returned safely. So allow him to take all the land.”

David’s Kindness to Barzillai

Barzillai, the man from the region of Gilead, had come down to the Jordan River from his town of Rogelim to escort the king across the river.

Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He was a very wealthy man, and he had provided food for the king and his soldiers while they were at Mahanaim.

The king said to Barzillai, “Come with me to Jerusalem, and I will take care of you.”

But Barzillai replied, “I certainly do not have many more years to live. So why should I go with you to Jerusalem?

I am eighty years old. I do not know what is enjoyable and what is not enjoyable. I cannot enjoy what I eat and what I drink. I cannot hear the voices of men and women as they sing. So why should I be another burden to you?

I will cross the Jordan River with you and go a little further, and that will be all the reward that I need for helping you.

Then please allow me to return to my home, because that is where I want to die, near my parents’ grave. But here is my son Kimham. Your Majesty, allow him to go with you and serve you, and do for him whatever seems good to you!”

The king replied, “Very well, he will cross the river with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. And I will do for you whatever you want me to do.”

Then King David and all the others crossed the Jordan River. He kissed Barzillai and asked God to bless him. Then Barzillai returned to his home.

After they crossed the river, Kimham went with the king, and all the army of Judah and half the army of the other Israelite tribes escorted the king to Gilgal.

Contention over the King

Then all the Israelite soldiers from the other Israelite tribes came to the king and said, “Why is it that our relatives, the men from Judah, took you away from us and wanted to be the only ones to escort you and your family across the river, along with all your men? Why did you not request us to do that?”

The soldiers from Judah replied, “We did it because the king is from Judah. Why are you angry about this? The king has never paid for our food, and he has never given us any gifts.”

The men of the other Israelite tribes replied, “There are ten tribes in Israel, and only one in Judah. So it is ten times more right for us to say that David is our king than it is for you to say that. So why are you despising us? We were certainly the first ones to talk about bringing David back to Jerusalem to be our king again.” But the men of Judah spoke more harshly than the men from the other tribes of Israel did.

Joab was told, “Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.”

The victory that day was turned into mourning among all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king grieves for his son.”

The people sneaked into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son!”

Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have shamed the faces of all your servants who today have saved your life, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines;

in that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have declared today that princes and servants are nothing to you. For today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, then it would have pleased you well.

Now therefore arise, go out and speak to comfort your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you don’t go out, not a man will stay with you this night. That would be worse to you than all the evil that has happened to you from your youth until now.”

David Restored as King

Then the king arose and sat in the gate. The people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” All the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent.

All the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.

Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why don’t you speak a word of bringing the king back?”

King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the speech of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house?

You are my brothers. You are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’

Say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you aren’t captain of the army before me continually instead of Joab.’”

He bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as one man, so that they sent to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.”

So the king returned, and came to the Jordan. Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan.

Shimei Pardoned

Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of Saul’s house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence of the king.

A ferry boat went to bring over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had come over the Jordan.

He said to the king, “Don’t let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember that which your servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.

For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.”

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”

David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For don’t I know that I am king over Israel today?”

The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king swore to him.

Mephibosheth Excused

Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither groomed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.

When he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”

He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.

He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is as an angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes.

For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should appeal any more to the king?”

The king said to him, “Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, you and Ziba divide the land.”

Mephibosheth said to the king, “Yes, let him take all, because my lord the king has come in peace to his own house.”

David’s Kindness to Barzillai

Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and he went over the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.

Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old. He had provided the king with sustenance while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.

The king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will sustain you with me in Jerusalem.”

Barzillai said to the king, “How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

I am eighty years old, today. Can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear the voice of singing men and singing women any more? Why then should your servant be a burden to my lord the king?

Your servant will just go over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?

Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, by the grave of my father and my mother. But behold, your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good to you.”

The king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good to you. Whatever you request of me, that I will do for you.”

All the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. Then the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him; and he returned to his own place.

So the king went over to Gilgal, and Chimham went over with him. All the people of Judah brought the king over, and also half the people of Israel.

Contention over the King

Behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household, over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”

All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is a close relative to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s cost? Or has he given us any gift?”

The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, “We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more claim to David than you. Why then did you despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king?” The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.