2 Samuel 16 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

David and Ziba

2Sa 16:1When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth,[fn] was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.

2Sa 16:2

2Sa 16:2“What are these for?” the king asked Ziba.
Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

2Sa 16:3

2Sa 16:3“And where is Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson?” the king asked him.
“He stayed in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied. “He said, ‘Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.’”

2Sa 16:4

2Sa 16:4“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

2Sa 16:5

2Sa 16:5As 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.

2Sa 16:6

2Sa 16:6He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him.

2Sa 16:7

2Sa 16:7“Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David.

2Sa 16:8

2Sa 16:8“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!”

2Sa 16:9

2Sa 16:9“Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. “Let me go over and cut off his head!”

2Sa 16:10

2Sa 16:10“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?”

2Sa 16:11

2Sa 16:11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul[fn] have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to do it.

2Sa 16:12

2Sa 16:12And perhaps the LORD will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.”

2Sa 16:13

2Sa 16:13So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust into the air.

2Sa 16:14

2Sa 16:14The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.[fn]

Ahithophel Advises Absalom

2Sa 16:15

2Sa 16:15Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel.

2Sa 16:16

2Sa 16:16When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. “Long live the king!” he exclaimed. “Long live the king!”

2Sa 16:17

2Sa 16:17“Is this the way you treat your friend David?” Absalom asked him. “Why aren’t you with him?”

2Sa 16:18

2Sa 16:18“I’m here because I belong to the man who is chosen by the LORD and by all the men of Israel,” Hushai replied.

2Sa 16:19

2Sa 16:19“And anyway, why shouldn’t I serve you? Just as I was your father’s adviser, now I will be your adviser!”

2Sa 16:20

2Sa 16:20Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, “What should I do next?”

2Sa 16:21

2Sa 16:21Ahithophel told him, “Go and sleep with your father’s concubines, for he has left them 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.”

2Sa 16:22

2Sa 16:22So 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.

2Sa 16:23

2Sa 16:23Absalom 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.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(16:1)

Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.

(16:11)

Hebrew this Benjaminite.

(16:14)

As in Greek version (see also 17:16); Hebrew reads when they reached their destination.

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2 Samuel Chapter 16 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

2 Samuel 16 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

NLT Footnotes

2 Samuel Chapter 16 — Additional Translations:

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