2 Samuel 19
David Returns to
Jerusalem |
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And it was told Jo'ab, Behold, the king
weepeth and mourneth for Ab'salom.
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And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people
heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.
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And the people gat them by stealth that
day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee
in battle.
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But the king covered his face, and the
king cried with a loud voice, O my son Ab'salom! O Ab'salom, my son,
my son!
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And Jo'ab came into the house to the
king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy
servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy
sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives
of thy concubines;
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in that thou lovest thine enemies, and
hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou
regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive,
that if Ab'salom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it
had pleased thee well.
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Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak
comfortably unto thy servants: 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 befell thee from thy youth until now.
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Then the king arose, and sat in the gate.
And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit
in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had
fled every man to his tent.
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And all the people were at strife
throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out
of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of
the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for
Ab'salom.
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10 |
And Ab'salom, whom we anointed over us,
is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing
the king back?
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11 |
And king David sent to Zadok and to
Abi'athar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah,
saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house?
seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to
his house.
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Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back
the king?
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And say ye to Ama'sa, Art thou not
of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou
be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of
Jo'ab.
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14 |
And he bowed the heart of all the men of
Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy
servants.
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So the king returned, and came to Jordan.
And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the
king over Jordan.
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16 |
And Shim'e-i 2 Sam. 16.5-13 the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahu'rim,
hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king
David.
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17 |
And there were a thousand men of
Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and
his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went
over Jordan before the king.
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And there went over a ferryboat to carry
over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And
Shim'e-i the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come
over Jordan;
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and said unto the king, Let not my lord
impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy
servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of
Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart.
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For thy servant doth know that I have
sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the
house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.
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But Ab'ishai the son of Zeru-i'ah
answered and said, Shall not Shim'e-i be put to death for this,
because he cursed the LORD's
anointed?
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22 |
And David said, What have I to do with
you, ye sons of Zeru-i'ah, that ye should this day be adversaries
unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for
do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?
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Therefore the king said unto Shim'e-i,
Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.
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24 |
And Mephib'osheth 2 Sam. 9.1-13 ; 16.1-4 the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither
dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes,
from the day the king departed until the day he came again in
peace.
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And it came to pass, when he was come to
Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore
wentest not thou with me, Mephib'osheth?
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26 |
And he answered, My lord, O king, my
servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass,
that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.
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27 |
And he hath slandered thy servant unto my
lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do
therefore what is good in thine eyes.
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28 |
For all of my father's house were
but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant
among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore
have I yet to cry any more unto the king?
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29 |
And the king said unto him, Why speakest
thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the
land.
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30 |
And Mephib'osheth said unto the king,
Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again
in peace unto his own house.
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31 |
And Barzil'lai 2 Sam. 17.27-29 the Gil'e-adite came down from Ro'gelim, and went over Jordan
with the king, to conduct him over Jordan.
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32 |
Now Barzil'lai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king of
sustenance while he lay at Mahana'im; for he was a very great
man.
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33 |
And the king said unto Barzil'lai, Come
thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in
Jerusalem.
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34 |
And Barzil'lai said unto the king, How
long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto
Jerusalem?
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I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant
taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of
singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be
yet a burden unto my lord the king?
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Thy servant will go a little way over
Jordan with the king: and why should the king recompense it me with
such a reward?
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Let thy servant, 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 servant Chimham;
let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem
good unto thee.
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And the king answered, Chimham shall go
over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto
thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do
for thee.
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And all the people went over Jordan. And
when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzil'lai, and blessed
him; and he returned unto his own place.
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40 |
Then the king went on to Gilgal, and
Chimham went on with him: and all the people of Judah conducted the
king, and also half the people of Israel.
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41 |
And, behold, all the men of Israel came
to the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men
of Judah stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his
household, and all David's men with him, over Jordan?
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And all the men of Judah answered the men
of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us: wherefore
then be ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift?
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43 |
And the men of Israel answered the men of
Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also
more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that
our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And
the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men
of Israel.
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