2 Samuel 16:1-23

Great(i) 1 And when Dauid was a lytle past the toppe of the hyll: beholde Ziba the seruaunt of Miphiboseth came to mete hym with a couple of Asses sadeled, and vpon them two hundred loues and one hundred bonches of Resynges, and an hundred frayles of dryed fygges, and a bottell of wyne. 2 And the kyng sayd vnto Ziba: what meanest thou wyth these? And Ziba sayde. They be Asses for the kynges houshold to ryde on, and bread and frute for the younge men to eate, and wyne: that such as be faynt in the wyldernesse, maye drynk. 3 And the kynge sayde: where is thy masters sonne? Ziba answered vnto the kynge: beholde, he taryeth styll at Ierusalem. For he sayde: thys daye shall the house of Israel restore me the kyngdome of my father. 4 Then sayde the kyng to Ziba, beholde, thyne are all that pertayned vnto Miphiboseth. And Ziba sayde: I do homage to the. I beseche the that I maye fynde grace in thy syght, my Lorde, O kynge. 5 And when kynge Dauid came to Bahurim: beholde, thence cam out a man of the kynred of the house of Saul, named Semei the sonne of Gera, and he cam out cursynge. 6 And he cast stones at Dauid, and at all the seruauntes of kynge Dauid: And all the people also and all the men of warre were on hys ryght hande, and on hys lefte, 7 And thus sayde Semei whan he cursed: come forthe, come forth thou bloude sheder, and thou man of Belyall. 8 The Lorde hath brought vpon the all the bloude of the house of Saul, in whose steade thou hast raygned, and the Lord hath delyuered the kyngdom into the hande of Absalom thy sonne. And beholde thou art come to thy mischeffe, because thou art a bloudesheder. 9 Then sayde Abisai the sonne of Zaruia vnto the kynge: why doth thys deed dogg cursse my Lorde the kynge? let me go nowe, and take of the heed of hym. 10 And the kynge sayde: what haue I to do wyth you ye sonnes of Zaruia: let hym cursse: for the Lorde hath bydden hym cursse Dauid, Who dare then saye: Wherfore hast thou done so? 11 And Dauid sayde to Abisai, and to all his seruauntes, beholde, my sonne whych cam of myne awne bodye, seketh my lyfe. How moche more then maye thys sonne of Iemini do it? Suffre him to cursse for the Lord hath bydden him: 12 haplye the Lorde wyll loke on my wepyng eyes & wretchednesse, & do me good for hys curssynge this daye. 13 And as Dauid and his men went by the waye, Semei went alonge on the hylles syde ouer agaynst hym, & curssed as he went, and threwe stones at him, and cast dust. 14 And the kynge and all that were with him cam werye, and refresshed them selues there. 15 And Absalom and all the people of the men of Israel came to Ierusalem, and Ahithophel was wyth him. 16 And as sone as Husai the Arachite was come vnto Absalom, he sayde vnto hym: God saue the kynge, God saue the kyng. 17 And Absalom sayde agayne to Husai: is this the kyndnesse thou owest to thy frende? Why wentest thou not wyth hym? 18 Husai answered vnto Absalom: naye not so, but whom the Lorde and this people and all the men of Israel chose, hys will I be, and with hym wyll I dwell. 19 Moreouer, vnto whome shall I do seruice, but euen to hys sonne? And as I was seruaunt before wt thy father, euen so shall I be with the. 20 Then spake Absalom to Ahithophell: geue councell, what is best for vs to do. 21 And Ahithophell sayde vnto Absalom: get the in vnto thy fathers concubines, which he hath lefte to kepe the house. And all Israel shall heare, that thou art cast out of thy father: then shall the handes of all that are wyth the, be stronge. 22 And so they pitched Absalom a tent vpon the toppe of the house. And he went in vnto hys fathers concubynes in the syght of all Israel. 23 And the councell of Ahithophel which he counceled in those dayes, was as a man had asked councell of God: euen so was all the councell of Ahithophel, both wyth Dauid and wyth Absalom.