II Samuel 19 · שמואל ב

And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Avshalom, my son, my son Avshalom! would I had died instead of thee, O Avshalom, my son, my son!

And it was told Yo᾽av, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Avshalom.

And the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.

And the people went by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, O my son Avshalom, O Avshalom, my son, my son!

And Yo᾽av came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who 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;

in that thou lovest thy 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 Avshalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.

Now therefore arise, go out, and speak comfortably to thy servants: for I swear by the Lord, if thou go not out, not one will lodge with thee this night: and that will be worse to thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.

Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Yisra᾽el had fled every man to his tent.

And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Yisra᾽el, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Pelishtim; and now he is fled out of the land from Avshalom.

And Avshalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you not speak a word of bringing the king back?

And king David sent to Żadoq and to Evyatar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Yehuda, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Yisra᾽el is already come to the king, to his house.

You are my brethren, you are my bones and my flesh: why then are you the last to bring back the king?

And say to ῾Amasa, 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 place of Yo᾽av.

And he turned the hearts of all the men of Yehuda, like one man; so that they sent this word to the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.

So the king returned, and came to the Yarden. And Yehuda came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Yarden.

And Shim῾i the son of Gera, the Benyeminite, who was of Baĥurim, hurried and came down with the men of Yehuda to meet king David.

And there were a thousand men of Binyamin with him, and Żiva the servant of the house of Sha᾽ul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Yarden to meet the king.

And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shim῾i the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he came over the Yarden;

and he said to the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Yerushalayim, that the king should take it to his heart.

For thy servant knows that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Yosef to go down to meet my lord the king.

But Avishay the son of Żeruya answered and said, Shall not Shim῾i be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?

And David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Żeruya, that you should this day be a hindrance to me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Yisra᾽el, for do not I know that I am this day king over Yisra᾽el?

Therefore the king said to Shim῾i, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore to him.

And Mefiboshet the son of Sha᾽ul came down to meet the king, and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in peace.

And it came to pass, when he was come to Yerushalayim to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why didst thou not go with me, Mefivoshet?

And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, and I will ride on it, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.

And he slandered thy servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thy eyes.

For all of my father’s house were but men guilty of death before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thy own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry out any more to the king?

And the king said to him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Żiva shall divide the estate.

And Mefivoshet said to the king, Let him even take all, seeing that my lord the king is come back in peace to his own house.

And Barzillay the Gil῾adite came down from Rogelim, and went over the Yarden with the king, to conduct him over the Yarden.

Now Barzillay was a very aged man, eighty years old: and he had provided the king with stores while he lay at Maĥanayim; for he was a very wealthy man.

And the king said to Barzillay, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Yerushalayim.

And Barzillay said to the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Yerushalayim?

I am this day eighty 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? why then should thy servant be a further burden to my lord the king?

Thy servant will go a little way over the Yarden with the king: and why should the king recompense me with such a reward?

Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in my own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Khimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good in thy eyes.

And the king answered, Khimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good in thy eyes: and whatever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.

And all the people went over the Yarden. And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillay, and blessed him; and he returned to his own place.

Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Khimham went on with him: and all the people of Yehuda conducted the king, and also half the people of Yisra᾽el.

And, behold, all the men of Yisra᾽el came to the king, and said to the king, Why have our brethren the men of Yehuda stolen thee away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all David’s men with him, over the Yarden?

And all the men of Yehuda answered the men of Yisra᾽el, Because the king is near of kin to us: why then are you angry for this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? or has he given us any gift?

And the men of Yisra᾽el answered the men of Yehuda, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than you: why then did you despise us, and was not our word first for bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Yehuda were fiercer than the words of the men of Yisra᾽el.