CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>2 Samuel 19 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_samuel/19.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_samuel/19-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > 2 Samuel 19</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_samuel/18.htm" title="2 Samuel 18">◄</a> 2 Samuel 19 <a href="../2_samuel/20.htm" title="2 Samuel 20">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/2_samuel/19.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">Joab Rebukes the King</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span><a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a>Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, “We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the LORD that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>So the king went out and took his seat at the town gate, and as the news spread throughout the town that he was there, everyone went to him.</p><p class="reg">Meanwhile, the Israelites who had supported Absalom fled to their homes. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>And throughout all the tribes of Israel there was much discussion and argument going on. The people were saying, “The king rescued us from our enemies and saved us from the Philistines, but Absalom chased him out of the country. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Now Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, is dead. Why not ask David to come back and be our king again?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Then King David sent Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, to say to the elders of Judah, “Why are you the last ones to welcome back the king into his palace? For I have heard that all Israel is ready. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>You are my relatives, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood! So why are you the last ones to welcome back the king?” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And David told them to tell Amasa, “Since you are my own flesh and blood, like Joab, may God strike me and even kill me if I do not appoint you as commander of my army in his place.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>Then Amasa<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, “Return to us, and bring back all who are with you.”</p><p class="hdg">David’s Return to Jerusalem</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, the people of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>A thousand other men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the chief servant of the house of Saul, and Ziba’s fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan to meet the king. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>They crossed the shallows of the Jordan to bring the king’s household across the river, helping him in every way they could.</p><p class="hdg">David’s Mercy to Shimei</p><p class="reg">As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>“My lord the king, please forgive me,” he pleaded. “Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> to greet my lord the king.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shimei should die, for he cursed the LORD’s anointed king!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>“Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah!” David exclaimed. “Why have you become my adversary<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> today? This is not a day for execution, for today I am once again the king of Israel!” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.”</p><p class="hdg">David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Now Mephibosheth,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> Saul’s grandson, came down from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes since the day the king left Jerusalem. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>“Why didn’t you come with me, Mephibosheth?” the king asked him.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Mephibosheth replied, “My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, ‘Saddle my donkey<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> so I can go with the king.’ For as you know I am crippled. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that my lord the king is like an angel of God, so do what you think is best. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>All my relatives and I could expect only death from you, my lord, but instead you have honored me by allowing me to eat at your own table! What more can I ask?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>“You’ve said enough,” David replied. “I’ve decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>“Give him all of it,” Mephibosheth said. “I am content just to have you safely back again, my lord the king!”</p><p class="hdg">David’s Kindness to Barzillai</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Barzillai of Gilead had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>He was very old—eighty years of age—and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>“Come across with me and live in Jerusalem,” the king said to Barzillai. “I will take care of you there.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>“No,” he replied, “I am far too old to go with the king to Jerusalem. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>I am eighty years old today, and I can no longer enjoy anything. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and I cannot hear the singers as they sing. I would only be a burden to my lord the king. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>Just to go across the Jordan River with the king is all the honor I need! <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>Then let me return again to die in my own town, where my father and mother are buried. But here is your servant, my son Kimham. Let him go with my lord the king and receive whatever you want to give him.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>“Good,” the king agreed. “Kimham will go with me, and I will help him in any way you would like. And I will do for you anything you want.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king. After David had blessed Barzillai and kissed him, Barzillai returned to his own home.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>The king then crossed over to Gilgal, taking Kimham with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the king on his way.</p><p class="hdg">An Argument over the King</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-41.htm"><b>41</b></a></span>But all the men of Israel complained to the king, “The men of Judah stole the king and didn’t give us the honor of helping take you, your household, and all your men across the Jordan.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-42.htm"><b>42</b></a></span>The men of Judah replied, “The king is one of our own kinsmen. Why should this make you angry? We haven’t eaten any of the king’s food or received any special favors!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_samuel/19-43.htm"><b>43</b></a></span>“But there are ten tribes in Israel,” the others replied. “So we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. What right do you have to treat us with such contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again?” The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah spoke even more harshly than the men of Israel.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:1 </span><span class="ft">Verses 19:1-43 are numbered 19:2-44 in Hebrew text.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:14 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">David;</span><span class="ft"> Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">he.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:20 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">in the house of Joseph.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:22 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">my prosecutor.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:24 </span><span class="it">Mephibosheth</span><span class="ft"> is another name for Merib-baal.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">19:26 </span><span class="ft">As in Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions; Hebrew reads </span><span class="it">I will saddle a donkey for myself.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of <a href="http://www.tyndale.com">Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.</a>, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../2_samuel/18.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="2 Samuel 18"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="2 Samuel 18" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../2_samuel/20.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="2 Samuel 20"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="2 Samuel 20" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/2_samuel/19-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>