The Reign of David

You are my kinsmen, my flesh and bone; so why are you the last to bring back the king?'

Also tell 'Amasa, 'You are my flesh and bone. May God bring terrible curses on me and worse ones yet if from now on you are not permanent commander of my army instead of Yo'av."

Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Y'hudah around as if they were one man, so that they sent a message to the king, "Come back, you and all your servants!"

The king started back and arrived at the Yarden, while Y'hudah came to Gilgal in order to meet the king and bring the king over the Yarden.

Shim'i the son of Gera, the Binyamini from Bachurim, hurried and came down with the men of Y'hudah to meet King David.

There were a thousand men of Binyamin with him, also Tziva the servant of the house of Sha'ul with his fifteen sons and twenty servants; and they rushed into the Yarden ahead of the king

to ferry the king's household across and do whatever else the king wanted done. Shim'i the son of Gera fell down before the king when he was ready to cross the Yarden

and said to the king, "May my lord not hold me guilty of a crime. Don't remember the wrong your servant did on the day my lord the king left Yerushalayim. May the king not take it to heart!

For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, look - I am the first one of all the house of Yosef to come today and go down to meet my lord the king."

Avishai the son of Tz'ruyah answered, "Shouldn't Shim'i be put to death for this? After all, he cursed ADONAI's anointed ruler!"

But David said, "What do I have in common with you, you sons of Tz'ruyah? Why have you become my adversaries today? Should anyone in Isra'el be put to death today? Don't I know that today I am king over Isra'el?"

Then the king said to Shim'i, "You will not be put to death," and the king swore it to him.

M'fivoshet the son of Sha'ul came down to meet the king. He hadn't cared for his legs, trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he came home in peace.

When he came to Yerushalayim to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why didn't you go with me, M'fivoshet?"

He answered, "My lord king, my servant deceived me. I your servant had said, 'I will saddle a donkey for myself to ride on and go with the king,' since your servant is lame.

But he slandered me your servant to my lord the king. However, my lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever seems right to you.

For all my father's household deserved death at the hand of my lord the king; nevertheless you placed your servant with those who eat at your own table. I deserve nothing more; so why should I come crying any more to the king?"

The king said to him, "Why speak any more about these matters of yours? I say: you and Tziva, divide the land."

M'fivoshet said to the king, "Indeed, let him take it all; for me it's enough that my lord the king has come home in peace."

Barzillai the Gil'adi had come down from Roglim and passed on to the Yarden with the king to bring him across the Yarden.

Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old; he had provided for the king's needs when he was staying at Machanayim; for he was a wealthy man.

The king said to Barzillai, "Come on across with me, and I will provide for your needs with me in Yerushalayim."

Barzillai said to the king, "How much longer can I live, that I should go up with the king to Yerushalayim?

I am now eighty years old. Can I tell good from bad? Can your servant even taste what he eats or drinks? Can I hear the voice of men and women singing any more? Why should your servant burden my lord the king?

Your servant only wants to cross the Yarden with the king; why should the king reward this so generously?