1And it was told Joab , Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom . 2And 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 . 3And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city , as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle . 4But the king covered his face , and the king cried with a loud voice , O my son Absalom , O Absalom , my son , my son ! 5And Joab 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 ; 6In 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 Absalom had lived , and all we had died this day , then it had pleased thee well . 7Now 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. 8Then 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 .
The Restoration of David's Kingdom
9And 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 Absalom . 10And Absalom , whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle . Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back ? 11And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar 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 . 12Ye are my brethren , ye are my bones and my flesh : wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king ? 13And say ye 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 room of Joab . 14And 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 . 15So the king returned , and came to Jordan . And Judah came to Gilgal , to go to meet the king , to conduct the king over Jordan .
The Division of the Tribes
16And Shimei the son of Gera , a Benjamite , which was of Bahurim , hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David . 17And 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 . 18And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household , and to do what he thought good . And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king , as he was come over Jordan ; 19And 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 . 20For 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 . 21But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said , Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed ? 22And David said , What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah , 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 ? 23Therefore the king said unto Shimei , Thou shalt not die . And the king sware unto him.
David's Leadership and Justice
24And Mephibosheth 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 . 25And 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, Mephibosheth ? 26And 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 . 27And 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 . 28For 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 ? 29And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters ? I have said , Thou and Ziba divide the land . 30And Mephibosheth said unto the king , Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house . 31And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim , and went over Jordan with the king , to conduct him over Jordan . 32Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old : and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim ; for he was a very great man . 33And the king said unto Barzillai , Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem . 34And Barzillai said unto the king , How long have I to live , that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem ? 35I 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 ? 36Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king : and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward ? 37Let 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. 38And 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. 39And all the people went over Jordan . And when the king was come over , the king kissed Barzillai , and blessed him; and he returned unto his own place . 40Then 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 . 41And, 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 ? 42And 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 ? 43And 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 .