¹大卫 刚 过 山顶 ，见米非波设 的仆人 洗巴 拉着 备好了的两匹 驴 ，驴上驮着二百 麵饼 ，一百 葡萄饼 ，一百个 夏天的果饼 ，一皮袋 酒 来迎接 他。

¹And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

¹ CHAPTER XVI

Ziba, servant of Mephibosheth, meets David with provisions, and

by false insinuations obtains the grant of his masters

property, 1-4.

Shimei abuses and curses David, who restrains Abishai from

slaying him, 5-14.

Hushai makes a feigned tender of his services to Absalom, 15-19.

Absalom calls a council and Ahithophel advises him to go in to

his father's concubines, 20-22.

Character of Ahithophel as a counselor, 23.

NOTES ON CHAP. XVI



Verse 1. Two hundred loaves of bread] The word loaf gives us a

false idea of the ancient Jewish bread; it was thin cakes, not

yeasted and raised like ours.



Bunches of raisins] See on 1Sa 25:18.



Summer fruits] These were probably pumpions, cucumbers, or

watermelons. The two latter are extensively used in those

countries to refresh travellers in the burning heat of the summer.

Mr. Harmer supposes they are called summer fruits on this very

account.



A bottle of wine.] A goat's skin full of wine; this I have

already shown was the general bottle in the Eastern countries; see

on 1Sa 25:18.

²王 问洗巴 说 ：你带这些来是甚么意思呢？洗巴 说 ：驴 是给王 的家眷 骑 的；麵饼 和夏天的果饼 是给少年人 吃 的；酒 是给在旷野 疲乏 人喝 的。

²And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.

² Verse 2. The asses be for the king's household] This is the

Eastern method of speaking when any thing is presented to a great

man: "This and this is for the slaves of the servants of your

majesty," when at the same time the presents are intended for the

sovereign himself, and are so understood. It is a high Eastern

compliment: These presents are not worthy of your acceptance; they

are only fit for the slaves of your slaves.

³王 问说 ：你主人 的儿子 在那里呢？洗巴 回答王 说 ：他仍在 耶路撒冷 ，因他说 ：以色列 人今日 必将我父 的国 归还 我。

³And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

³ Verse 3. To-day shall the house of Israel] What a base wretch

was Ziba! and how unfounded was this accusation against the

peaceable, loyal and innocent Mephibosheth!

⁴王 对洗巴 说 ：凡属米非波设 的都归你了。洗巴 说 ：我叩拜 我主 我王 ，愿我在你眼前 蒙 恩 。

⁴Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.^a

⁴ Verse 4. Thine are all] This conduct of David was very rash; he

spoiled an honourable man to reward a villain, not giving himself

time to look into the circumstances of the case. But David was in

heavy afflictions, and these sometimes make even a wise man mad.

Nothing should be done rashly; he who is in the habit of obeying

the first impulse of his passions or feelings, will seldom do a

right action, and never keep a clear conscience.

⁵大卫 王 到了 巴户琳 ，见有一个人 出来 ，是扫罗 族 基拉 的儿子 ，名叫 示每 。他一面走 一面咒骂 ，

⁵ ¶ And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.^b

⁵ Verse 5. David came to Bahurim] This place lay northward of

Jerusalem, in the tribe of Benjamin. It is called Almon,

Jos 21:18; and

Alemeth, 1Ch 6:60. Bahurim signifies

youths, and Almuth youth; so the names are of the same import.



Cursed still as he came.] Used imprecations and execrations.

⁶又拿石头 砍 大卫 王和王 的臣仆 ；众民 和勇士 都在王的左 右 。

⁶And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

⁷示每 咒骂 说 ：你这流人 血 的坏 人 哪，去罢 去罢 ！

⁷And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:^c

⁸你流扫罗 全家 的血 ，接续他作王 ；耶和华 把这罪归在 你身上，将这国 交给 你儿子 押沙龙。现在你自取其祸 ，因为你是流人血 的人 。

⁸The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.^d

⁹洗鲁雅 的儿子 亚比筛 对王 说 ：这死 狗 岂可咒骂 我主 我王 呢？求你容我过去 ，割下 他的头 来。

⁹ ¶ Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

¹⁰王 说 ：洗鲁雅 的儿子 ，我与你们有何关涉呢？他咒骂 是因耶和华 吩咐他说 ：你要咒骂 大卫 。如此，谁敢说 你为甚么这样行 呢？

¹⁰And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?

¹⁰ Verse 10. Because the Lord hath said] The particle vechi

should be translated for if, not because. FOR IF the Lord hath

said unto him, Curse David, who shall then say, Wherefore hast

thou done so!

¹¹大卫 又对亚比筛 和众臣仆 说 ：我亲生 的儿子 尚且寻索 我的性命 ，何况这便雅悯人 呢？由他咒骂罢 ！因为这是耶和华 吩咐 他的。

¹¹And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him.

¹¹ Verse 11. Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.] No soul

of man can suppose that ever God bade one man to curse another,

much less that he commanded such a wretch as Shimei to curse such

a man as David; but this is a peculiarity of the Hebrew language,

which does not always distinguish between permission and

commandment. Often the Scripture attributes to God what he only

permits to be done; or what in the course of his providence he

does not hinder. David, however, considers all this as being

permitted of God for his chastisement and humiliation. I cannot

withhold from my readers a very elegant poetic paraphrase of this

passage, from the pen of the Rev. Charles Wesley, one of the first

of Christian poets:-

"Pure from the blood of Saul in vain,

He dares not to the charge reply:

Uriah's doth the charge maintain,

Uriah's doth against him cry!

Let Shimei curse: the rod he bears

For sins which mercy had forgiven:

And in the wrongs of man reveres

The awful righteousness of heaven.

Lord, I adore thy righteous will,

Through every instrument of ill

My Father's goodness see;

Accept the complicated wrong

Of Shimei's hand and Shimei's tongue

As kind rebukes from THEE."

¹²或者耶和华 见 我遭难 ，为我今日 被这人咒骂 ，就施 恩 与我。

¹²It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.^e

¹³于是大卫 和跟随他的人 往前行走 。示每 在大卫 对面 山 坡 ，一面行走 一面咒骂 ，又拿石头 砍 他，拿土 扬 他。

¹³And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.^f

¹⁴王 和跟随他的众人 疲疲乏乏地 到了 一个地方，就在那里歇息歇息 。

¹⁴And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

¹⁵押沙龙 和以色列 众人 来到 耶路撒冷 ；亚希多弗 也与他同来。

¹⁵ ¶ And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

¹⁵ Verse 15. The men of Israel] These words are wanting in the

Chaldee, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, and in two of

Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS.

¹⁶大卫 的朋友 亚基人 户筛 去 见押沙龙 ，对他说 ：愿王 万岁 ！愿王 万岁 ！

¹⁶And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.^g

¹⁷押沙龙 问户筛 说 ：这是你恩待 朋友 么？为甚么不与你的朋友 同去 呢？

¹⁷And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?

¹⁸户筛 对押沙龙 说 ：不然，耶和华 和这民 ，并以色列 众人 所拣选 的，我必归顺他，与他同住 。

¹⁸And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the LORD, and this people, and all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

¹⁸ Verse 18. Whom the Lord and this people-choose] Here is an

equivocation; Hushai meant in his heart that God and all the

people of Israel had chosen David; but he spake so as to make

Absalom believe that he spoke of him: for whatever of insincerity

may appear in this, Hushai is alone answerable. What he says

afterwards may be understood in the same way.

¹⁹再者 ，我当服事 谁呢？岂不是前王的儿子 么？我怎样服事 你父亲 ，也必照样服事你。

¹⁹And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

²⁰押沙龙 对亚希多弗 说 ：你们出个 主意 ，我们怎样行 才好？

²⁰ ¶ Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

²¹亚希多弗 对押沙龙 说 ：你父 所留下 看守 宫殿 的妃嫔 ，你可以与他们亲近 。以色列 众人听见 你父亲 憎恶 你，凡归顺你人的手 就更坚强 。

²¹And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.

²¹ Verse 21. Go in unto thy father's concubines] It may be

remembered that David left ten of them behind to take care of the

house, see 2Sa 15:16. Ahithophel advised this infernal measure,

in order to prevent the possibility of a reconciliation between

David and his son; thus was the prophecy to Nathan fulfilled,

2Sa 12:11. And this was probably transacted in the very same

place where David's eye took the adulterous view of Bath-sheba;

see 2Sa 11:2.



The wives of the conquered king were always the property of the

conqueror; and in possessing these, he appeared to possess the

right to the kingdom. Herodotus informs us that Smerdis, having

seized on the Persian throne after the death of Cambyses, espoused

all the wives of his predecessor, lib. iii., c. 68. But for a son

to take his father's wives was the sum of abomination, and was

death by the law of God, Le 20:11. This was a sin rarely found,

even among the Gentiles.



Every part of the conduct of Absalom shows him to have been a

most profligate young man; he was proud, vindictive, adulterous,

incestuous, a parricide, and, in fine, reprobate to every good

word and work. We still however recollect that David had

grievously sinned, and we should also recollect that he suffered

grievously for it; and that his humiliation, repentance, and

amendment, were most decisive and exemplary. Reader, God is as

just as he is merciful.

²²于是人为押沙龙 在宫殿的平顶 上支搭 帐棚 ；押沙龙 在以色列 众人眼前 ，与他父 的妃嫔 亲近 。

²²So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

²³那时亚希多弗 所出 的主意 好象人 问 神 的话 一样；他昔日 给大卫 ，今日 给押沙龙 所出的主意 ，都是这样。

²³And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.^h