David and Mephibosheth
1
David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul
to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"
2
Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba.
They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him,
"Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied.
3
The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul whom I can show
God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan;
he is crippled in both feet."
4
"Wher is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir
son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."
5
So King David had him brought from Lo Dabar, from the house of Makir
son of Ammiel.
6
When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down
to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied.
7
"Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness
for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that
belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."
8
Mephibosheth bowed down and said,
"What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"
9
Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him,
"I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul
and his family.
10
You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and
bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for.
And Mephibosheth, grand son of your master, will always eat at my table."
(Now Ziba had fifeen sons and twenty servants.)
11
Then Ziba said to theking, "Your servant will do whatever my lord theking commands hisservant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's tablelike one of the king's sons.
12
Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica,
and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth.
13
And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem,
because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.
