Part 329

The Cerethi and Phelethi.... The king’s guards.—Ibid. Princes.... Literally priests. (Cohen) So called, by a title of honour, and not from exercising the priestly functions.

2 Kings Chapter 9

David’s kindness to Miphiboseth for the sake of his father Jonathan.

9:1. And David said: Is there any one, think you, left of the house of Saul, that I may shew kindness to him for Jonathan’s sake?

9:2. Now there was of the house of Saul, a servant named Siba: and when the king had called him to him, he said to him: Art thou Siba? And he answered: I am Siba thy servant.

9:3. And the king said: Is there any one left of the house of Saul, that I may shew the mercy of God unto him? And Siba said to the king: There is a son of Jonathan left, who is lame of his feet.

9:4. Where is he? said he. And Siba said to the king: Behold he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lodabar.

9:5. Then King David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodabar.

9:6. And when Miphiboseth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul was come to David, he fell on his face and worshipped. And David said: Miphiboseth? And he answered: Behold thy servant.

9:7. And David said to him: Fear not, for I will surely shew thee mercy for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and I will restore the lands of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table always.

9:8. He bowed down to him, and said: Who am I thy servant, that thou shouldst look upon such a dead dog as I am?

9:9. Then the King called Siba the servant of Saul, and said to him: All that belonged to Saul, and all his house, I have given to thy master’s son.

9:10. Thou therefore and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him: and thou shalt bring in food for thy master’s son, that he may be maintained: and Miphiboseth the son of thy master shall always eat bread at my table. And Siba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

9:11. And Siba said to the king: As thou my lord the king hast commanded thy servant, so will thy servant do: and Miphiboseth shall eat at my table, as one of the sons of the King.

9:12. And Miphiboseth had a young son whose name was Micha: and all that kindred of the house of Siba served Miphiboseth.

9:13. But Miphiboseth dwelt in Jerusalem: because he ate always of the king’s table: and he was lame of both feet.

2 Kings Chapter 10

The Ammonites shamefully abuse the ambassadors of David: they hire the Syrians to the their assistance: but are overthrown with their allies.

10:1. And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanon his son reigned in his stead.

10:2. And David said: I will shew kindness to Hanon the son of Daas, as his father shewed kindness to me. So David sent his servants to comfort him for the death of his father. But when the servants of David were come into the land of the children of Ammon,

10:3. The princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon their lord: Thinkest thou that for the honour of thy father, David hath sent comforters to thee, and hath not David rather sent his servants to thee to search, and spy into the city, and overthrow it?

10:4. Wherefore Hanon took the servants of David, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut away half of their garments even to the buttocks, and sent them away.

10:5. When this was told David, he sent to meet them: for the men were sadly put to confusion, and David commanded them, saying: Stay at Jericho, till your beards be grown, and then return.

10:6. And the children of Ammon seeing that they had done an injury to David, sent and hired the Syrians of Rohob, and the Syrians of Soba, twenty thousand footmen, and of the king of Maacha a thousand men, and of Istob twelve thousand men.

10:7. And when David heard this, he sent Joab and the whole army of warriors.

10:8. And the children of Ammon came out, and set their men in array at the entering in of the gate: but the Syrians of Soba, and of Rohob, and of Istob, and of Maacha were by themselves in the field.

10:9. Then Joab seeing that the battle was prepared against him, both before and behind, chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:

10:10. And the rest of the people he delivered to Abisai his brother, who set them in array against the children of Ammon.