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Ziba, a False Servant

16 When David was a little past the summit [of the Mount of Olives], behold, Ziba, the servant of [a]Mephibosheth, met him with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a [b]jug of wine. The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household (family) to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine is for anyone to drink who becomes weary in the wilderness.” Then the king said, “And where is your [c]master’s son [Mephibosheth]?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my [d]father.’” Then the king said to Ziba, “[e]Behold, everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is [now] yours.” Ziba said, “I bow down [in honor and gratitude]; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord the king.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 16:1 The lame son of Jonathan who was the son of King Saul.
  2. 2 Samuel 16:1 This was a bag made from almost the entire skin of an animal. New wine was always put in a new bag so that the bag would stretch as the wine continued to ferment, and then the bag would harden.
  3. 2 Samuel 16:3 I.e. Saul’s grandson.
  4. 2 Samuel 16:3 The reference is to his dead grandfather, King Saul.
  5. 2 Samuel 16:4 Because the rebellion was in progress it was easy for Ziba to trick David with the gifts and his lie.

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