Ziba, a False Servant

16 Now when David had gone on ^(A)a little beyond the summit, behold, ^(B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him ^(C)with a team of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. ² And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “^(D)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine, ^(E)for whoever is weary in the wilderness to drink.” ³ Then the king said, “And where is ^(F)your master’s son?” And ^(G)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” ⁴ So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; may I find favor in your sight, my lord, the king!”

²⁴ Then ^(A)Mephibosheth the ^[a]grandson of Saul came down to meet the king; but ^(B)he had neither ^[b]tended to his feet, nor ^[c]trimmed his mustache, nor ^(C)washed his clothes since the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. ²⁵ And it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “^(D)Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶ So he said, “My lord the king, my servant betrayed me; for your servant said, ‘I will ^[d]saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ ^(E)since your servant cannot walk. ²⁷ Furthermore, ^(F)he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is ^(G)like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight. ²⁸ For ^(H)all my father’s household was only people worthy of death to my lord the king; ^(I)yet you placed your servant among those who ate at your own table. So what right do I still have, that I should ^[e]complain anymore to the king?” ²⁹ So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have ^[f]decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’” ³⁰ And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.”