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And Dovid said, Is there yet any that is left of the Bais Sha’ul, that I may show him chesed for the sake of Yonatan?

And there was of the Bais Sha’ul an eved and shmo was Tziva. And when they had called him unto Dovid, HaMelech said unto him, Art thou Tziva? And he replied, Thy eved.

And HaMelech said, Is there not yet any of the Bais Sha’ul, that I may show the chesed Elohim unto him? And Tziva said unto HaMelech, Yonatan hath yet a ben, which is nakheh (crippled, lame) raglayim (both feet).

And HaMelech said unto him, Eifoh hu (where is he)? And Tziva said unto HaMelech, Hinei, he is in the Bais Machir Ben Ammiel, in Lo-Devar.

Then HaMelech Dovid sent, and had him brought out of the Bais Machir Ben Ammiel, from Lo-Devar.

Now when Mephivoshet Ben Yonatan Ben Sha’ul, was come unto Dovid, he fell on his face, and prostated himself. And Dovid said, Mephivoshet. And he answered, Hinei, thy eved!

And Dovid said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show thee chesed for sake of Yonatan Avicha, and will restore thee kol sadeh Shaul Avicha; and thou shalt eat lechem at my shulchan tamid.

And he prostated himself, and said, What is thy eved, that thou shouldest look upon such a kelev hamet (dead dog) as I am?

Then HaMelech called to Tziva na’ar Sha’ul, and said unto him, I have given unto thy adon’s ben all that pertained to Sha’ul and to all his Bais.

10 Thou therefore, and thy banim, and thy avadim, shall till the adamah for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy adon’s ben may have lechem to eat; but Mephivoshet the ben adonecha shall eat lechem tamid at my shulchan. Now Tziva had fifteen banim and twenty avadim.

11 Then said Tziva unto HaMelech, According to all that adoni HaMelech hath commanded his eved, so shall thy eved do. As for Mephivoshet, said HaMelech, he shall eat at my shulchan, as one of the Bnei HaMelech.

12 And Mephivoshet had a ben katan, shmo Micha. And kol moshav Bais Tziva were avadim unto Mephivoshet.

13 So Mephivoshet dwelt in Yerushalayim; for he did eat continually at the shulchan HaMelech; and was pisei’ach (crippled) in both his raglayim.

David and Mephibosheth

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”(A)

Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.(B) They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“At your service,” he replied.

The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”

Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan;(C) he is lame(D) in both feet.”

“Where is he?” the king asked.

Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir(E) son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.(F)

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“At your service,” he replied.

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.(G) I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.(H)

Mephibosheth(I) bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog(J) like me?”

Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, 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(K) may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.(L)

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.(M) 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 9:11 Septuagint; Hebrew my