| 1 | And David said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake? |
| 2 | And of the house of Saul there was a servant whose name was Ziba. When they had called him to David, he said to him, Are you Ziba? He said, I, your servant, am he. |
| 3 | The king said, Is there not still someone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the [unfailing, unsought, unlimited] mercy
and
kindness of God? Ziba replied, Jonathan has yet a son who is lame in his feet. |
| 4 | And the king said, Where is he? Ziba replied, He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. |
| 5 | Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel at Lo-debar. |
| 6 | And Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold your servant! |
| 7 | David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father [grandfather], and you shall eat at my table always. |
| 8 | And [the cripple] bowed himself and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I am? |
| 9 | Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, I have given your master’s son [grandson] all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. |
| 10 | And you shall till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants, and you shall bring in the produce, that your master’s heir may have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, your master’s son [grandson], shall eat always at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. |
| 11 | Then Ziba said to the king, Your servant will do according to all my lord the king commands. So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. |
| 12 | Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. |
| 13 | So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table, [even though] he was lame in both feet. |
Cross references:
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2 Samuel 9:3 : I Sam. 20:14-17.
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