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David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9David asked, ‘Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ ²Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, ‘Are you Ziba?’ And he said, ‘At your service!’ ³The king said, ‘Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?’ Ziba said to the king, ‘There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.’ ⁴The king said to him, ‘Where is he?’ Ziba said to the king, ‘He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.’ ⁵Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. ⁶Mephibosheth^* son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, ‘Mephibosheth!’^* He answered, ‘I am your servant.’ ⁷David said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.’ ⁸He did obeisance and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I am?’

9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, ‘All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. ¹⁰You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat; but your master’s grandson Mephibosheth^* shall always eat at my table.’ Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, ‘According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.’ Mephibosheth^* ate at David’s^* table, like one of the king’s sons. ¹²Mephibosheth^* had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s^* servants. ¹³Mephibosheth^* lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.