David Is Cursed

⁵ When King David came to ^(A)Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul ^(B)whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out ^(C)cursing continually as he came. ⁶ He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. ⁷ Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, ^(D)you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! ^8 (E)The Lord has returned upon you all ^(F)the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

⁹ Then ^(G)Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should ^(H)this dead dog ^(I)curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and ^[a]cut off his head.” ¹⁰ But the king said, “^(J)What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? ^(K)If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ ^(L)then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^(M)my son who came out from ^[b]me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, ^(N)for the Lord has told him. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and ^[c](O)return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” ¹³ So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him.

⁸ Behold, ^(A)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a ^[a]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when ^(B)he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’