Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

2 Samuel 16:13

So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Clemency;   Dust;   Forgiveness;   Imprecation;   Meekness;   Shimei;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Hadadezer or Hadarezer;   Shimel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Solomon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Shimei;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Dust;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Stone;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shimei ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Dust;   Jerusalem;   Shimei;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Shim'ei;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Dust;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Dust;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Shimei;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei was going along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he cursed David, threw stones at him, and kicked up dust.
Hebrew Names Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shim`i went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
King James Version
And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Lexham English Bible
Then David and his men went on the road, with Shimei going on the side of the hill beside him, cursing as he went. He threw stones beside him and threw dust in the air.
English Standard Version
So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.
New Century Version
So David and his men went on down the road, but Shimei followed on the nearby hillside. He kept cursing David and throwing stones and dirt at him.
New English Translation
So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.
Amplified Bible
So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei went along on the hillside close beside David and cursed as he went and threw stones and dust at him.
New American Standard Bible
So David and his men went on the road; and Shimei kept going on the hillside close beside him, and as he went he cursed and threw stones and dirt at him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Shimei went by the side of the mountaine ouer against him, and cursed as he went, & threw stones against him, and cast dust.
Legacy Standard Bible
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.
Contemporary English Version
David and the others went on down the road. Shimei went along the hillside by the road, cursing and throwing rocks and dirt at them.
Complete Jewish Bible
So David and his men went on their way, while on the opposite hillside Shim‘i kept pace with him, cursing, throwing stones and flinging dust as he went.
Darby Translation
And David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Easy-to-Read Version
So David and his men went on their way down the road. Shimei kept following David. He walked on the other side of the road by the side of the hill. He kept cursing David on his way. Shimei also threw stones and dirt at David.
George Lamsa Translation
And as David and his servants went on the way, Shimei walked along the mountain side opposite him and cursed him as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust at him.
Good News Translation
So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up with them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them as he went.
Literal Translation
And David went with his men in the highway, and Shimei was going along at the side of the hill across from him. As he went, he cursed, and stoned with stones across from him, and dusted with dust.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So Dauid wente on his waye with his men. But Semei wente on by the mount besyde him, and cursed, and cast stones at him, & threwe clottes of earth.
American Standard Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Bible in Basic English
So David and his men went on their way: and Shimei went by the hillside parallel with them, cursing and sending stones and dust at him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Semei went along on the hilles syde ouer against him, & cursed as he went, and threwe stones at him, and cast duste.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
King James Version (1611)
And as Dauid and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hilles side ouer against him, and cursed as hee went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David and all the men with him went on the way: and Semei went by the side of the hill next to him, cursing as he went, and casting stones at him, and sprinkling him with dirt.
English Revised Version
So David and his men went by the way: and Shimei went along on the hill side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Berean Standard Bible
So David and his men proceeded along the road as Shimei went along the ridge of the hill opposite him. As Shimei went, he yelled curses, threw stones, and flung dust at David.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Dauid yede, and hise felowis, bi the weie with hym; forsothe Semey yede bi the slade of the hil `bi the side ayens hym; and curside, and sente stoonus ayens him, and spreynte erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
And David goeth with his men in the way, and Shimei is going at the side of the hill over-against him, going on, and he revileth, and stoneth with stones over-against him, and hath dusted with dust.
Update Bible Version
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side across from him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
Webster's Bible Translation
And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
World English Bible
So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
New King James Version
And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust.
New Life Bible
So David and his men went on the way. And Shimei went beside him on the hill. He spoke against David as he went, and threw stones and dust at him.
New Revised Standard
So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, throwing stones and flinging dust at him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when David and his men went along in the way, Shimei, was going along on the side of the hill over against him, cursing as he went, pelting him with stones, and throwing dust.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David and his men with him went by the way. And Semei by the hill’s side went over against him, cursing, and casting stones at him, and scattering earth.
Revised Standard Version
So David and his men went on the road, while Shim'e-i went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him and flung dust.
THE MESSAGE
David and his men went on down the road, while Shimei followed along on the ridge of the hill alongside, cursing, throwing stones down on them, and kicking up dirt.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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.

Contextual Overview

5 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul's family. 6 He threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. 7 "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!" he shouted at David. 8 "The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul's clan. You stole his throne, and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!" 9 "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?" Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. "Let me go over and cut off his head!" 10 "No!" the king said. "Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?" 11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn't this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. 12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today." 13 So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David. 14 The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cursed: 2 Samuel 16:5, 2 Samuel 16:6

cast dust: Heb. dusted him with dust, Acts 23:23, It was an ancient custom, in those warm and arid countries, to lay the dust before a person of distinction, by sprinkling the ground with water. Dr. Pococke and the consul were treated with this respect when they entered Cairo. The same custom is alluded to in the well-known fable of Phedrus, in which a slave is represented going before Augustus and officiously laying the dust. To throw dust in the air while a person was passing was therefore an act of great disrespect; to do so before a sovereign prince, an indecent outrage. But it is probable that Shimei meant more than disrespect and outrage to this afflicted king. Sir John Chardin informs us, that in the East, in general, those who demand justice against a criminal throw dust upon him, signifying that he ought to be put in the grave, and hence the common imprecation among the Turks and Persians, "Be covered with earth," or, "Earth be upon thy head.

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 19:21 - cursed

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
Genesis 16:5
Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who's wrong—you or me!"
Genesis 16:7
The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.
Genesis 16:9
The angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority."
Genesis 16:10
Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count."
Genesis 16:12
This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives."
Genesis 22:14
Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the Lord will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
Genesis 28:17
But he was also afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!"
Genesis 31:42
In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!"
Judges 6:24
And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means "the Lord is peace"). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as David and his men went by the way,.... In the high road that led to Bahurim, taking no notice of the cursing of Shimei, which made him bolder and more impudent; here is a large pause in the Hebrew text, in the midst of this verse:

Shimei went along on the hill side over against him; as David and his men walked in the plain, he went on a range of hills that ran along right against them:

and cursed as he went; continued his curses and imprecations, to which he was the more emboldened by the behaviour of David and his men:

and threw stones at him, and cast dust; in a way of contempt, though the stones recoiled on his own head, and the dust flew in his own face, as the consequence of things showed; and now David composed and penned the seventh psalm, Psalms 7:1.


 
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