2 Samuel 19:26
New International Version
He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me.

New Living Translation
Mephibosheth replied, “My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, ‘Saddle my donkey so I can go with the king.’ For as you know I am crippled.

English Standard Version
He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame.

Berean Standard Bible
“My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,

King James Bible
And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.

New King James Version
And he answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,’ because your servant is lame.

New American Standard Bible
So he said, “My lord the king, my servant betrayed me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ since your servant cannot walk.

NASB 1995
So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.

NASB 1977
So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.

Legacy Standard Bible
So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.

Amplified Bible
He said, “My lord the king, my servant [Ziba] betrayed me; for I said, ‘Saddle a donkey for me so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ for your servant is lame [but he took the donkeys and left without me].

Christian Standard Bible
“My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said, ‘I’ll saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride it and go with the king’—for your servant is lame.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said: ‘I’ll saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride it and go with the king—for your servant is lame.

American Standard Version
And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant is lame.

Contemporary English Version
He answered, "Your Majesty, you know I can't walk. I told my servant to saddle a donkey for me so I could go with you. But my servant left without me, and

English Revised Version
And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant is lame.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He answered, "My servant deceived me, Your Majesty. Since I am disabled, I said, 'Saddle the donkey for me, and I'll ride on it and go with the king.'

Good News Translation
He answered, "As you know, Your Majesty, I am crippled. I told my servant to saddle my donkey so that I could ride along with you, but he betrayed me.

International Standard Version
He replied, "Well, your majesty, since your servant is lame, I told myself, 'I'll have my donkey saddled and I'll ride on it so I can leave with the king.' But my servant Ziba deceived me

Majority Standard Bible
“My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me,

NET Bible
He replied, "My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I said, 'Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,' for I am lame.

New Heart English Bible
So he answered, "My lord king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me so that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ for your servant is lame.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride on it, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.

World English Bible
He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And he says, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said, I saddle the donkey for myself, and ride on it, and go with the king, for your servant [is] lame;

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, 'My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for thy servant said, I saddle for me the ass, and ride on it, and go with the king, for thy servant is lame;

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will say, My lord the king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle for me the ass, and I will ride upon it, and I will go to the king; for thy servant is lame.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he answering, said: My lord, O king, my servant despised me: for I thy servant spoke to him to saddle me an ass, that I might get on and go with the king: for I thy servant am lame.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And in response, he said: “My lord the king, my servant spurned me. And I, your servant, spoke to him so that he might saddle a donkey for me, and I might climb upon it and go with the king. For I, your servant, am lame.

New American Bible
He replied: “My lord king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said to him, ‘Saddle the donkey for me, that I may ride on it and go with the king’; your servant is lame.

New Revised Standard Version
He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me, so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Mephibosheth answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for I said to him, Saddle me an ass that I may ride upon it and go with my lord the king; because your servant is lame.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Maphibshath said to him: “My Lord King, my Servant deceived me, for I said to him, ‘Mount me on the donkey. I will ride upon him and I shall go with my Lord the King’, because your Servant is lame
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And he answered: 'My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for thy servant said: I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant is lame.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Memphibosthe said to him, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for thy servant said to him, Saddle me the ass, and I will ride upon it, and go with the king; for thy servant is lame.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Mephibosheth Excused
25And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?” 26“My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, 27and he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Yet my lord the king is like the angel of God, so do what is good in your eyes.…

Cross References
2 Samuel 9:6-8
And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied. / “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely 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 will always eat at my table.” / Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”

2 Samuel 16:1-4
When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. / “Why do you have these?” asked the king. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.” / “Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’” ...

2 Samuel 4:4
And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 9:11-13
And Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king has commanded.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s own sons. / And Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. / So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.

1 Kings 2:7
But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

1 Samuel 20:14-17
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, / and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” / So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” ...

1 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

1 Samuel 9:21
Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”

1 Samuel 24:6
So he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.”

1 Samuel 26:9
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can extend a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”

1 Kings 1:29
And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

1 Kings 2:8-9
Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’ / Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”

1 Chronicles 29:24
All the officials and mighty men, as well as all of King David’s sons, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 55:12-14
For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide. / But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend. / We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God.


Treasury of Scripture

And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for your servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because your servant is lame.

I will saddle

2 Samuel 16:2,3
And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink…

thy servant

2 Samuel 4:4
And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

Jump to Previous
Ass Betrayed Deceit Deceived Donkey Feet Lame Ready Ride Saddle Saddled Servant Thereon Use Ziba
Jump to Next
Ass Betrayed Deceit Deceived Donkey Feet Lame Ready Ride Saddle Saddled Servant Thereon Use Ziba
2 Samuel 19
1. Joab causes the king to cease his mourning
9. The Israelites are earnest to bring the king back
11. David sends to the priest to incite them of Judah
18. Shimei is pardoned
24. Mephibosheth excused
32. Barzillai dismissed, and Chimham his son taken into the king's family
41. The Israelites expostulate with Judah for bringing home the king without them














My lord the king
This phrase reflects the deep respect and reverence that Mephibosheth, the speaker, holds for King David. In the Hebrew context, the term "lord" (אֲדֹנִי, adoni) is a title of honor and submission, acknowledging the king's authority and sovereignty. This respect is consistent with the cultural norms of ancient Israel, where the king was seen as God's anointed leader.

he replied
The act of replying indicates a response to a previous statement or question. In this narrative, Mephibosheth is responding to King David's inquiry about his absence during David's flight from Absalom. This interaction is part of a larger dialogue that reveals the complexities of loyalty and betrayal in the royal court.

since I your servant am lame
Mephibosheth's reference to his lameness (נָכֶה, nakeh) is significant. It highlights his physical disability, which in the ancient Near Eastern context, often marginalized individuals. Despite his condition, Mephibosheth identifies himself as a servant (עֶבֶד, eved), demonstrating humility and a willingness to serve despite his limitations.

I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled
This phrase reveals Mephibosheth's intention to accompany King David. The act of saddling a donkey was a common means of preparation for travel in ancient times. The donkey, a symbol of peace and service, contrasts with the war horses often associated with kingship, underscoring Mephibosheth's peaceful intentions and loyalty.

so that I may ride on it and go with the king
Mephibosheth's desire to ride and accompany the king signifies his loyalty and allegiance to David. In the historical context, accompanying a king was a sign of support and solidarity. This desire reflects Mephibosheth's commitment to David, despite the political turmoil and personal challenges he faces.

But my servant Ziba deceived me
The mention of Ziba introduces a theme of betrayal. The Hebrew word for deceive (רָמָה, ramah) implies treachery and cunning. Ziba's actions are a pivotal point in the narrative, as they reveal the complexities of human relationships and the challenges of discerning truth and loyalty in a royal court. This deception serves as a reminder of the fallen nature of humanity and the need for divine wisdom and justice.

(26) My servant deceived me.--It now appears that the two asses laden with provisions which Ziba had brought to David in his flight (2Samuel 16:1-2) were those which he had been ordered to prepare for his master. When Ziba had stolen away with these, Mephibosheth was left helpless in his lameness. Most of the ancient versions read "said to him, Saddle," &c., but the sense is plain enough as the text stands.

Verse 26. - Thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass. This would mean, "Thy servant purposed, said within himself, that he would saddle an ass, not by his own hands, but by those of his servants." All the versions, however, except the Chaldee, read, "Thy servant said to him, Saddle me an ass." With this agrees the narrative in 2 Samuel 16:1. Mephibosheth ordered Ziba to saddle for him an ass, and one for an attendant, and to put hastily together a supply of food for the journey. And Ziba does so; but when everything is ready, he leaves his master in the lurch, and carries all away to David, to whom he falsely represents Mephibosheth as a traitor. In the words that follow, he unreservedly submits himself to David, on the ground that, though innocent in this affair, yet that, as a member of a dethroned dynasty, his life was forfeit (comp. 2 Samuel 21:7), and that, in permitting him to live, and placing him among his friends, the king had done him an act of grace.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“My lord
אֲדֹנִ֥י (’ă·ḏō·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

the king,”
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

he replied,
וַיֹּאמַ֕ר (way·yō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“because
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

[I]
עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃ (‘aḇ·de·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

am lame,
פִסֵּ֖חַ (p̄is·sê·aḥ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6455: Lame

[I]
עַבְדְּךָ֜ (‘aḇ·də·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

said,
אָמַ֨ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘I will have my donkey
הַחֲמ֨וֹר (ha·ḥă·mō·wr)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2543: A male ass

saddled
אֶחְבְּשָׁה־ (’eḥ·bə·šāh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 2280: To wrap firmly, to stop, to rule

so that I may ride
וְאֶרְכַּ֤ב (wə·’er·kaḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular
Strong's 7392: To ride, to place upon, to despatch

on it
עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

and go
וְאֵלֵ֣ךְ (wə·’ê·lêḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

with
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Preposition
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

the king.’
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

But my servant [Ziba]
עַבְדִּ֣י (‘aḇ·dî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

deceived me,
רִמָּ֑נִי (rim·mā·nî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7411: To hurl, to shoot, to delude, betray


Links
2 Samuel 19:26 NIV
2 Samuel 19:26 NLT
2 Samuel 19:26 ESV
2 Samuel 19:26 NASB
2 Samuel 19:26 KJV

2 Samuel 19:26 BibleApps.com
2 Samuel 19:26 Biblia Paralela
2 Samuel 19:26 Chinese Bible
2 Samuel 19:26 French Bible
2 Samuel 19:26 Catholic Bible

OT History: 2 Samuel 19:26 He answered My lord O king my (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 19:25
Top of Page
Top of Page