The Second of Samuel, 9

¹ And David proceeded to say: “Is there yet anyone that is left over of the house of Saul, that I may exercise loving-kindness toward him for the sake of Jonʹa·than?”

² Now the house of Saul had a servant whose name was Ziʹba. So they called him to David, and the king then said to him: “Are you Ziʹba?” to which he said: “I am your servant.”

³ And the king went on to say: “Is there nobody of the house of Saul anymore, that I may exercise toward him the loving-kindness of God?” At this Ziʹba said to the king: “There is yet a son of Jonʹa·than, lame in the feet.”

⁴ Then the king said to him: “Where is he?” So Ziʹba said to the king: “Look! He is in the house of Maʹchir the son of Amʹmi·el at Lo-deʹbar.”

⁵ Immediately King David sent and took him from the house of Maʹchir the son of Amʹmi·el at Lo-deʹbar.

⁶ When Me·phibʹo·sheth the son of Jonʹa·than the son of Saul came in to David, he at once fell upon his face and prostrated himself. Then David said: “Me·phibʹo·sheth!” to which he said: “Here is your servant.”

⁷ And David went on to say to him: “Do not be afraid, for without fail I shall exercise loving-kindness toward you for the sake of Jonʹa·than your father; and I must return to you all the field of Saul your grandfather,^*1 and you yourself will eat bread at my table constantly.”

⁸ At that he prostrated himself and said: “What is your servant, that you have turned your face to the dead dog such as I am?”

⁹ The king now called Ziʹba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him: “Everything that had come to belong to Saul and to all his house I do give to the grandson^*1 of your master.

¹⁰ And you must cultivate the ground for him, you and your sons and your servants, and you must do the gathering in, and it must serve as food^*1 for [those belonging to] the grandson^*2 of your master,^*3 and they must eat; but Me·phibʹo·sheth himself, the grandson of your master, will eat bread at my table constantly.” Now Ziʹba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ So Ziʹba said to the king: “In accord with all that my lord the king commands for his servant is the way that your servant will do; but Me·phibʹo·sheth is eating at my table^*1 like one of the sons of the king.”

¹² Now Me·phibʹo·sheth had a young son^*1 whose name was Miʹca, and all those dwelling in the house of Ziʹba were servants to Me·phibʹo·sheth.

¹³ And Me·phibʹo·sheth himself was dwelling in Jerusalem, for it was constantly at the table of the king that he was eating; and he was lame in both of his feet.