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asked, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathon’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of the Saul’s family named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family, for whom I may show God’s kindness to?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both his feet.”
4 So the king asked him, “Where is he?”
So Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.”
5 Then King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to the ground to pay him honour.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“Your servant!” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said, “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 will always eat food at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should take notice of a dead dog such as I?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the produce, so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But your master’s grandson Mephibosheth will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do everything that my lord the king commands.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. All who were living in the house of Ziba were servants for Mephibosheth. 13 However Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both his feet.