Quotes About Loyalty

Then Joab went into the house and said to the king, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, of your wives, and of your concubines.

You love those who hate you and hate those who love you! For you have made it clear today that the commanders and soldiers mean nothing to you. I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead, it would have pleased you!

But Absalom, the man we anointed over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about restoring the king?”

You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to restore the king?í

And say to Amasa, ëArenít you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!í”

and crossed at the ford to carry over the kingís household and to do what was good in his sight. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king

But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldnít Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORDís anointed?”

Then Mephibosheth, Saulís grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he returned safely.

And he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, who asked him, “Mephibosheth, why did you not go with me?”

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

and 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.

For all the house of my grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”

And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has safely come to his own house, let Ziba take it all!”

Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and send him on his way from there.

Barzillai was quite old, eighty years of age, and since he was a very wealthy man, he had provided for the king while he stayed in Mahanaim.

The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me, and I will provide for you at my side in Jerusalem.”

Your servant could go with the king only a short distance past the Jordan; why should the king repay me with such a reward?

The king replied, “Chimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good in your sight, and I will do for you whatever you desire of me.”

So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and Barzillai returned home.

And all the men of Judah replied to the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is our relative. Why does this anger you? Have we ever eaten at the kingís expense or received anything for ourselves?”

Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ramís horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesseís son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lordís servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”

So Joabís men, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, marched out of Jerusalem in pursuit of Sheba son of Bichri.