2 Samuel

21 And there came to be a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year, so then David sought the face of Yahweh,—and Yahweh said—It respecteth Saul and his house as to bloodshed, in that he put to death the Gibeonites.

2 The king therefore called the Gibeonites and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, with whom the sons of Israel had entered into an oath, and Saul had sought to smite them, in his jealousy for the sons of Israel and Judah)—

3 wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites—What shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I make propitiation, so that ye may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him—It is not a matter with us of silver or gold with Saul or with his house, neither would we have a man put to death in Israel. And he said—What do ye say I should do for you?

5 Then said they unto the king, The man who consumed us, and who thought to have destroyed us from taking a place within any of the bounds of Israel,

6 let there be delivered up to us—seven men of his sons, and we will crucify them unto Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Yahweh. And the king said, I will deliver them up.

7 But the king had pity upon Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, Saul’s son,—because of the oath of Yahweh that was between them, between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son.

8 So the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul, even Armoni and Mephibosheth,—and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai, the Meholathite;

9 and delivered them up into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they crucified them in the mountain before Yahweh, so they seven fell together,—they being put to death in the first days of harvest, in the beginning of the barley harvest.

10 Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock from the beginning of harvest, until water poured out upon them from the heavens,—and suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the wild beasts of the field [to devour them] by night.

11 And it was told David,—what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul’s concubine, had done.

12 So David went and fetched the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the owners of Jabesh-gilead,—who stole them from the broadway of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day when the Philistines had smitten Saul in Gilboa;

13 and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son,—and they gathered together the bones of them who had been crucified;

14 so they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zelah, in the grave of Kish his father, thus did they all that the king commanded,—and God suffered himself to be entreated for the land after this.

15 And the Philistines had yet again a war with Israel,—so David went down and his servants with him and fought the Philistines, and David became faint.

16 So Ishbi-benob, who was of the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear-head was three hundred shekels of bronze, he also being newly armed thought to smite David;

17 but Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his help, and smote the Philistine and slew him. Then, sware the men of David unto him, saying—Thou must not go forth any more with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.

18 And it came to pass, after this, that there was yet again a battle in Gob with the Philistines,—then, Sibbekai the Hushathite smote Saph, who was of the descendants of the giant.

19 And there was yet again a battle in Gob with the Philistines,—when Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim of Bethlehem smote Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

20 And there was yet again a battle in Gath; when there was a man of stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also having been born to the giant;

21 but when he reproached Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah David’s brother smote him.

22 These four had been born to the giant in Gath,—but they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.