< 2 Samuel 21 >
1 Then there was a famine in the dayes of Dauid, three yeeres together: and Dauid asked counsell of the Lord, and the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloodie house, because hee slewe the Gibeonites.
And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, [There is] guilt upon Saul and his house because of his bloody murder, whereby he killed the Gabaonites.
2 Then ye King called the Gibeonites and said vnto them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but a remnant of the Amorites, vnto whom ye children of Israel had sworne: but Saul sought to slay them for his zeale toward the children of Israel and Iudah)
And King David called the Gabaonites, and said to them; —(now the Gabaonites are not the children of Israel, but [are] of the remnant of the Amorite, and the children of Israel had sworn to them: but Saul sought to strike them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Juda.)
3 And Dauid said vnto the Gibeonites, What shall I doe for you, and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may blesse the inheritance of the Lord?
And David said to the Gabaonites, What shall I do to you? and wherewithal shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
4 The Gibeonites then answered him, Wee will haue no siluer nor golde of Saul nor of his house, neither for vs shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I doe for you.
And the Gabaonites said to him, We have no [question about] silver or gold with Saul and with his house; and there is no man for us to put to death in Israel.
5 Then they answered the King, The man that consumed vs and that imagined euill against vs, so that we are destroyed from remaining in any coast of Israel,
And he said, What say you? speak, and I will do it for you. And they said to the king, The man who would have made an end of us, and persecuted us, who plotted against us to destroy us, let us utterly destroy him, so that he shall have no standing in all the coasts of Israel.
6 Let seuen men of his sonnes be deliuered vnto vs, and we will hang them vp vnto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the Lordes chosen. And the King said, I will giue them.
Let one give us seven men of his sons, and let us hang them up in the sun to the Lord in Gabaon of Saul, as chosen out for the Lord. And the king said, I will give [them].
7 But the King had compassion on Mephibosheth the sonne of Ionathan the sonne of Saul, because of the Lordes othe, that was betweene them, euen betweene Dauid and Ionathan the sonne of Saul.
But the king spared Memphibosthe son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, even between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 But the King tooke the two sonnes of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whome shee bare vnto Saul, euen Armoni and Mephibosheth and the fiue sonnes of Michal, the daughter of Saul, whome shee bare to Adriel the sonne of Barzillai the Meholathite.
And the king took the two sons of Respha the daughter of Aia, whom she bore to Saul, Hermonoi and Memphibosthe, and the five sons of Michol daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Esdriel son of Berzelli the Moulathite.
9 And hee deliuered them vnto the handes of the Gibeonites, which hanged them in the mountaine before the Lord: so they died all seuen together, and they were slaine in the time of haruest: in the first dayes, and in the beginning of barly haruest.
And he gave them into the hand of the Gabaonites, and they hanged them up to the sun in the mountain before the lord: and they fell, even the seven together: moreover they were put to death in the days of harvest at the commencement, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah tooke sackecloth and hanged it vp for her vpon the rocke, from the beginning of haruest, vntill water dropped vpon them from the heauen, and suffered neither the birdes of the aire to light on the by day, nor beasts of the fielde by night.
And Respha the daughter of Aia took sackcloth, and fixed it for herself on the rock in the beginning of barley harvest, until water dropped upon them out of heaven: and she did not suffer the birds of the air to rest upon them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And it was told Dauid, what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah ye concubine of Saul had done.
And it was told David what Respha the daughter of Aia the concubine of Saul had done, [and they were faint, and Dan, the son of Joa of the offspring of the giants overtook them.]
12 And Dauid went and tooke the bones of Saul and the bones of Ionathan his sonne from the citizens of Iabesh Gilead, which had stollen them from the streete of Beth-shan, where the Philistims had hanged them, when the Philistims had slaine Saul in Gilboa.
And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of the sons of Jabis Galaad, who stole them from the street of Baethsan; for the Philistines set them there in the day in which the Philistines struck Saul in Gelbue.
13 So hee brought thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Ionathan his sonne, and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
And he carried up thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and gathered the bones of them that had been hanged.
14 And the bones of Saul and of Ionathan his sonne buried they in the coutrey of Beniamin in Zelah, in the graue of Kish his father: and when they had perfourmed all that the King had commanded, God was then appeased with the land.
And they buried the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and the bones of them that had been hanged, in the land of Benjamin in the hill, in the sepulchre of Cis his father; and they did all things that the king commanded: and after this God listened to [the prayers of] the land.
15 Againe the Philistims had warre with Israel: and Dauid went downe, and his seruants with him, and they fought against the Philistims, and Dauid fainted.
And there was yet war between the Philistines and Israel: and David went down and his servants with him, and they fought with the Philistines, and David went.
16 Then Ishi-benob which was of the sonnes of Haraphah (the head of whose speare wayed three hundreth shekels of brasse) euen he being girded with a newe sword, thought to haue slaine Dauid.
And Jesbi, who was of the progeny of Rapha, and the head of whose spear [was] three hundred shekels of brass in weight, who also was girded with a club, even he thought to strike David.
17 But Abishai the sonne of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistim, and killed him. Then Dauids men sware vnto him, saying, Thou shalt goe no more out with vs to battell, lest thou quench the light of Israel.
And Abessa the son of Saruia helped him and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore, saying, You shall not any longer go out with us to battle, and you shall not quench the lamp of Israel.
18 And after this also there was a battell with the Philistims at Gob, then Sibbechai the Hushathite slewe Saph, which was one of ye sonnes of Haraphah.
And after this there was a battle again with the Philistines in Geth: then Sebocha the Astatothite killed Seph of the progeny of Rapha.
19 And there was yet another battel in Gob with the Philistims, where Elhanah the sonne of Iaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite slewe Goliath the Gittite: the staffe of whose speare was like a weauers beame.
And there was a battle in Rom with the Philistines; and Eleanan son of Ariorgim the Bethleemite killed Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear [was] as a weaver's beam.
20 Afterward there was also a battel in Gath, where was a man of a great stature, and had on euerie hand sixe fingers, and on euerie foote sixe toes, foure and twentie in nomber: who was also the sonne of Haraphah.
And there was yet a battle in Geth: and there was a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet [were] six on each, four and twenty in number: and he also was born to Rapha.
21 And when hee reuiled Israel, Ionathan the sonne of Shima the brother of Dauid slewe him.
And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Semei brother of David, struck him.
22 These foure were borne to Haraphah in Gath, and died by the hande of Dauid and by the hands of his seruants.
These four were born descendants of the giants in Geth, the family of Rapha; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.