< 2 Samuel 21 >
1 And there is a famine in the days of David [for] three years, year after year, and David seeks the face of YHWH, and YHWH says, “[This is] for Saul and for the bloody house, because that he put the Gibeonites to death.”
Now there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, so David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he murdered the Gibeonites."
2 And the king calls for the Gibeonites and says to them—as for the Gibeonites, they [are] not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorite, and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul seeks to strike them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah—
So the king summoned the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. And the children of Israel had sworn to them, but Saul sought to exterminate them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)
3 indeed, David says to the Gibeonites, “What do I do for you? And with what do I make atonement? And bless the inheritance of YHWH.”
And David said to the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you? And how can I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?"
4 And the Gibeonites say to him, “We have no silver and gold by Saul and by his house, and we have no man to put to death in Israel”; and he says, “What you are saying I do to you.”
The Gibeonites said to him, "It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house, nor is it our place to put anyone to death in Israel." Then he said, "What do you want? For I will do it for you."
5 And they say to the king, “The man who consumed us, and who devised against us—we have been destroyed from stationing ourselves in all the border of Israel—
So they said to the king, "The man who opposed us and persecuted us, who meant to eradicate us from having a place anywhere in the territory of Israel,
6 let there be given to us seven men of his sons, and we have hanged them before YHWH, in the height of Saul, the chosen of YHWH.” And the king says, “I give”;
let seven of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them before Jehovah at Gibeon on the mountain of Jehovah." And the king replied, "I will do it."
7 and the king has pity on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of YHWH that [is] between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul;
But the king spared Mippibaal, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 and the king takes the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite,
But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mippibaal; and the five sons of Merob the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 and gives them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hang them in the hill before YHWH; and the seven fall together, and they have been put to death in the days of harvest, in the first [days], the commencement of barley-harvest.
And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before Jehovah, and all seven of them fell together. And they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 And Rizpah daughter of Aiah takes the sackcloth, and stretches it out for herself on the rock, from the commencement of harvest until water has been poured out on them from the heavens, and has not permitted a bird of the heavens to rest on them by day, or the beast of the field by night.
And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on a rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky. And she did not allow the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the wild animals by night.
11 And it is declared to David that which Rizpah daughter of Aiah, concubine of Saul, has done,
It was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the secondary wife of Saul, had done.
12 and David goes and takes the bones of Saul, and the bones of his son Jonathan, from the possessors of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the broad place of Beth-Shan, where the Philistines hanged them, in the day of the Philistines striking Saul in Gilboa;
Then David went and obtained the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them on the day that the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa;
13 and he brings up there the bones of Saul, and the bones of his son Jonathan, and they gather the bones of those hanged,
and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son. And they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.
14 and bury the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin, in Zelah, in the burying-place of his father Kish, and do all that the king commanded, and God accepts the plea for the land afterward.
And he buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they performed all that the king commanded. After that God responded to prayers for the land.
15 And again the Philistines have war with Israel, and David goes down, and his servants with him, and they fight with the Philistines; and David is weary,
The Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. Now David became exhausted,
16 and Ishbi-Benob, who [is] among the children of the giant—the weight of his spear [is] three hundred [shekels in] weight of bronze, and he is girded with a new one—speaks of striking David,
and Dodo son of Joash, of the descendants of the Raphah, captured him. His spear weighed three hundred bronze shekels, and he was girded with a new sword, and he thought he could kill David.
17 and Abishai son of Zeruiah gives help to him, and strikes the Philistine, and puts him to death; then the men of David swear to him, saying, “You do not go out with us to battle again, nor quench the lamp of Israel.”
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David took an oath, saying, "You must not go out to battle with us again, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."
18 And it comes to pass afterward that the battle is again in Gob with the Philistines. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite has struck Saph, who [is] among the children of the giant.
Now it came to pass after this that there was another battle with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of the Raphah.
19 And the battle is again in Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim, the Beth-Lehemite, strikes [a brother of] Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear [is] like a weavers’ beam.
There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 And the battle is again in Gath, and there is a man of [great] stature, and the fingers of his hands [are] six, and the toes of his feet [are] six—twenty-four in number, and he has also been born to the giant,
There was another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had on six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty four in number, and he also was a descendant of Raphah.
21 and he reproaches Israel, and Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, strikes him;
When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.
22 these four have been born to the giant in Gath, and they fall by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
These four were descendants of Raphah in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.