2 Samuel 4

1 And the son of Saul hears that Abner [is] dead in Hebron, and his hands are feeble, and all of Israel has been troubled.

And when Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands became enfeebled, and all the Israelites were troubled.

2 And two men, heads of troops, have been [to] the son of Saul, the name of the first [is] Baanah, and the name of the second Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin, for Beeroth is also reckoned to Benjamin,

And Saul's son had two men who were captains of bands; the name of the one was Ba'anah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:

3 and the Beerothites flee to Gittaim, and are sojourners there to this day.

And the Beerothites had fled to Gittayim, and remained sojourners there until this day.)

4 And to Jonathan son of Saul [is] a son—lame; he was a son of five years at the coming in of the rumor of [the death of] Saul and Jonathan, out of Jezreel, and his nurse lifts him up, and flees, and it comes to pass in her hastening to flee, that he falls, and becomes lame, and his name [is] Mephibosheth.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame on both feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan from Yizre'el, and his nurse took him up and fled: and it came to pass, in her haste to flee, that he fell, and was rendered lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, go, and come in at the heat of the day to the house of Ish-Bosheth, and he is lying down—the lying down of noon;

And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Ba'anah, went, and came at the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who was just lying in bed as usual at noon.

6 and they have come there, to the midst of the house, taking wheat, and they strike him to the fifth [rib], and Rechab and his brother Baanah have escaped;

And they came thither into the interior of the house, as buyers of wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Ba'anah his brother escaped.

7 indeed, they come into the house, and he is lying on his bed, in the inner part of his bed-chamber, and they strike him, and put him to death, and turn his head aside, and they take his head, and go the way of the plain all the night,

Namely, they came into the house, while he was lying on his bed in his sleeping-chamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and cut off his head, and took his head, and went by the way of the plain all the night.

8 and bring in the head of Ish-Bosheth to David in Hebron, and say to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; and YHWH gives vengeance to my lord the king this day, of Saul and of his seed.”

And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and they said to the king, Behold, here is the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thy enemy, who sought thy life: and the Lord hath granted to my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul, and on his seed.

9 And David answers Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and says to them, “YHWH lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

But David answered Rechab and Ba'anah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

10 when one is declaring to me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, and he was as a bearer of tidings in his own eyes, then I take hold on him, and slay him in Ziklag, instead of my giving to him [for] the tidings.

When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, and he was in his own eyes as though he brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who [thought] that I should give him a reward for his tidings:

11 Also—when wicked men have slain the righteous man in his own house, on his bed; and now, do I not require his blood from your hand, and have taken you away from the earth?”

How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous man in his own house upon his bed? and now, behold, I will require his blood of your hand, and I will remove you away from the earth.

12 And David commands the young men, and they slay them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hang [them] over the pool in Hebron, and they have taken the head of Ish-Bosheth, and bury [it] in the burying-place of Abner in Hebron.

And David gave the command to the young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up by the pool in Hebron. But the head of Ish-bosheth they took, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.