< 2 Samuel 21 >

1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, so David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he murdered 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 slew the Gabaonites.
2 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.)
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 smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Juda.)
3 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 the LORD?"
And David said to the Gabaonites, What shall I do to you? and wherewithal shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
4 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."
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 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,
And he said, What say ye? 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 seven of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the LORD at Gibeon on the mountain of the LORD." And the king replied, "I will do it."
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 spared Mippibaal, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son 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 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.
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 he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, 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.
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 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.
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 It was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the secondary wife 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 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;
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 smote Saul in Gelbue.
13 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.
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 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.
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 hearkened to [the prayers of] the land.
15 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,
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 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.
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 girt with a club, even he thought to smite David.
17 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."
And Abessa the son of Saruia helped him and smote the Philistine, and slew him. Then the men of David swore, saying, Thou shalt not any longer go out with us to battle, and thou shalt not quench the lamp of Israel.
18 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.
And after this there was a battle again with the Philistines in Geth: then Sebocha the Astatothite slew Seph of the progeny of Rapha.
19 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.
And there was a battle in Rom with the Philistines; and Eleanan son of Ariorgim the Bethleemite slew Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear [was] as a weaver's beam.
20 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.
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 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.
And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Semei brother of David, smote him.
22 These four were descendants of Raphah in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
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.

< 2 Samuel 21 >