< 2 Samuel 21 >

1 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."
And there was a famine in the days of David for three years successively: and David consulted the oracle of the Lord. And the Lord said: It is for Saul, and his bloody house, because 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.)
Then the king, calling for the Gabaonites, said to them: (Now the Gabaonites were not of the children of Israel, but the remains of the Amorrhites: I and the children of Israel had sworn to them, and Saul sought to slay them out of zeal, as it were 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 Jehovah?"
David therefore said to the Gabaonites: What shall I do for you? and what shall be the atonement for you, that you 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 contest about silver and gold, but against Saul and against his house: neither do we desire that any man be slain of Israel. And the king said to them: What will you then that I should do for you?
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 they said to the king: The man that crushed us and oppressed us unjustly, we must destroy in such manner that there be not so much as one left of his stock in all the coasts of Israel.
6 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."
Let seven men of his children be delivered unto us, that we may crucify them to the Lord in Gabaa of Saul, once the chosen of 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 Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
And the king spared Miphiboseth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord, that had been 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.
So the king took the two sons of Respha the daughter of Aia, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni, and Miphiboseth: and the five sons of Michol the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Hadriel the son of Berzellai, that was of Molathi:
9 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.
And gave them into the hands of the Gabaonites: and they crucified them on a hill before the Lord: and these seven died together in the first days of the harvest, when the barley began to be reaped.
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 haircloth, and spread it under her upon the rock from the beginning of the harvest, till water dropped upon them out of heaven: and suffered neither the birds to tear them by day, nor the beasts 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.
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 Jabes Galaad, who had stolen them from the street of Bethsan, where the Philistines had hanged them when they had slain Saul in Gelboe.
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 brought from thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered up the bones of them that were crucified,
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 them with the bones of Saul, and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in the side, in the sepulchre of Cis his father: and they did all that the king had commanded, and God shewed mercy again to the land after these things.
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 the Philistines made war again against Israel, and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David growing faint,
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.
Jesbibenob, who was of the race of Arapha, the iron of whose spear weighed three hundred ounces, being girded with a new sword, attempted to kill 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 Abisai the son of Sarvia rescued him, and striking the Philistine killed him. Then David’s men swore unto him, saying: Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, lest thou put out 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.
There was also a second battle in Gob against the Philistines: then Sobochai of Husathi slew Saph of the race of Arapha of the family of the giants.
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 third battle in Gob against the Philistines, in which Adeodatus the son of the Forrest an embroiderer of Bethlehem slew Goliath the Gethite, the shaft of whose spear was like 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.
A fourth battle was in Geth. where there was a man of great stature, that had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, four and twenty in all, and he was of the race of Arapha.
21 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him.
And he reproached Israel: and Jonathan the son of Samae the brother of David slew 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 of Arapha in Geth, and they fell by the hand of David, and of his servants.

< 2 Samuel 21 >