< 2 Samuel 21 >
1 And it was a famine in [the] days of David three years year after year and he sought David [the] face of Yahweh. And he said Yahweh because of Saul and because of [the] house of blood on that he put to death the Gibeonites.
During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 And he summoned the king the Gibeonites and he said to them and the Gibeonites not [were] from [the] people of Israel they that except from [the] remnant of the Amorite[s] and [the] people of Israel they had sworn an oath to them and he had sought Saul to strike down them because was zealous he for [the] people of Israel and Judah.
At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
3 And he said David to the Gibeonites what? will I do for you and how? will I make amends and bless [the] inheritance of Yahweh.
So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?”
4 And they said to him the Gibeonites not (to us *Q(K)*) silver and gold with Saul and with house his and not to us a man to put to death in Israel and he said what? [are] you saying I will do for you.
The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.
5 And they said to the king the man who he made an end of us and who he planned to us we were destroyed from standing in all [the] territory of Israel.
And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel,
6 (Let it be given *Q(K)*) to us seven men from descendants his and we will impale them to Yahweh at Gibeah of Saul [the] chosen one of Yahweh. And he said the king I I will give [them].
let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king.
7 And he had compassion the king on Mephi-bosheth [the] son of Jonathan [the] son of Saul on [the] oath of Yahweh which [was] between them between David and between Jonathan [the] son of Saul.
Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
8 And he took the king [the] two [the] sons of Rizpah [the] daughter of Aiah whom she had borne to Saul Armoni and Mephibosheth and [the] five [the] sons of Michal [the] daughter of Saul whom she had borne to Adriel [the] son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 And he gave them in [the] hand of the Gibeonites and they impaled them on the mountain before Yahweh and they fell ([the] seven of them *Q(K)*) together (and they *Q(k)*) they were put to death in [the] days of harvest in the first (at [the] beginning of *Q(K)*) [the] harvest of barley.
And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 And she took Rizpah [the] daughter of Aiah sackcloth and she spread out it for herself to the rock from [the] beginning of harvest until it was poured out water on them from the heavens and not she permitted [the] bird[s] of the heavens to rest on them by day and [the] animal[s] of the field night.
And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And it was told to David [that] which she had done Rizpah [the] daughter of Aiah [the] concubine of Saul.
When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done,
12 And he went David and he took [the] bones of Saul and [the] bones of Jonathan son his from with [the] citizens of Jabesh Gilead who they had stolen them from [the] open square of Beth Shan where (they had hung up them there [the] Philistines *Q(K)*) on [the] day struck down [the] Philistines Saul on Gilboa.
he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa.
13 And he brought up from there [the] bones of Saul and [the] bones of Jonathan son his and they gathered [the] bones of the impaled [men].
So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of those who had been hanged.
14 And they buried [the] bones of Saul and Jonathan son his in [the] land of Benjamin at Zela in [the] tomb of Kish father his and they did all that he commanded the king and he was entreated God for the land after thus.
And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
15 And it belonged again war to the Philistines with Israel and he went down David and servants his with him and they fought with [the] Philistines and he was weary David.
Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.
16 (And Ishbi-*Q(K)*) Benob who - [was] among those born of the Raphah and [the] weight of spear his [was] three hundred [the] weight of bronze and he [was] girded a new [weapon] and he said to strike down David.
Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
17 And he helped him Abishai [the] son of Zeruiah and he struck the Philistine and he killed him then they swore [the] men of David to him saying not you will go out again with us for battle and not you will extinguish [the] lamp of Israel.
But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
18 And it was after thus and it was again war at Gob with [the] Philistines then he struck down Sibbecai the Hushathite Saph who [was] among those born of the Raphah.
Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 And it was again war at Gob with [the] Philistines and he struck down Elhanan [the] son of Jaare-Oregim [the] Beth-lehemite Goliath the Gittite and [the] wood of spear his [was] like a beam of weavers.
Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 And it was again war at Gath and he was - a man of (stature *Q(K)*) and [the] fingers of hands his and [the] toes of feet his [were] six and six [was] twenty and four [the] number and also he he was born to the Raphah.
And there was still another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha,
21 And he taunted Israel and he struck down him Jonathan [the] son of (Shimeah *Q(K)*) [the] brother of David.
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
22 Four these they were born to the Raphah in Gath and they fell by [the] hand of David and by [the] hand of servants his.
So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.