2 Samuel 21
1 Also hungur was maad in the lond of Israel in the daies of Dauid, bi thre yeer contynueli. And Dauid counselide the answere of the Lord; and the Lord seide, For Saul, and his hows, and blood, for he killide men of Gabaon.
During the time that David [ruled], there was a famine [in Israel] for three years. David prayed to Yahweh about it. And Yahweh said, “[In order for the famine to end], Saul’s family needs to be punished [MTY] because Saul killed many people from Gibeon [city].”
2 Therfor whanne Gabaonytis weren clepid, the kyng seide to hem; sotheli Gabaonytis ben not of the sones of Israel, but thei ben the relikys of Ammorreis; and the sones of Israel hadden swore to hem, `that is, that thei schulden not `be slayn, and Saul wolde smyte hem for feruent loue, as for the sones of Israel and of Juda;
The people of Gibeon were not Israelis; they were a small group of the Amor people-group whom the Israelis had solemnly promised to protect. But Saul had tried to kill all of them because he (was very zealous/wanted very much) to enable the people of Judah and Israel [to be the only ones living in that land]. So the king summoned the leaders of Gibeon
3 therfor Dauid seide to Gabaonytis, What schal Y do to you, and what schal be youre amendis, that ye blesse the eritage of the Lord?
and said to them, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends/up for what was done to your people, in order that you will bless us who belong to Yahweh?”
4 And Gabaonytis seiden to hym, No questioun is to vs on gold and siluer, but ayens Saul, and ayens his hows; nether we wolen, that a man of Israel be slayn. To whiche the kyng seide, What therfor wolen ye, that Y do to you?
They replied, “You cannot settle our quarrel with Saul and his family by giving us silver or gold. And we do not have the right to kill any Israelis.” So David asked, “Then/So what do you say that I should do for you?”
5 Whiche seiden to the king, We owen to do awei so the man, that `al to brak ethir defoulide vs, and oppresside wickidli, that not oon sotheli be residue of his generacioun in alle the coostis of Israel.
They replied, “Saul [wanted to] get rid of us. He wanted to annihilate/kill all of us, in order that none of us would live anywhere in Israel.
6 Seuene men of hise sones be youun to vs, that we `crucifie hem to the Lord in Gabaa of Saul, sum tyme the chosun man of the Lord. And the kyng seide, Y schal yyue.
Hand over to us seven of Saul’s descendants. We will hang them where Yahweh is worshiped in Gibeon, our town, the town where Saul, whom Yahweh previously chose to be king, lived.” The king replied, “Okay, I will hand them over to you.”
7 And the kyng sparide Myphibosech, sone of Jonathas, sone of Saul, for the ooth of the Lord, that was bitwixe Dauid and bitwixe Jonathas, sone of Saul.
The king did not hand over to them Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, because of what he and [Mephibosheth’s father] Jonathan had solemnly promised to each other.
8 Therfor the kyng took twei sones of Respha, douyter of Ahira, whiche sche childide to Saul, Armony, and Mysphibosech; and he took fyue sones of Mychol, douyter of Saul, whiche sche gendride to Adriel, sone of Berzellai, that was of Molaty.
Instead, he took Armoni and another man named Mephibosheth, the two sons that Saul’s slave wife Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, had given birth to, and the five sons that Saul’s daughter Merab had given birth to. Merab’s husband was Adriel, the son of a man named Barzillai from Meholah [town].
9 And he yaf hem in to the hondis of Gabaonytis, whiche crucifieden tho sones in the hil bifor the Lord; and these seuene felden slayn togidere in the daies of the firste rep, whanne the repyng of barli bigan.
David handed those men over to the men from Gibeon. Then they hanged those seven men on a hill where they worshiped Yahweh. They were all killed during the time of the year that the people started to harvest the barley.
10 Forsothe Respha, douytir of Ahia, took an heire, and `araiede to hir silf a place aboue the stoon, fro the bigynnyng of heruest til watir droppide `on hem fro heuene; and sche suffride not briddis to tere hem bi dai, nether beestis bi nyyt.
Then Rizpah took coarse cloth made from goats’ hair, and spread it on the rock [where the corpses lay]. She stayed there from the time that people started to harvest the barley until the rains started. She did not allow any birds to come near the corpses during the day, and she did not allow any animals to come near during the night.
11 And tho thingis whiche Respha, secoundarie wijf of Saul, douytir of Ahia, hadde do, weren teld to Dauid.
When someone told David what Rizpah had done,
12 And Dauid yede, and took the boonys of Saul, and the boonys of Jonathas, his sone, of the men of Jabes of Galaad; that hadden stole tho boonys fro the street of Bethsan, in which street the Filisteis hadden hangid hem, whanne thei hadden slayn Saul in Gelboe.
he went with some of his servants to Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. The people of Jabesh had stolen their bones from the (plaza/public square) in Beth-Shan [city], where the men from Philistia had hanged them previously, on the day that they had killed Saul and Jonathan on Gilboa [Mountain].
13 And Dauid bar out fro thennus the boonys of Saul, and the boonys of Jonathas, his sone; and thei gaderiden the boonys of hem that weren crucified, and birieden tho with the boonys of Saul and of Jonathas, his sone, in the lond of Beniamyn, in the side of the sepulcre of Cys, fadir of Saul.
David and his men took the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and they also took the bones of the seven men [from Gibeon] whom the men from Philistia had hanged.
14 And thei diden al thingis, what euer thingis the kyng comaundide; and the Lord dide mercy to the lond aftir these thingis.
They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in Zela [town] in the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin. Doing all that the king commanded, they buried their bones in the tomb where Saul’s father Kish [was buried]. After that, [because] God [saw that Saul’s family had been punished to pay for Saul’s murder of many people from Gibeon, he] answered the Israelis’ prayers for their land, and caused the famine to end.
15 Forsothe batel of Filisteis was maad eft ayens Israel; and Dauid yede doun, and hise seruauntis with hym, and fouyten ayen Filisteis.
The army of Philistia again started to fight against the army of Israel. And David and his soldiers went to fight the Philistines. During the battle, David became weary.
16 Sotheli whanne Dauid failide, Jesbydenob, that was of the kyn of Arapha, that is, of giauntis, and the yrun of his spere peiside thre hundrid ouncis, and he was gird with a newe swerd, enforside to smyte Dauid.
One of the Philistia men thought that he could kill David. His name was Ishbi-Benob. He was a descendant of [a group of] giants. He carried a bronze spear that weighed about (7-1/2 pounds/3-1/2 kg.), and he also had a new sword.
17 And Abisai, sone of Saruye, was in help to Dauid; and he smoot and killide the Filistei. Than the men of Dauid sworen, and seiden, Now thou schalt not go out with vs in to batel, lest thou quenche the lanterne of Israel.
But Abishai came to help David, and attacked the giant and killed him. Then David’s soldiers forced him to promise that he would not go with them into a battle again. They said to him, “[If you die, and none of your descendants become king, that would be like] [MET] extinguishing the last light in Israel.”
18 Also the secounde batel was in Gob ayens Filisteis; thanne Sobothai of Osothai smoot Zephi, of the generacioun of Arapha, of the kyn of giauntis.
Some time after that, there was a battle with the army of Philistia near Gob [village]. During the battle, Sibbecai, from [the] Hushah [clan], killed Saph, one of the descendants of the Rapha giants.
19 Also the thridde batel was in Gob ayens Filisteis; in which batel a man youun of God, the sone of forest, a broiderer, a man of Bethleem, smoot Golyath of Geth, whos `schaft of spere was as a beem of webbis.
[Later] there was another battle with the army of Philistia at Gob. During that battle, Elhanan, the son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem, killed [the brother of] Goliath from Gath [city]; Goliath’s spear shaft/handle was (very thick, like the bar on a weaver’s loom/over two inches thick).
20 The fourthe batel was in Geth; where ynne was an hiy man, that hadde sixe fyngris in the hondis and feet, that is, foure and twenti; and he was of the kyn of Arapha;
Later there was another battle near Gath. There was a (huge man/giant) there who liked to fight [in battles]. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from [the] Rapha [giants].
21 and he blasfemyde Israel; sotheli Jonathan, sone of Samaa, brother of Dauid, killide hym.
But when he (made fun of/ridiculed) the men in the Israeli [army], Jonathan, the son of David’s [older] brother Shimeah, killed him.
22 These foure weren borun of Arapha in Geth, and thei felden doun in the hond of Dauid, and of hise seruauntis.
Those four men were some of the descendants of the Rapha giants who had lived in Gath, who were killed [MTY] by David and his soldiers.
