2Sa 21 | ABEn | STEP | And there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year next to year. And David sought the face of the lord . And the lord said, Against Saul and against his house is the iniquity, in the death of his blood shed , for which he put to death the Gibeonites.

2 Samuel 21

CHAPTER 21 David Recompenses the Gibeonites

1 And there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year next to year. And David sought the face of the lord. And the lord said, Against Saul and against his house is the iniquity, in the death of his blood shed, for which he put to death the Gibeonites. 2 And [³called ¹the ²king] the Gibeonites, and he spoke to them. And the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, for [²of ³the ⁴remnants ⁵of the ⁶Amorites ¹they were], and the sons of Israel swore an oath to them. But Saul sought to strike them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And by what means shall I atone, and you shall bless the inheritance of the lord? 4 And [³said ⁴to him ¹the ²Gibeonites], There is not a problem with us over silver nor gold with Saul, and with his house; and there is no man for us to put to death from all Israel. 5 And he said, What you say even I will do for you. And they said to the king, The man who finished us off entirely, and pursued us, who misled to utterly destroy us, we shall remove him, so that [²is not ³established ¹he] in any border of Israel. 6 Give to us seven men from his sons, and we will hang them in the sun to the lord in Gibeah of Saul, chosen of the lord. And [³said ¹the ²king], I will give them. 7 And [³spared ¹the ²king] for Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, on account of the oath of the lord between them; even between David and between Jonathan the son of Saul.

The Gibeonites Hang Saul's Sons

8 And [³took ¹the ²king] the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul -- Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholahite. 9 And he gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites. And they hung them in the sun in the mountain before the lord. And they fell there the seven together. And they were put to death in days of harvest at first, at the beginning [²harvest ¹of the barley]. 10 And [⁴took ¹Rizpah ²daughter ³of Aiah] sackcloth, and she strew a bed for herself upon the rock from the beginning [²harvest ¹of the barley] until of which time [²dripped ³upon ⁴them ¹waters] from God from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the heaven to rest upon them by day, nor the wild beasts of the field by night. 11 And it was reported to David all as much as [⁶did ¹Rizpah ²daughter ³of Aiah ⁴concubine ⁵of Saul]. 12 And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabish Gilead, of the ones stealing them from the square of Beth-shan, [³hanging ⁴them ⁵there ¹of the ²Philistines] in the day in which [³struck ¹the ²Philistines] Saul in Gilboa. 13 And he bore from there the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and he gathered the bones of the ones hanging in the sun. 14 And he entombed the bones of Saul, and of Jonathan his son, and the bones of the ones being expose to the sun, in the land of Benjamin, in the side of the hill, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all as much as [³gave charge ¹the ²king]. And God heeded to the land after these things.

David Wars with the Philistines

15 And there was still war against the Philistines with Israel. And David went down and his servants with him, and they waged war with the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16 And Ishbi of Nob, who was among the progeny of Rapha, and the weight of his spear was three hundred shekels scale-weight of brass, and he being girded with a truncheon, even considered to strike David. 17 And [⁴helped ⁵him ¹Abishai ²son ³of Zeruiah], and he struck the Philistine and killed him. Then [⁴swore by an oath ¹the ²men ³of David], saying, You shall not come forth still with us into battle, that in no way [⁴should be extinguished ¹the ²lamp ³of Israel]. 18 And it came to pass after these things war was still with the Philistines in Nob. Then [⁴struck ¹Sibbechai ²the ³Hushathite] the ones assembling of the descendants of the giants. 19 And there was still war with the Philistines in Nob. And [⁶struck ¹Elhanan ²son ³of Jaareoregim ⁴the ⁵Beth-lehemite] Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear was as the beam of a loom of one weaving. 20 And there was still war in Gath. And there was a man of Madon, and the fingers of his hands, and the toes of his feet were six and six, twenty-four in number; and indeed he was born to Rapha. 21 And he berated Israel, and [⁶struck ⁷him ¹Jonathan ²son ³of Shimea ⁴brother ⁵of David]. 22 These four were born to descendants of the giants in Gath, to the [²of Rapha ¹house]. And they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.