2 Samuel 8

David’s Victories

1 aAfter this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took bMetheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 cAnd he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites dbecame servants to David and ebrought tribute.

3David also defeated fHadadezer the son of Rehob, king of gZobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 hAnd David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David ihamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 jAnd when the kSyrians of Damascus came to help lHadadezer king of mZobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians nbecame servants to David and brought tribute. oAnd the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7And David took pthe shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9When Toi king of qHamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 rThese also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12from Edom, sMoab, tthe Ammonites, uthe Philistines, vAmalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of wZobah.

13And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in xthe Valley of Salt. 14Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, yand all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Officials

15So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 zJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and aaJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17and abZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and acSeraiah was secretary, 18and adBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over
Compare 20:23, 1 Chronicles 18:17, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks  was over
the afCherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

2 Samuel 21

David Avenges the Gibeonites

1Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David agsought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but ahof the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless aithe heritage of the Lord?” 4The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at ajGibeah of Saul, akthe chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

7But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of althe oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8The king took the two sons of amRizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab
Two Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Michal
the daughter of Saul, whom aoshe bore to apAdriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite;
9and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, aqat the beginning of barley harvest.

10 arThen Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, aswho had stolen them from the public square of atBeth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in auZela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that avGod responded to the plea for the land.

War with the Philistines

15There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. 16And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants awof the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels
A  shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David.
17But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, ay“You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench azthe lamp of Israel.”

18 baAfter this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then bbSibbecai bcthe Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants bdof the giants. 19And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and beElhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, bfthe shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
Contrast 1 Chronicles 20:5, which may preserve the original reading
20And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended bhfrom the giants. 21And when bihe taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down. 22These four were descended bjfrom the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

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