2 SamuelChapter 21

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¹While David was king, there was a famine for three years in a row. So David asked the LORD about it. The LORD said, "It is because of the blood that Saul and his family spilled, because he killed the Gibeonites." ²So David called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (The Gibeonites were not Israelites. They were what was left of the Amorites. The Israelites had made a promise with an oath to spare them. But Saul tried to kill them because he was so eager to help Israel and Judah.) ³David asked the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I make up for this wrong, so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" ⁴The Gibeonites said to him, "We don't want silver or gold from Saul or his family. And we don't want you to put anyone in Israel to death for us." David answered, "I will do whatever you ask." ⁵They answered the king, "There was a man who tried to wipe us out. He made plans against us to destroy us, so we would not be left anywhere in Israel's land. ⁶So let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us. We will hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the LORD's chosen one." The king said, "I will give them to you." ⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul. He did this because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth. They were the two sons that Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul. He also took the five sons that Saul's daughter Merab had borne to Adriel. Adriel was the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹He handed them over to the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them died together. They were put to death in the first days of the harvest, when the barley harvest began. ¹⁰Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. She stayed there from the start of the harvest until rain poured down from the sky on the bodies. By day she kept the birds from landing on them. By night she kept the wild animals away. ¹¹David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul's concubine, had done. ¹²So he went and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead. Those men had stolen them from the town square of Beth-shan. The Philistines had hung the bodies there after they killed Saul at Gilboa. ¹³So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there. They also gathered up the bones of the men who had been hanged. ¹⁴They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela, in the land of Benjamin. They put them in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. They did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered their prayers for the land. ¹⁵Once again the Philistines went to war against Israel. David and his servants went down and fought the Philistines. But David became worn out. ¹⁶Then Ishbi-benob made up his mind to kill David. He was a descendant of Rapha. His bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels. He was carrying a new sword.a ¹⁷But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to help David. He struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men made him promise with an oath. They said, "You must never go out with us to battle again, so that the lamp of Israel will not go out." ¹⁸Some time later there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha. ¹⁹There was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver's beam.b ²⁰There was also a battle at Gath. A very large man was there. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. That made twenty-four in all. He too was a descendant of Rapha. ²¹He made fun of Israel. So Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was the son of Shimei, David's brother. ²²These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath. They were killed by David and his servants.