Old Testament · 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 21

David Avenges the Gibeonites

1And there was a famine in the days of David, three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and for the house of bloods, because he put to death the Gibeonites."

2And the king called to the Gibeonites and said to them — now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them, but Saul sought to strike them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah —

3and David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

4And the Gibeonites said to him, "We have no silver or gold with Saul or with his house, and there is no man^a for us to put to death in Israel." And he said, "What you say, I will do for you."

5And they said to the king, "The man who consumed us, and who devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in all the territory of Israel — 6let seven men of his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."

7But the king had compassion on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8And the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9and he gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

10And Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water poured upon them from the heavens; and she did not allow the bird of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the living thing^b of the field by night.

11And it was told to David what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the masters of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines struck Saul on Gilboa;

13and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded^c. And after this God was entreated for the land.

Four Battles against the Philistines

(1 Chronicles 20:4–8)

15And there was again war for the Philistines with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and they fought against the Philistines; and David grew weary.

16And Ishbi-benob, who was of the children of the Rapha, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, and he was girded with new armor, said he would strike down David. 17But Abishai son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, that you not quench the lamp of Israel."

18And it came to pass after this that there was again war at Gob with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck Saph, who was of the children of the Rapha.

19And there was again war at Gob with the Philistines; and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Beth-lehemite struck Goliath the Gittite, and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.

20And there was again war at Gath; and there was a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands and the fingers of his feet were six and six, twenty-four in number; and he too was born to the Rapha. 21And he taunted Israel; and Jonathan son of Shimea, David's brother, struck him.

22These four were born to the Rapha in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.