1
And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for◦ Saul and for◦ the house of blood, because he put··to··death the Gibeonites.
2
And the king called to the Gibeonites, and said to▵ them◦ (and the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, for they were of the remnant of the Amorite; and the sons of Israel had promised unto them◦; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah);
3
and David said unto▵ the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make··atonement that you may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
4
And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul or of his house; neither is it for us to··put··to··death any man◦ in Israel. And he said, What you◦ shall say, I will do for you.
5
And they said to▵ the king, The man◦ that consumed· us ·all, and that considered against us, that we should be blotted··out from standing··forth in all the border of Israel,
6
let seven men◦ from his sons be given to us, and we will hang· them ·up to Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I◦ will give.
7
And the king pitied Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan◦ the son of Saul, because of the promise of Jehovah that was between them, between David and Jonathan◦ the son of Saul.
8
And the king took the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Ajah, whom she gave··birth for Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she gave··birth for Adriel the son of Barzillai, the Meholathite:
9
and he gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged· them ·up on the mountain before Jehovah. And they fell, seven together; and they◦ were··put··to··death in the days of harvest in the beginning◦, at the start of the barley harvest.
10
And Rizpah the daughter of Ajah took sackcloth and stretched· it ·out for herself upon the rock from the start of harvest until the water poured··out on them from the heavens; and she let not the fowl of the heavens rest upon them by··day, nor◦ the wild··animal of the field by night.
11
And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Ajah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12
And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan◦ his son, from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the avenue of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them on◦ the day when the Philistines had smitten Saul in Gilboa:
13
and he brought··up from thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan◦ his son; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged··up.
14
And they buried the bones of Saul and of Jonathan◦ his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; and they did all that the king commanded. And after that, God was supplicated for the land.
15
And the Philistines had war yet··again with◦ Israel; and David went··down, and his servants with him, and fought with◦ the Philistines; and David was··faint.
16
And Ishbo-benob, who was among those born of the Rephaim, and the weight of whose spear head was three hundred of bronze in weight, and he◦ being girded with new armor, said he would smite David.
17
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and he smote the Philistine and put· him ·to··death. Then the men◦ of David promised unto him, saying, Thou shalt go· no◦ more◦ ·out with◦ us to battle, and shalt not quench the lamp of Israel.
18
And it was, after this, that there was yet··again a battle in Gob with the Philistines. Then Shibbechai, the Hushathite, smote Saph, who was among those born of the Rephaim.
19
And there was still a battle in Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, smote Goliath the Gittite; and the wood of his spear was as a beam◦ of a weaver.
20
And there was yet a battle in Gath; and there was a man◦ of measure, and the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet were six and six, twenty and four in number; and he◦ also was··born to the Rephaim.
21
And he reproached Israel, and Jonathan◦ the son of Shimea, the brother of David, smote him.
22
These four were··born to the Rephaim in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
