¹ And the son of Saul^* heard that Abner was·​·dead in Hebron, and his hands were·​·slack and all in Israel were vexed.

² And for the son of Saul were two men^◦, commanders^◦ of troops; the name of the one was Baanah and the name of the second was Rechab, sons of Rimmon, the Beerothite, from the sons of Benjamin, for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin.

³ And the Beerothites ran·​·away to^▫ Gittaim, and are sojourners there even·​·to this day.

⁴ And Jonathan^◦, the son of Saul, had^◦ a son crippled in both·​·feet; he was a son of five years when the report of Saul and Jonathan^◦ came from Jezreel, and she who cared·​·for him lifted· him ·up and fled; and it was, in her rush to flee, that he fell, and became·​·lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

⁵ And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about^◦ the heat of the day to^▵ the house of Ish-bosheth, and he^◦ lay on a bed at noon.

⁶ And they^◦ came to^◦ the midst of the house to take wheat, and they smote him to^▵ the fifth^*, and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

⁷ And they came into the house, and he^◦ was lying on his bed^◦ in his bed chamber, and they smote him and put· him ·to·​·death, and they removed his head, and took his head and went by the way of the desert all the night.

⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to^▵ David to Hebron, and said to^▵ the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, who sought·​·after thy soul, and Jehovah gave to my lord the king vengeance this day of Saul and of his seed.

⁹ And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, As Jehovah lives who has ransomed my soul out·​·of all adversity,

¹⁰ when^◦ one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is·​·dead, and he^◦ was in his own eyes as one bringing· good ·tidings, then I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which is what I gave to him for the tidings.

¹¹ How·​·much·​·more·​·then, when wicked men^◦ have killed a just man^◦ in his house upon his bed, and now should I not seek his blood from your hand, and sweep· you ·away from the earth?

¹² And David commanded the lads and they killed them and chopped·​·off their hands and their feet, and hanged them by^◦ the pool of Hebron. But the head of Ish-bosheth they took and buried in the grave of Abner in Hebron.