2 Samuel 19-21
Complete Jewish Bible
19 (18:33) Trembling, the king went up to the room over the gate, weeping and crying, “Oh, my son Avshalom! My son! My son Avshalom! If only I had died instead of you! Oh, Avshalom, my son, my son!”
2 (1) Yo’av was told, “The king is weeping, mourning for Avshalom.” 3 (2) Thus the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day that the king was grieving for his son; 4 (3) so that the people entered the city furtively that day, the way that people who are ashamed creep away when fleeing a battlefield. 5 (4) Meanwhile, the king covered his face and cried aloud, “Oh, my son Avshalom! Oh, Avshalom, my son, my son!”
6 (5) Yo’av went inside to the king and said, “Today you made all your servants feel ashamed. They saved your life today, and the lives of your sons, daughters, wives and concubines. 7 (6) But you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. Today you said that princes and servants mean nothing to you — for I can see today that it would have pleased you more if Avshalom had lived today, and we had all died! 8 (7) Now get up, go out and speak heart-to-heart with your servants. For I swear by Adonai that if you don’t go out, not one man will stay here with you tonight — and that will be worse for you than all the misfortunes you have suffered from your youth until now.” 9 (8) So the king got up and sat in the city gateway; and when all the people were told, “Now the king is sitting in the gate,” they came before the king.
Meanwhile, Isra’el had fled, each man to his tent; 10 (9) and throughout all the tribes of Isra’el there was dissension among all the people. They were saying, “The king delivered us from the power of our enemies, and he saved us from the power of the P’lishtim; but now he has fled the land to escape Avshalom. 11 (10) However, Avshalom, whom we anointed to rule us, is dead in battle. So now, why doesn’t anyone suggest bringing the king back?”
12 (11) King David sent this message to Tzadok and Evyatar the cohanim: “Ask the leaders of Y’hudah, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his palace? The king has already heard that all Isra’el wants to return him to his palace. 13 (12) You are my kinsmen, my flesh and bone; so why are you the last to bring back the king?’ 14 (13) Also tell ‘Amasa, ‘You are my flesh and bone. May God bring terrible curses on me and worse ones yet if from now on you are not permanent commander of my army instead of Yo’av.” 15 (14) Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Y’hudah around as if they were one man, so that they sent a message to the king, “Come back, you and all your servants!”
16 (15) The king started back and arrived at the Yarden, while Y’hudah came to Gilgal in order to meet the king and bring the king over the Yarden. 17 (16) Shim‘i the son of Gera, the Binyamini from Bachurim, hurried and came down with the men of Y’hudah to meet King David. 18 (17) There were a thousand men of Binyamin with him, also Tziva the servant of the house of Sha’ul with his fifteen sons and twenty servants; and they rushed into the Yarden ahead of the king 19 (18) to ferry the king’s household across and do whatever else the king wanted done. Shim‘i the son of Gera fell down before the king when he was ready to cross the Yarden 20 (19) and said to the king, “May my lord not hold me guilty of a crime. Don’t remember the wrong your servant did on the day my lord the king left Yerushalayim. May the king not take it to heart! 21 (20) For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, look — I am the first one of all the house of Yosef to come today and go down to meet my lord the king.”
22 (21) Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah answered, “Shouldn’t Shim‘i be put to death for this? After all, he cursed Adonai’s anointed ruler!” 23 (22) But David said, “What do I have in common with you, you sons of Tz’ruyah? Why have you become my adversaries today? Should anyone in Isra’el be put to death today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Isra’el?” 24 (23) Then the king said to Shim‘i, “You will not be put to death,” and the king swore it to him.
25 (24) M’fivoshet the son of Sha’ul came down to meet the king. He hadn’t cared for his legs, trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the day he came home in peace. 26 (25) When he came to Yerushalayim to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why didn’t you go with me, M’fivoshet?” 27 (26) He answered, “My lord king, my servant deceived me. I your servant had said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself to ride on and go with the king,’ since your servant is lame. 28 (27) But he slandered me your servant to my lord the king. However, my lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever seems right to you. 29 (28) For all my father’s household deserved death at the hand of my lord the king; nevertheless you placed your servant with those who eat at your own table. I deserve nothing more; so why should I come crying any more to the king?” 30 (29) The king said to him, “Why speak any more about these matters of yours? I say: you and Tziva, divide the land.” 31 (30) M’fivoshet said to the king, “Indeed, let him take it all; for me it’s enough that my lord the king has come home in peace.”
32 (31) Barzillai the Gil‘adi had come down from Roglim and passed on to the Yarden with the king to bring him across the Yarden. 33 (32) Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old; he had provided for the king’s needs when he was staying at Machanayim; for he was a wealthy man. 34 (33) The king said to Barzillai, “Come on across with me, and I will provide for your needs with me in Yerushalayim.” 35 (34) Barzillai said to the king, “How much longer can I live, that I should go up with the king to Yerushalayim? 36 (35) I am now eighty years old. Can I tell good from bad? Can your servant even taste what he eats or drinks? Can I hear the voice of men and women singing any more? Why should your servant burden my lord the king? 37 (36) Your servant only wants to cross the Yarden with the king; why should the king reward this so generously? 38 (37) Please, just let your servant go back and die in my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Khimham; let him cross with my lord the king; and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 39 (38) The king answered, “Khimham will cross with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. Whatever you ask of me, I will do for you.” 40 (39) So all the people crossed the Yarden; and the king crossed too. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him; then he returned to his home. 41 (40) The king crossed over to Gilgal, and Khimham crossed with him. All the people of Y’hudah brought the king across, as did half the people of Isra’el.
42 (41) Now all the men of Isra’el came to the king and said to him, “Why have our kinsmen, the men of Y’hudah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household across the Yarden, and all David’s men with him?” 43 (42) All the men of Y’hudah answered the men of Isra’el, “Because the king is our close relative. Why are you angry about this? Have we eaten anything at the king’s expense? Has any gift been given to us?”
44 (43) The men of Isra’el answered the men of Y’hudah, “We have ten shares in the king; also we have more right in David than you. So why did you despise us? Weren’t we the first to suggest bringing our king back?” But the men of Y’hudah spoke more vehemently than the men of Isra’el.
20 There happened to be there a scoundrel whose name was Sheva the son of Bikhri, a Binyamini. He sounded the shofar and said, “We have no share in David, no inheritance in the son of Yishai; so, Isra’el, every man to his tent!” 2 All the men of Isra’el left off following David and went after Sheva the son of Bikhri. But the men of Y’hudah stuck with their king, from the Yarden to Yerushalayim.
3 When David arrived at his palace in Yerushalayim, the king took the ten women who were his concubines, whom he had left to care for the palace, and put them under guard. He provided for their needs but never slept with them again. They were kept in confinement until the day of their death, living like widows with their husband still alive.
4 The king said to ‘Amasa, “Summon the men of Y’hudah to come to me within three days; and you, be here too.” 5 ‘Amasa went to summon the men of Y’hudah but took longer than the time he had been given. 6 David said to Avishai, “Sheva the son of Bikhri is going to do us more harm than Avshalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he won’t take over fortified cities and escape us.” 7 With him went Yo’av’s men, the K’reti, the P’leti and all the experienced soldiers; they left Yerushalayim in pursuit of Sheva the son of Bikhri.
8 On arrival at the big rock in Giv‘on, ‘Amasa came to meet them. Yo’av was wearing his battle clothes, over which he had girded a belt with a sheathed sword; but as he came forward it fell out. 9 Yo’av said to ‘Amasa, “Is it going well with you, my brother? Then, with his right hand, Yo’av took ‘Amasa by the beard to kiss him. 10 ‘Amasa took no notice of the sword in Yo’av’s hand, so Yo’av stabbed him in the groin. His insides poured out on the ground, and he died without being stabbed a second time.
Yo’av and Avishai his brother continued in pursuit of Sheva the son of Bikhri. 11 One of Yo’av’s young men standing by Yo’av said, “Whoever is on Yo’av’s side, whoever is for David — let him follow Yo’av.” 12 ‘Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road; so that as the troops came up, they all halted there. When the man saw that all the people were standing still, he dragged ‘Amasa off the road into the field and threw a cloak over him. 13 Once he had been removed from the road, all the troops went on after Yo’av, to pursue Sheva the son of Bikhri.
14 Sheva went through all the tribes of Isra’el, to Avel and Beit-Ma‘akhah, and to all the Berim; they assembled and followed him. 15 Yo’av’s troops came and put him under siege in Avel of Beit-Ma‘akhah — they put up a ramp in the moat against the city wall; and all the people with Yo’av battered the wall in order to bring it down. 16 Then a wise woman in the city shouted, “Listen! Listen! Please tell Yo’av, ‘Come over here, so that I can speak with you.’” 17 He approached her, and the woman asked, “Are you Yo’av?” He answered, “I am.” She said to him, “Listen to what your servant has to say.” He answered, “I’m listening.” 18 Then she said, “In the old days they used to say, ‘They will ask advice at Avel’; and that would end the discussion. 19 We are among those in Isra’el who are peaceful and faithful. Why are you destroying a city and a mother in Isra’el? Why swallow up the inheritance of Adonai?” 20 Yo’av answered, “Heaven forbid! Heaven forbid that I should swallow or destroy anything! 21 That’s not how it is. Rather, a man from the hills of Efrayim, Sheva the son of Bikhri, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Just turn him over to me, and I will leave the city.” The woman said to Yo’av, “All right, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise plan. They cut off the head of Sheva the son of Bikhri and threw it out to Yo’av. So he sounded the shofar, and they left the city, sending each man to his tent; while Yo’av returned to the king in Yerushalayim.
23 Once again Yo’av was commander over the whole army of Isra’el, while B’nayah the son of Y’hoyada was over the K’reti and P’leti, 24 Adoram was in charge of forced labor, Y’hoshafat the son of Achilud was secretary of state, 25 Sh’va was recorder, Tzadok and Evyatar were cohanim, 26 and ‘Ira the Ya’iri was David’s cohen.
21 In David’s time there was a famine that lasted three years, and David consulted Adonai. Adonai said, “It is because of Sha’ul and his bloodstained house, because he put to death the people of Giv‘on.” 2 The king summoned the Giv‘onim and said to them — these Giv‘onim were not part of the people of Isra’el but from the remnant of the Emori; and the people of Isra’el had sworn to them; but Sha’ul, in his zeal for the people of Isra’el and Y’hudah, had sought to exterminate them — 3 David said to the Giv‘onim, “What should I do for you? With what should I make atonement, so that you will be able to bless Adonai’s heritage?” 4 The Giv‘onim said to him, “Our dispute with Sha’ul can’t be resolved with silver or gold; and we don’t have the right to put anyone in Isra’el to death.” He said, “So, what do you say that I should do for you?” 5 They answered the king, “The man who ruined us, who schemed against us so that we would cease to exist anywhere in Isra’el’s territory — 6 have seven of his male descendants handed over to us, and we will put them to death by hanging before Adonai in Giv‘ah of Sha’ul, whom Adonai chose.” The king said, “I will hand them over.” 7 But the king spared M’fivoshet, the son of Y’honatan the son of Sha’ul, because of the oath before Adonai between David and Y’honatan the son of Sha’ul. 8 The king took the two sons of Ritzpah the daughter of Ayah, whom she bore to Sha’ul, Armoni and M’fivoshet; and the five sons of Mikhal the daughter of Sha’ul, whom she bore to Adri’el the son of Barzillai the Mecholati; 9 and handed them over to the Giv‘onim, who hanged them on the hill before Adonai. All seven died; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest season, at the beginning of the barley harvest. 10 Ritzpah the daughter of Ayah took sackcloth, spread it out toward a cliff for herself and stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until water was poured out on the bodies from the sky, not letting the birds land on them during the day or the wild animals at night.
11 David was told what Ritzpah the daughter of Ayah, the concubine of Sha’ul, had done. 12 So David went and took the bones of Sha’ul and the bones of Y’honatan his son from the men of Yavesh-Gil‘ad, who had stolen them from the open square of Beit-Sh’an, where the P’lishtim had hanged them at the time the P’lishtim had killed Sha’ul at Gilboa; 13 and he brought up from there the bones of Sha’ul and the bones of Y’honatan his son. They also gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 Then they buried the bones of Sha’ul and Y’honatan his son in the territory of Binyamin in Tzela, in the tomb of Kish his father; they did everything the king ordered. Only after that was God prevailed on to show mercy to the land.
15 Once again the P’lishtim made war on Isra’el. David went down with his servants and fought against the P’lishtim, but David began to get tired. 16 Yishbi-B’nov, one of the sons of the giant, said that he would kill David; his spear weighed seven pounds, and he was wearing new armor. 17 But Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah came to David’s rescue by striking the P’lishti and killing him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must no longer go out with us to battle, in order not to quench the lamp of Isra’el.” 18 A while after this there was again war with the P’lishtim, at Gov. Sibkhai the Hushati killed Saf, one of the sons of the giant. 19 There was more war with the P’lishtim at Gov; and Elchanan the son of Ya‘arei-Orgim, the Beit-Lachmi, killed Golyat the Gitti, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s beam. 20 There was again war at Gat, where there was a belligerent man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot — twenty-four in all — and he too was a son of the giant. 21 When he mocked Isra’el, Y’honatan the son of Shim‘ah David’s brother killed him. 22 These four were sons of the giant in Gat; they fell at the hands of David and his servants.
Shmuel Bais 19-21
Orthodox Jewish Bible
19 And it was told Yoav, Hinei, HaMelech weepeth and mourneth for Avshalom.
2 (3) And the teshu’ah (salvation, deliverance) on that day was turned into evel (mourning) unto kol HaAm; for the people heard say that day how HaMelech was grieved for bno.
3 (4) And the people stole that day into the Ir [Machanayim] as people being ashamed steal in when they flee in milchamah.
4 (5) But HaMelech covered his face, and HaMelech cried with a kol gadol, O beni Avshalom, O Avshalom, beni, beni!
5 (6) And Yoav came into the bais to HaMelech, and said, Thou hast disgraced this day the faces of all thy avadim, which this day have saved thy nefesh, and the nefesh of thy banim and of thy banot, and the nefesh of thy nashim, and the nefesh of thy pilagshim (concubines);
6 (7) In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou hast no regard for sarim nor avadim; for this day I perceive, that if Avshalom had lived, and this day all we were mesim (dead ones), then it would have been yashar in thy sight.
7 (8) Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak to the lev unto thy avadim; for I swear by Hashem, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one ish with thee halailah (this night); and that will be worse unto thee than kol hara’ah that befell thee from thy youth until now.
8 (9) Then HaMelech arose, and sat in the sha’ar. And they told unto kol haAm, saying, Hinei, HaMelech doth sit in the sha’ar. And kol haAm came before HaMelech: for Yisroel had fled every ish to his ohel.
9 (10) And kol haAm were having dissension throughout kol Shivtei Yisroel saying, HaMelech saved us out of the palm of oyveinu (our enemies) and he delivered us out of the palm of the Pelishtim; and now he is fled from HaAretz because of Avshalom.
10 (11) And Avshalom, whom mashachnu (we anointed) over us, is dead in milchamah. Now therefore why are ye not speaking of bringing back HaMelech?
11 (12) And Dovid HaMelech sent to Tzadok and to Evyatar the kohanim, saying, Speak unto the Ziknei Yehudah, saying, Why are ye the last ones to bring HaMelech back to his Bais? Seeing the talk of kol Yisroel is come to HaMelech, even to his Bais.
12 (13) Ye are my brethren, ye are my atzmot and my basar; why then are ye the last ones to bring back HaMelech?
13 (14) And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my etzem, and of my basar? Elohim do so to me, and more also, if thou be not sar tzava before me continually in place of Yoav.
14 (15) And he swayed the levav kol Ish Yehudah, even as the lev of one man; so that they sent this word unto HaMelech, Return thou, and all thy avadim.
15 (16) So HaMelech returned, and came to Yarden. And Yehudah came to Gilgal, to go to meet HaMelech, to conduct HaMelech over Yarden.
16 (17) And Shimei Ben Gera, a Ben HaYemini, which was of Bachurim, hasted and came down with the Ish Yehudah to meet Dovid HaMelech.
17 (18) And there were an elef ish of Binyamin with him, and Tziva the na’ar of the Bais Sha’ul, and his fifteen banim and his twenty avadim with him; and they went over Yarden before HaMelech.
18 (19) And there went over a ferry to carry over the Bais HaMelech, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei Ben Gera fell down before HaMelech, as he was come over Yarden;
19 (20) And said unto HaMelech, Let not adoni impute avon (iniquity) unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy eved did perversely the day that adoni HaMelech went out of Yerushalayim, that HaMelech should take it to his lev.
20 (21) For thy eved doth know that I have sinned; therefore, hinei, I am come rishom (first) this day of all the Bais Yosef to go down to meet adoni HaMelech.
21 (22) But Avishai Ben Tzeruyah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Hashem’s Moshiach?
22 (23) And Dovid said, What have I to do with you, ye Bnei Tzeruyah, that ye should this day be as satan unto me? Shall there be ish put to death this day in Yisroel? For do not I know that I am this day Melech al Yisroel?
23 (24) Therefore HaMelech said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And HaMelech swore a shevu’a unto him.
24 (25) And Mephivoshet Ben Sha’ul came down to meet HaMelech, and had neither bathed his regal, nor trimmed his safam (mustache), nor washed his clothes, from the day HaMelech departed until the day he came again in shalom.
25 (26) And it came to pass, when he [Mephivoshet] was come to Yerushalayim to meet HaMelech, that HaMelech said unto him, why wentest not thou with me, Mephivoshet?
26 (27) And he answered, Adoni, O Melech, avdi deceived me: for thy eved said, I will saddle me a chamor, that I may ride thereon, and go to HaMelech; because thy eved is pise’ach (lame).
27 (28) And he hath slandered thy eved unto adoni HaMelech; but adoni HaMelech is like malach HaElohim; do therefore what is tov in thine eyes.
28 (29) For all of the bais avi were but anshei mavet before adoni HaMelech; yet didst thou set thy eved among them that did eat at thine own shulchan. What tzedakah (right) therefore have I yet to appeal any more unto HaMelech?
29 (30) And HaMelech said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy devarim? I have said, Thou and Tziva divide the sadeh.
30 (31) And Mephivoshet said unto HaMelech, Indeed, let him take all, forasmuch as adoni HaMelech is come again in shalom unto his own bais.
31 (32) And Barzillai the Gileadi came down from Roglim, and went over Yarden with HaMelech, to conduct him over Yarden.
32 (33) Now Barzillai was zaken me’od, even fourscore shanah; and he had been the support of HaMelech while he dwelt at Machanayim; for he was an ish gadol me’od.
33 (34) HaMelech said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and with me I will be your support in Yerushalayim.
34 (35) And Barzillai said unto HaMelech, How long have I to live, that I should go up with HaMelech to Yerushalayim?
35 (36) I am this day fourscore shanah old; and can I discern between tov and rah? Can thy eved taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of sharim (singing men) and sharot (singing women)? Why then should thy eved be yet a massa (burden) unto adoni HaMelech?
36 (37) Thy eved will go a little way over Yarden with HaMelech; and why should HaMelech reward me with such a reward?
37 (38) Let thy eved, now, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried near the kever of avi and of immi. But hinei thy eved Chimham [i.e., one of his sons, 1Kgs 2:7]; let him go over with adoni HaMelech; and do to him what shall seem tov unto thee.
38 (39) And HaMelech answered, Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him that which shall seem tov unto thee; and whatsoever thou shalt request of me, that will I do for thee.
39 (40) And kol haAm crossed over Yarden. And when HaMelech was come over, HaMelech kissed Barzillai, and put a bracha on him; and he returned unto his own makom (place, home).
40 (41) Then HaMelech went on to Gilgal, and Kimham crossed over with him; and kol Am Yehudah conducted HaMelech, and also half Am Yisroel.
41 (42) And, hinei, kol Ish Yisroel came to HaMelech, and said unto HaMelech, Why have acheinu Ish Yehudah stolen thee away, and have brought HaMelech across, and his Bais (household), and kol Anshei Dovid with him, over Yarden?
42 (43) And kol Ish Yehudah answered Ish Yisroel, Because HaMelech is near of kin to us; why then be ye angry for this matter? Have we eaten at all from HaMelech? Or hath he given us anything?
43 (44) And Ish Yisroel answered the Ish Yehudah, and said, We have ten shares as much in HaMelech, and we have also more in Dovid than ye; why then did ye slight us? Were we not the first to give the davar in bringing back my melech? And the devar Ish Yehudah were harsher than the devar Ish Yisroel.
20 And there happened to be there an ish Beliyaal [rebel], shmo Sheva Ben Bichri an ish from Binyamin; and he blew a shofar, and said, We have no chelek in Dovid, neither have we nachalah in Ben Yishai; every ish to his ohal, O Yisroel.
2 So kol Ish Yisroel went up from after Dovid, and followed Sheva Ben Bichri; but the Ish Yehudah had deveykus unto their Melech, from Yarden even to Yerushalayim.
3 And Dovid came to his Bais (palace) at Yerushalayim; and HaMelech took the ten nashim, his pilagshim, whom he had left to be shomer over the Bais, and put them in Bais Mishmeret (seclusion), and provided for them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto their yom mot, living in almenut (widowhood).
4 Then said HaMelech to Amasa, Assemble the Ish Yehudah within shloshet yamim; be thou here present.
5 So Amasa went to assemble Yehudah; but he tarried longer than the mo’ed which he had appointed him.
6 And Dovid said to Avishai, Now shall Sheva Ben Bichri do us more harm than did Avshalom; take thou the avadim of adoneicha, pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape us.
7 And there went out after him anshei Yoav, and the Kereti, and the Peleti, and kol Gibborim; and they went out of Yerushalayim, to pursue after Sheva Ben Bichri.
8 When they were at the Even Hagedolah (Great Stone) which is in Giveon, Amasa went before them. And Yoav’s military garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a khagor with a cherev fastened upon his waist in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out.
9 Yoav said to Amasa, Art thou in shalom, my brother? And Yoav took Amasa by the zaken (beard) with the right hand to kiss him.
10 But Amasa took no heed to the cherev that was in the yad Yoav; so he stabbed him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Yoav and Avishai achiv pursued after Sheva Ben Bichri.
11 And one of the nearim of Yoav stood by him, and said, He that favoreth Yoav, and he that is for Dovid, let him go after Yoav.
12 And Amasa wallowed in dahm in the midst of the mesilah (road). And when the ish saw that kol haAm halted, he removed Amasa out of the mesilah into the sadeh, and threw a beged (garment) over him, when he saw that every one that came by him halted.
13 When he was removed from the mesilah, kol haAm went on after Yoav, to pursue after Sheva Ben Bichri.
14 And he passed through all the Shivtei Yisroel unto Abel, and to Beit-Maachah, and all the Berim; and they were gathered together, and went also after him [Sheva].
15 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beit-Maachah, and they cast up a siege ramp against the Ir, until it stood by the rampart; and kol haAm that were with Yoav battered the chomah (wall), to throw it down.
16 Then cried an isha chachamah (wise woman) from the Ir, Hear, hear; say, now unto Yoav, Come here, that I may speak with thee.
17 And when he was come near unto her, the isha said, Art thou Yoav? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the devarim of thine amah. And he answered, I do hear.
18 Then she spoke, saying, They used to speak in rishonah (old times), saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel; and so they settled the matter.
19 I am one of them that are of shalom and of emunah in Yisroel; thou seekest to destroy an Ir and an em b’Yisroel; why wilt thou swallow up the nachalat Hashem?
20 And Yoav answered and said, Chalilah (far be it), chalilah from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
21 The matter is not so; but an ish of har Ephrayim, Sheva Ben Bichri shmo, hath lifted up his yad against HaMelech, even against Dovid; hand over him only, and I will depart from the Ir. And the woman said unto Yoav, Hinei, his rosh shall be thrown to thee from the chomah.
22 Then the isha went unto kol haAm in her chochmah. And they cut off the rosh of Sheva Ben Bichri, and threw it out to Yoav. And he blew a shofar, and they retired from the city, every ish to his ohel. And Yoav returned to Yerushalayim unto HaMelech.
23 Now Yoav was over kol HaTzava Yisroel; and Benayah Ben Yehoyada was over the Kereti and over the Peleti;
24 And Adoram was over the forced labor; and Yehoshaphat Ben Achilud was mazkir (secretary);
25 And Sheva was sofer; and Tzadok and Evyatar (Abiathar) were the kohanim;
26 And also Ira the Yairi was kohen to Dovid.
21 Then there was a ra’av (famine) in the days of Dovid shalosh shanim, shanah after shanah; and Dovid inquired of Hashem. And Hashem answered, It is on account of Sha’ul, and for his bais hadamim, because he slaughtered the Giveonim.
2 And HaMelech called the Giveonim, and said unto them; (now the Giveonim were not of the Bnei Yisroel, but of the remnant of the Emori; and the Bnei Yisroel had sworn unto them; and Sha’ul sought to annihilate them in his kinot (zeal) for the Bnei Yisroel and Yehudah.)
3 Therefore Dovid said unto the Giveonim, What shall I do for you? And wherewith shall I make the kapporah, that ye may bless the nachalat Hashem?
4 And the Giveonim said unto him, We will have no kesef nor zahav of Sha’ul, nor of his bais; neither for us shalt thou kill any ish in Yisroel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
5 And they answered HaMelech, The ish that consumed us, and that plotted against us that we should be made shmad from remaining in any of the territories of Yisroel,
6 Let shivah anashim of his banim be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Hashem in Giveah of Sha’ul, whom Hashem did choose. And HaMelech said, I will give them.
7 But HaMelech spared Mephivoshet Ben Yonatan Ben Sha’ul, because of Hashem’s shevua (oath) that was between them, between Dovid and Yonatan Ben Sha’ul.
8 But HaMelech took the two Bnei Ritzpah Bat Ayah, whom she bore unto Sha’ul, Armoni and Mephivoshet; and the five Bnei Michal [Merav] Bat Sha’ul, whom she bore to Adriel Ben Barzillai the Mecholati;
9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Giveonim, and they hanged them in the hill before Hashem; and they fell all shivah together and were put to death in the yamim of katzir (harvest), in the rishonim, in the beginning of katzir se’orim (barley harvest).
10 And Ritzpah Bat Ayah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the tzur, from the beginning of katzir until mayim dropped upon them out of Shomayim, and suffered neither the oph haShomayim to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the sadeh by night.
11 And it was told Dovid what Ritzpah Bat Ayah, the pilegesh (concubine) of Sha’ul, had done.
12 And Dovid went and took the atzmot Sha’ul and the atzmot Yonatan bno from the citizens of Yavesh-gilead, which had stolen them from the rechov (street) of Beit-shan, where the Pelishtim had hanged them, when the Pelishtim had slain Sha’ul in Gilboa;
13 And he brought up from there the atzmot Sha’ul and the atzmot Yonatan bno; and they gathered the atzmot of them that were hanged.
14 And the atzmot Sha’ul and Yonatan bno buried they in eretz Binyamin in Tzela, in the kever of Kish aviv; and they performed all that HaMelech commanded. And after that Elohim was entreated for the land.
15 Moreover the Pelishtim had yet milchamah again with Yisroel; and Dovid went down, and his avadim with him, and fought against the Pelishtim; and Dovid grew faint.
16 And Yishbi-benov, which was of the yeladim of Rafah (Giant), the weight of whose spearhead weighed three hundred shekels of nechoshet in weight, he being girded chadashah (belted anew), declared that he could slay Dovid.
17 But Avishai Ben Tzeruyah came to his aid, and struck the Pelishti (Philistine), and killed him. Then the anshei Dovid swore an oath unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to milchamah (battle), that thou quench not the Ner Yisroel (Lamp of Israel).
18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again milchamah with the Pelishtim at Gov; then Sibbechai the Chushati slaughtered Saph, which was of the banim of the Rafah.
19 And there was again milchamah in Gov with the Pelishtim, where Elchanan Ben Ya’arei-orgim, from Beit-Lechem, slaughtered the brother of Golyat (Goliath) the Gitti, the staff of whose khanit (spear) was like a weaver’s beam.
20 And there was yet again a milchamah in Gat, where was a man of great stature, that had on every yad six fingers, and on every regel six toes, four and twenty in mispar (number); and he also was born to the Rafah.
21 And when he defied Yisroel, Yonatan Ben Shimea the brother of Dovid slaughtered him.
22 These four were born to the Rafah in Gat, and fell by the yad Dovid, and by the yad of his avadim. [T.N. Kapporah is made here by that which is hanged unto Hashem—see 2Sm 21:3,6; Isa 53:10]
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International