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2 Samuel 20:14-22:20
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 20:14-22:20
English Standard Version
14 And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to (A)Abel of (B)Beth-maacah,[a] and all (C)the Bichrites[b] assembled and followed him in. 15 And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in (D)Abel of Beth-maacah. (E)They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down. 16 Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’” 17 And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.” 18 Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at (F)Abel,’ and so they settled a matter. 19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you (G)swallow up (H)the heritage of the Lord?” 20 Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should (I)swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not true. But a man of (J)the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people (K)in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, (L)every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23 (M)Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; 24 and (N)Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 25 and Sheva was secretary; and (O)Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and (P)Ira the Jairite was also David's priest.
David Avenges the Gibeonites
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David (Q)sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but (R)of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless (S)the heritage of the Lord?” 4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at (T)Gibeah of Saul, (U)the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of (V)the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of (W)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab[c] the daughter of Saul, whom (X)she bore to (Y)Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, (Z)at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 (AA)Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, (AB)who had stolen them from the public square of (AC)Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in (AD)Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that (AE)God responded to the plea for the land.
War with the Philistines
15 There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. 16 And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants (AF)of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels[d] of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, (AG)“You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench (AH)the lamp of Israel.”
18 (AI)After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then (AJ)Sibbecai (AK)the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants (AL)of the giants. 19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and (AM)Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, (AN)the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.[e] 20 And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended (AO)from the giants. 21 And when (AP)he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. 22 These four were descended (AQ)from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
David's Song of Deliverance
22 And David spoke (AR)to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 (AS)He said,
(AT)“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 (AU)my[f] God, my rock, (AV)in whom I take refuge,
(AW)my shield, and (AX)the horn of my salvation,
(AY)my stronghold and (AZ)my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is (BA)worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 (BB)“For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;[g]
6 (BC)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 (BD)“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry (BE)came to his ears.
8 “Then (BF)the earth reeled and rocked;
(BG)the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[h]
and devouring fire from his mouth;
(BH)glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 (BI)He bowed the heavens and (BJ)came down;
(BK)thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen on (BL)the wings of the wind.
12 He made (BM)darkness around him (BN)his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him
(BO)coals of fire flamed forth.
14 (BP)The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out (BQ)arrows and scattered them;
lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the (BR)blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 (BS)“He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
20 (BT)He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because (BU)he delighted in me.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 20:14 Compare 20:15; Hebrew and Beth-maacah
- 2 Samuel 20:14 Hebrew Berites
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Two Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts Michal
- 2 Samuel 21:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
- 2 Samuel 21:19 Contrast 1 Chronicles 20:5, which may preserve the original reading
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or terrified me
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Or in his wrath
2 Samuel 20:14-22:20
New International Version
2 Samuel 20:14-22:20
New International Version
14 Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites,[a](A) who gathered together and followed him. 15 All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah.(B) They built a siege ramp(C) up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16 a wise woman(D) called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he answered.
She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 We are the peaceful(E) and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?”(F)
20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”
The woman said to Joab, “His head(G) will be thrown to you from the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,(H) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
David’s Officials
23 Joab(I) was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram[b](J) was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat(K) son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok(L) and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite[c] was David’s priest.
The Gibeonites Avenged
21 During the reign of David, there was a famine(M) for three successive years; so David sought(N) the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
2 The king summoned the Gibeonites(O) and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”(P)
4 The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”(Q)
“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
5 They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed(R) before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen(S) one.”
So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
7 The king spared Mephibosheth(T) son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath(U) before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,(V) whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,[d] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.(W) 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death(X) during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.(Y)
10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.(Z) 11 When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul(AA) and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.(AB) (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan,(AC) where the Philistines had hung(AD) them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)(AE) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.
14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela(AF) in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,(AG) God answered prayer(AH) in behalf of the land.(AI)
Wars Against the Philistines(AJ)
15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines(AK) and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[e] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai(AL) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp(AM) of Israel will not be extinguished.(AN)”
18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai(AO) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[f] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of[g] Goliath the Gittite,(AP) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.(AQ)
20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted(AR) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,(AS) David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
David’s Song of Praise(AT)
22 David sang(AU) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock,(AV) my fortress(AW) and my deliverer;(AX)
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(AY)
my shield[h](AZ) and the horn[i](BA) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(BB) my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy(BC) of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves(BD) of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave(BE) coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress(BF) I called(BG) to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth(BH) trembled and quaked,(BI)
the foundations(BJ) of the heavens[j] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire(BK) came from his mouth,
burning coals(BL) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds(BM) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(BN) and flew;
he soared[k] on the wings of the wind.(BO)
12 He made darkness(BP) his canopy around him—
the dark[l] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning(BQ) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(BR) from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(BS) and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(BT) of the Lord,
at the blast(BU) of breath from his nostrils.
17 “He reached down from on high(BV) and took hold of me;
he drew(BW) me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued(BX) me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.(BY)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(BZ) place;
he rescued(CA) me because he delighted(CB) in me.(CC)
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
- 2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
- 2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and Septuagint manuscripts Michal
- 2 Samuel 21:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
- 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-Oregim.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of.
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
- 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.