2 Samuel 21

New International Version

The Gibeonites Avenged

21 During the reign of David, there was a famine^(A) for three successive years; so David sought^(B) 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.”

²The king summoned the Gibeonites^(C) 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.) ³David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”^(D)

⁴The 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.”^(E)

“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.

⁵They 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, ⁶let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed^(F) before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen^(G) one.”

So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

⁷The king spared Mephibosheth^(H) son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath^(I) before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,^(J) whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,^[a] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.^(K) ⁹He 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^(L) during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.^(M)

¹⁰Rizpah 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.^(N) ¹¹When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, ¹²he went and took the bones of Saul^(O) and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.^(P) (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan,^(Q) where the Philistines had hung^(R) them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)^(S) ¹³David 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.

¹⁴They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela^(T) in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,^(U) God answered prayer^(V) in behalf of the land.^(W)

Wars Against the Philistines^(X)

¹⁵Once again there was a battle between the Philistines^(Y) and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. ¹⁶And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels^[b] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. ¹⁷But Abishai^(Z) 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^(AA) of Israel will not be extinguished.^(AB)”

¹⁸In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai^(AC) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

¹⁹In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair^[c] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of^[d] Goliath the Gittite,^(AD) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.^(AE)

²⁰In 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. ²¹When he taunted^(AF) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,^(AG) David’s brother, killed him.

²²These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

Footnotes

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.

Proverbs 30

New International Version

Sayings of Agur

30 The sayings^(A) of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

“I am weary, God,
    but I can prevail.^[a]
²Surely I am only a brute, not a man;
    I do not have human understanding.
³I have not learned wisdom,
    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.^(B)
⁴Who has gone up^(C) to heaven and come down?
    Whose hands^(D) have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters^(E) in a cloak?^(F)
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name,^(G) and what is the name of his son?
    Surely you know!

⁵“Every word of God is flawless;^(H)
he is a shield^(I) to those who take refuge in him.
⁶Do not add^(J) to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

⁷“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
⁸Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.^(K)
⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and disown^(L) you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’^(M)
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.^(N)

¹⁰“Do not slander a servant to their master,
or they will curse you, and you will pay for it.

¹¹“There are those who curse their fathers
    and do not bless their mothers;^(O)
¹²those who are pure in their own eyes^(P)
    and yet are not cleansed of their filth;^(Q)
¹³those whose eyes are ever so haughty,^(R)
    whose glances are so disdainful;
¹⁴those whose teeth^(S) are swords
    and whose jaws are set with knives^(T)
to devour^(U) the poor^(V) from the earth
    and the needy from among mankind.^(W)

¹⁵“The leech has two daughters.
‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,^(X)
    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:
¹⁶the grave,^(Y) the barren womb,
    land, which is never satisfied with water,
    and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

¹⁷“The eye that mocks^(Z) a father,
that scorns an aged mother,
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
will be eaten by the vultures.^(AA)

¹⁸“There are three things that are too amazing for me,
    four that I do not understand:
¹⁹the way of an eagle in the sky,
    the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
    and the way of a man with a young woman.

²⁰“This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth
and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’^(AB)

²¹“Under three things the earth trembles,
    under four it cannot bear up:
²²a servant who becomes king,^(AC)
    a godless fool who gets plenty to eat,
²³a contemptible woman who gets married,
    and a servant who displaces her mistress.

²⁴“Four things on earth are small,
    yet they are extremely wise:
²⁵Ants are creatures of little strength,
    yet they store up their food in the summer;^(AD)
²⁶hyraxes^(AE) are creatures of little power,
    yet they make their home in the crags;
²⁷locusts^(AF) have no king,
    yet they advance together in ranks;
²⁸a lizard can be caught with the hand,
    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

²⁹“There are three things that are stately in their stride,
    four that move with stately bearing:
³⁰a lion, mighty among beasts,
    who retreats before nothing;
³¹a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
    and a king secure against revolt.^[b]

³²“If you play the fool and exalt yourself,
    or if you plan evil,
    clap your hand over your mouth!^(AG)
³³For as churning cream produces butter,
    and as twisting the nose produces blood,
    so stirring up anger produces strife.”

Footnotes

Proverbs 30:1 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text utterance to Ithiel, / to Ithiel and Ukal:
Proverbs 30:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.