2 Samuel 21
New Century Version
The Gibeonites Punish Saul’s Family
21 During the time David was king, there was a shortage of food that lasted for three years. So David prayed to the Lord.
The Lord answered, “Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for this shortage, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were a group of Amorites who were left alive. The Israelites had promised not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to kill them, because he was eager to help the people of Israel and Judah.)
King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them. 3 He asked, “What can I do for you? How can I make up for the harm done so you can bless the Lord’s people?”
4 The Gibeonites said to David, “We cannot demand silver or gold from Saul or his family. And we don’t have the right to kill anyone in Israel.”
Then David asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
5 The Gibeonites said, “Saul made plans against us and tried to destroy all our people who are left in the land of Israel. 6 So bring seven of his sons to us. Then we will kill them and hang them on stakes in the presence of the Lord at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the Lord’s chosen king.”
The king said, “I will give them to you.” 7 But the king protected Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the promise he had made to Jonathan in the Lord’s name. 8 The king did take Armoni and Mephibosheth,[a] sons of Rizpah and Saul. (Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah.) And the king took the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab. (Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite was the father of Merab’s five sons.) 9 David gave these seven sons to the Gibeonites. Then the Gibeonites killed them and hung them on stakes on a hill in the presence of the Lord. All seven sons died together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season at the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Aiah’s daughter Rizpah took the rough cloth that was worn to show sadness and put it on a rock for herself. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on her sons’ bodies. During the day she did not let the birds of the sky touch her sons’ bodies, and during the night she did not let the wild animals touch them.
11 People told David what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s slave woman, was doing. 12 Then David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the men of Jabesh Gilead. (The Philistines had hung the bodies of Saul and Jonathan in the public square of Beth Shan after they had killed Saul at Gilboa. Later the men of Jabesh Gilead had secretly taken them from there.) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from Gilead. Then the people gathered the bodies of Saul’s seven sons who were hanged on stakes. 14 The people buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in Benjamin in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. The people did everything the king commanded.
Then God answered the prayers for the land.
Wars with the Philistines
15 Again there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went out to fight the Philistines, but David became tired. 16 Ishbi-Benob, one of the sons of Rapha, had a bronze spearhead weighing about seven and one-half pounds and a new sword. He planned to kill David, 17 but Abishai son of Zeruiah killed the Philistine and saved David’s life.
Then David’s men made a promise to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle. If you were killed, Israel would lose its greatest leader.”
18 Later, at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another one of the sons of Rapha.
19 Later, there was another battle at Gob with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem killed Goliath[b] from Gath. His spear was as large as a weaver’s rod.
20 At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was one of the sons of Rapha. 21 When he challenged Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four sons of Rapha from Gath were killed by David and his men.
Footnotes
- 21:8 Mephibosheth This is not Jonathan’s son but another man with the same name.
- 21:19 Goliath In 1 Chronicles 20:5 he is called Lahmi, brother of Goliath.
2 Samuel 21
New King James Version
David Avenges the Gibeonites
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David (A)inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his [a]bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but (B)of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them (C)in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless (D)the inheritance of the Lord?”
4 And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.”
So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
5 Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6 let seven men of his descendants be delivered (E)to us, and we will hang them before the Lord (F)in Gibeah of Saul, (G)whom the Lord chose.”
And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared (H)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of (I)the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of (J)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of [b]Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she [c]brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill (K)before the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Now (L)Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, (M)from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of (N)Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of [d]Beth Shan, where the (O)Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in (P)Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that (Q)God heeded the prayer for the land.
Philistine Giants Destroyed(R)
15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16 Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of [e]the (S)giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. 17 But (T)Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, (U)“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the (V)lamp of Israel.”
18 (W)Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then (X)Sibbechai the Hushathite killed [f]Saph, who was one of the sons of [g]the giant. 19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where (Y)Elhanan the son of [h]Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed (Z)the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Yet again (AA)there was 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 born to [i]the giant. 21 So when he (AB)defied Israel, Jonathan the son of [j]Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.
22 (AC)These four were born to [k]the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Lit. house of bloodshed
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Merab, 1 Sam. 18:19; 25:44; 2 Sam. 3:14; 6:23
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Lit. bore to Adriel
- 2 Samuel 21:12 Beth Shean, Josh. 17:11
- 2 Samuel 21:16 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Sippai, 1 Chr. 20:4
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:19 Jair, 1 Chr. 20:5
- 2 Samuel 21:20 Or Rapha
- 2 Samuel 21:21 Shammah, 1 Sam. 16:9 and elsewhere
- 2 Samuel 21:22 Or Rapha
2 Samuel 21
Lexham English Bible
The Famine Brings Justice
21 There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David inquired of Yahweh,[a] and Yahweh said, “The bloodguilt is on Saul and on his household, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the Israelites;[b] they were from the remainder of the Amorites. Now the Israelites[c] had sworn to them,[d] but Saul tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the Israelites[e] and Judah. 3 So David asked the Gibeonites, “What can I do for you, and with what can I make amends that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?” 4 Then the Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter for us of[f] silver or gold with Saul or with his household. It is not for us to put to death anyone in Israel.” He asked, “What are you saying that I should do for you all?” 5 Then they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who plotted against us so that we were destroyed from existing in all of the territory of Israel, 6 let seven men from his sons be given over to us, and we will execute them before Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of Yahweh.” Then the king said, “I will give them over.” 7 But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the sworn oath of Yahweh which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took two of the sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, namely Armoni and Mephibosheth, and five of the sons of Michal the daughter of Saul whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they executed them on the mountain in the presence of Yahweh, and the seven fell together. Now they were put to death in the days of the harvest, at the beginning of the harvest of barley.
10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took the sackcloth, and she spread it for herself on the rock at the beginning of the harvest until water gushed forth on them from heaven, but she did not allow the birds of heaven to rest on them by day nor the animals of the field by night. 11 David was told about what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 So David left and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the rulers of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines hung them when[g] the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of the executed. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. They did all that the king had commanded, and afterward God was entreated for the land.
Battles with the Philistines Recounted
15 There was war again for the Philistines with Israel, and David and his servants with him went down, and they fought the Philistines, and David grew weary. 16 Now Yishbi in Nob, who was among the descendents of Raphah[h] (now the weight of his spearhead was three hundredweight of bronze, and he was newly armed), said that he would kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and he attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out with us any longer to the battle, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.”
18 It happened afterward that there was again battle at Gob with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph who was among the descendants of the Raphah.
19 There was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim, the Bethlehemite, killed Goliath[i] the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like the beam of a weaver.
20 Once again there was battle at Gath, and there was a man of great size.[j] The fingers of his hand and the toes of his feet were six and six, twenty-four in number. He was also born to the Raphah. 21 He taunted Israel but Jonathan the son of Shimei, the brother of David, killed him. 22 These four were born for the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Literally “sought the face of Yahweh”
- 2 Samuel 21:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 2 Samuel 21:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 2 Samuel 21:2 The treaty between Israel and the Gibeonites is found in Josh 9
- 2 Samuel 21:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 2 Samuel 21:4 Literally “There is not for me (Qere ‘us’)”
- 2 Samuel 21:12 Literally “on the day”
- 2 Samuel 21:16 The descendants of Raphah (i.e., the Rephaim) were thought to be giants
- 2 Samuel 21:19 In view of the account of David and Goliath in 1 Sam 17, it is likely that Elhanan actually killed the brother of Goliath, Lahmi, in 1 Chr 20:5
- 2 Samuel 21:20 Literally “a man of measurement”
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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