Ish-Boshet mördas

När Sauls son[a] hörde att Abner var död i Hebron tappade han allt mod, och hela Israel var skräckslaget. (A) Men Sauls son hade två män till befälhavare för sina plundringståg, den ene hette Baana och den andre Rekab. De var söner till Rimmon från Beerot och tillhörde Benjamins barn. Även Beerot räknas nämligen till Benjamin, (B) eftersom beerotiterna flydde till Gittajim och bodde sedan där som främlingar, vilket de gör än i dag.

(C) Jonatan, Sauls son, hade en son som var förlamad i fötterna. Han var fem år när nyheten om Saul och Jonatan kom från Jisreel. Hans sköterska tog honom och flydde, men när hon skyndade sig i väg föll han och blev halt. Han hette Mefiboshet[b].

Beerotiten Rimmons söner Rekab och Baana kom nu till Ish-Boshets hus när dagen var som hetast och Ish-Boshet låg och vilade middag. De tog sig in i huset som för att hämta vete och stack honom i magen, och sedan flydde Rekab och hans bror Baana. De hade tagit sig in i huset medan Ish-Boshet låg på sin bädd i sovrummet. När de hade stuckit ihjäl honom, högg de av honom huvudet. Därefter tog de hans huvud och gick genom Hedmarken hela natten. De kom med Ish-Boshets huvud till David i Hebron och sade till kungen: ”Se! Här är Ish-Boshets huvud, son till din fiende Saul som försökte ta ditt liv. Herren har i dag gett min herre kungen hämnd på Saul och hans efterkommande.”

Mördarna straffas av David

(D) Men David svarade Rekab och hans bror Baana, söner till beerotiten Rimmon: ”Så sant Herren lever, han som har befriat mig ur all nöd: 10 (E) Den som berättade för mig att Saul var död trodde sig vara en glädjebudbärare, men honom lät jag gripa och döda i Siklag. Det var lönen jag gav honom för hans glädjebud! 11 Nu har onda män dödat en oskyldig man i hans eget hem, i hans säng. Hur mycket mer ska jag då inte utkräva hans blod av er hand och utrota er från jorden!” 12 (F) På Davids befallning dödade hans unga män dem, högg av deras händer och fötter och hängde upp dem vid dammen i Hebron. Men Ish-Boshets huvud tog de och lade i Abners grav i Hebron.

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Sauls son   Dvs Ish-Boshet (jfr 2:8).
  2. 4:4 Mefiboshet   Betyder ”krossar skam”, troligen omskrivning för Merib-Baal (se 1 Krön 8:34).

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

When Saul’s [a]son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, (A)he[b] lost heart, and all Israel was (B)troubled. Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For (C)Beeroth also was [c]part of Benjamin, because the Beerothites fled to (D)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

(E)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came (F)from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was (G)Mephibosheth.[d]

Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the (H)house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they [e]stabbed him (I)in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, (J)who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, (K)who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when (L)someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now (M)require his [f]blood at your hand and [g]remove you from the earth?” 12 So David (N)commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the (O)tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 4:1 Ishbosheth
  2. 2 Samuel 4:1 Lit. his hands dropped
  3. 2 Samuel 4:2 considered part of
  4. 2 Samuel 4:4 Merib-Baal, 1 Chr. 8:34; 9:40
  5. 2 Samuel 4:6 Lit. struck
  6. 2 Samuel 4:11 Or bloodshed
  7. 2 Samuel 4:11 Lit. consume you

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner(A) had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth(B) is considered part of Benjamin, because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim(C) and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

(Jonathan(D) son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news(E) about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled.(F) His name was Mephibosheth.)(G)

Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth,(H) and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.(I) They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed(J) him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.(K) They brought the head(L) of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul,(M) your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged(N) my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered(O) me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag.(P) That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood(Q) from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.(R) They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.