¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath^(A) you made us swear will not be binding on us

⁷ The king spared Mephibosheth^(A) son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath^(B) before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

² When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.^(A)

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.”

² The 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.)

¹¹ “‘Do not steal.^(A)

“‘Do not lie.^(B)

“‘Do not deceive one another.^(C)

¹² “‘Do not swear falsely^(D) by my name^(E) and so profane^(F) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.^(A)”

³ I want you to swear^(A) by the Lord, the God of heaven^(B) and the God of earth,^(C) that you will not get a wife for my son^(D) from the daughters of the Canaanites,^(E) among whom I am living,^{(F) 4} but will go to my country and my own relatives^(G) and get a wife for my son Isaac.^(H)”

⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land?^(I) Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?^(J)”

⁶ “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,”^(K) Abraham said. ⁷ “The Lord, the God of heaven,^(L) who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land^(M) and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring^[a](N) I will give this land’^(O)—he will send his angel before you^(P) so that you can get a wife for my son from there. ⁸ If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath^(Q) of mine. Only do not take my son back there.”^(R)