2 Samuel 21
Darby Translation
21 And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David inquired of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for [his] house of blood, because he slew the Gibeonites.
2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remainder of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn to them; and Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.)
3 And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and with what shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
4 And the Gibeonites said to him, As to Saul and his house, it is with us no question of receiving silver or gold, neither is it for us to have any man put to death in Israel. And he said, What ye say will I do for you.
5 And they said to the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in all the borders of Israel,
6 let seven men of his sons be given up to us, and we will hang them up to Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give [them].
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 And the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of [the sister of] Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite;
9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before Jehovah. And they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the first days of the harvest, in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water poured on them out of the heavens, and suffered neither the fowl of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-Gilead, who had stolen them from the open place of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, the day the Philistines had smitten Saul in Gilboa;
13 and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14 And they buried [them] with the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they did all that the king had commanded. And afterwards God was propitious to the land.
15 And the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought with the Philistines. And David was exhausted.
16 And Ishbibenob, who was of the children of Raphah—the weight of his lance was three hundred shekels of bronze, and he was girded with new [armour]—thought to smite David.
17 And Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.
18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines, at Gob; then Sibbechai the Hushathite smote Saph, who was of the children of Raphah.
19 And there was again a battle at Gob with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, smote Goliath the Gittite; now the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 And there was again a battle, at Gath; and there was a man [there] of great stature, that had on each hand six fingers, and on each foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to Raphah.
21 And he defied Israel; but Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother smote him.
22 These four were born to Raphah, in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
2 Samuel 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 1 Three dear years. 9 The vengeance of the sins of Saul lighteth on his seven sons, which are hanged. 15 Four great battles, which David had against the Philistines.
1 Then there was a famine in the days of David, three years [a]together: and David [b]asked counsel of the Lord, and the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the [c]Gibeonites.
2 Then the King called the Gibeonites, and said unto them, (Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but a (A)remnant of the Amorites, unto whom the children of Israel had sworn: but Saul sought to slay them for his zeal toward the children of Israel and Judah)
3 And David said unto the Gibeonites, [d]What shall I do for you, and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
4 The Gibeonites then answered him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul nor of his house, neither for us shalt thou kill [e]any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say that will I do for you.
5 Then they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that imagined evil against us, so that we are destroyed from remaining in any coast of Israel,
6 Let seven men of his [f]sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up [g]unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the Lord’s chosen, And the king said, I will give them.
7 But the king had compassion on Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the (B)Lord’s oath, that was between them, even between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, even Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of [h]Michal, the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 And he delivered them unto the hands of the Gibeonites, which hanged them in the mountain before the Lord: so they [i]died all seven together: and they were slain in the time of harvest: in the [j]first days, and in the beginning of barley harvest.
10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took [k]sackcloth and hanged it up for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest, until [l]water dropped upon them from the heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to [m]light on them by day, nor beasts of the field by night.
11 ¶ And it was told David, what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah the concubine of Saul had done.
12 And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead, which had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had (C)hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa.
13 So he brought thence the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.
14 And the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the grave of Kish his father: and when they had performed all that the King had commanded, God was then [n]appeased with the land.
15 ¶ Again the Philistines hath war with Israel: and David went down, and his servants with him, and they fought against the Philistines, and David fainted.
16 Then Ishbi-Benob which was of the sons of [o]Haraphah (the head of whose spear weighed three hundred [p]shekels of brass) even he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, lest thou quench the [q]light of Israel.
18 ¶ And after this also there was a battle with the Philistines at [r]Gob, then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was one of the sons of Haraphah.
19 And there was yet another battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim, a Bethlehemite slew [s]Goliath the Gittite: the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Afterward there was also a battle in Gath, where was a man of a great stature, and had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number: who was also the son of Haraphah.
21 And when he reviled Israel, Jonathan the son of (D)Shimea the brother of David slew him.
22 These four were born to Haraphah in Gath, and died by the hand of David, and by the hands of his servants.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Hebrew, year after year.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Hebrew, sought the face of the Lord.
- 2 Samuel 21:1 Thinking to gratify the people, because these were not of the seed of Abraham.
- 2 Samuel 21:3 Wherewith may your wrath be appeased, that you may pray to God to remove this plague from his people.
- 2 Samuel 21:4 Save only of Saul’s stock.
- 2 Samuel 21:6 Of Saul’s kinsmen.
- 2 Samuel 21:6 To pacify the Lord.
- 2 Samuel 21:8 Here Michal is named for Merab, Adriel’s wife, as appeareth, 1 Sam. 18:19, for Michal was the wife of Paltiel, 1 Sam. 25:44, and never had child, 2 Sam. 6:23.
- 2 Samuel 21:9 Hebrew, fell.
- 2 Samuel 21:9 Which was in the month Abib or Nisan, which contained part of March and part of April.
- 2 Samuel 21:10 To make her a tent wherein she prayed to God to turn away his wrath.
- 2 Samuel 21:10 Because drought was the cause of this famine, God by sending of rain showed that he was pacified.
- 2 Samuel 21:10 Or, rest.
- 2 Samuel 21:14 For where the magistrate suffereth faults unpunished, there the plague of God lieth upon the land.
- 2 Samuel 21:16 That is, of the race of giants.
- 2 Samuel 21:16 Which amount to nine pounds three quarters.
- 2 Samuel 21:17 For the glory and wealth of the country standeth in the preservation of the godly magistrate.
- 2 Samuel 21:18 Called Gezer, and Saph is called Sippai, 1 Chron. 20:4.
- 2 Samuel 21:19 That is, Lahmi the brother of Goliath, whom David slew, 1 Chron. 20:5.
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