2 Samuel 21

1There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh said, “It is because of Saul and his bloodguilty house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the sons of Israel, but from the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn to them. But Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.

3David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you, and with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?”

4The Gibeonites said to him, “We have no claim for silver or gold against Saul or against his house, and it is not for us to put any man in Israel to death.” Then he said, “What do you say that I should do for you?”

5They said to the king, “The man who consumed us, and who planned against us, so that we should be destroyed from having a place within all the territory of Israel—”

6Let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will impale them before Yahweh at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Yahweh.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

7But the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, son of Saul, because of the oath of Yahweh that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

8So the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she had borne to Saul—Armoni and Mephibosheth—and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

9He gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before Yahweh, and the seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

10Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured on them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the wild animals of the field by night.

11And it was reported to David what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul’s concubine, had done.

12Then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the citizens of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul on Gilboa.

13He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled.

14They buried the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. They did all that the king had commanded, and after that God responded to the plea for the land.

15And there was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down with his servants with him, and they fought against the Philistines, and David grew weary.

16And Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of Rapha, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was girded with a new sword, said that he would strike down David.

17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “You must not go out with us to battle any longer, lest you extinguish the lamp of Israel.”

18After this, there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of Rapha.

19And there was again war at Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

20And there was war again at Gath, and there was a man of great size whose fingers and toes were six and six, twenty-four in number; he also was born to the Rapha.

21And he defied Israel, and Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.

22These four were born to the Rapha in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.