Chapter 21

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired¹⁷ of the LORD. And the LORD answered,⁴ [It is] for Saul, and for [his] bloody house, because he slew⁵² the Gibeonites.

And the king called⁴ the Gibeonites, and said⁴ unto them; (now the Gibeonites [were] not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn⁸ unto them: and Saul sought¹⁷ to slay⁵³ them in his zeal¹⁵ to the children of Israel and Judah.)

Wherefore David said⁴ unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do⁴ for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement,¹⁷ that ye may bless¹⁶ the inheritance of the LORD?

And the Gibeonites said⁴ unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill⁵³ any man in Israel. And he said,⁴ What ye shall say,⁶ [that] will I do⁴ for you.

And they answered⁴ the king, The man that consumed¹⁴ us, and that devised¹⁴ against us [that] we should be destroyed⁸ from remaining⁹⁹ in any of the coasts of Israel,

Let seven men of his sons be delivered⁹³ unto us, and we will hang them up⁵² unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, [whom] the LORD did choose. And the king said,⁴ I will give⁴ [them].

But the king spared⁴ Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that [was] between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

But the king took⁴ the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare¹ unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up¹ for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

And he delivered⁴ them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged⁵⁵ them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell⁴ [all] seven ⁷⁶⁵⁹ together, and were put to death⁹⁰ in the days of harvest, in the first [days], in the beginning of barley harvest.

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took⁴ sackcloth, and spread⁵⁵ it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped⁸ upon them out of heaven, and suffered¹ neither the birds of the air to rest² on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

And it was told⁹³ David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.¹

And David went⁴ and took⁴ the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, ¹⁵⁶⁸ which had stolen¹ them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged^{1 8518 1} them, when the Philistines had slain⁵³ Saul in Gilboa:

And he brought up⁵⁵ from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered⁴ the bones of them that were hanged.⁹⁴

And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried⁴ they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed⁴ all that the king commanded.¹⁴ And after that God was intreated¹¹ for the land.

Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down,⁴ and his servants with him, and fought¹¹ against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.⁴

And Ishbibenob, which [was] of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear [weighed] three hundred [shekels] of brass in weight, he being girded⁷ with a new [sword], thought⁴ to have slain⁵³ David.

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured⁴ him, and smote⁵⁵ the Philistine, and killed⁵⁵ him. Then the men of David sware⁸ unto him, saying,² Thou shalt go no more out⁴ with us to battle, that thou quench¹⁷ not the light of Israel.

And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew⁵² Saph, which [was] of the sons of the giant.

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew⁵⁵ [the brother of] Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear [was] like a weaver's⁶ beam.

And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of [great] stature, ⁴⁰⁵⁵ that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born²⁷ to the giant.

And when he defied¹⁷ Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew⁵⁵ him.

These four were born²⁷ to the giant in Gath, and fell⁴ by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.