David Avenges the Gibeonites 1 ULT Now{ there} was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year. And David sought the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh said,“To Saul and to the house{ is} blood, because he killed the Gibeonites.” BSB BSB: During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 ULT And the king called to the Gibeonites, and he spoke to them.(Now the Gibeonites{ were} not from the sons of Israel. Rather, they{ were} from the remnant of the Amorite. And the sons of Israel had sworn to them, but Saul sought to strike them when he was jealous for the sons of Israel and Judah.) BSB BSB: At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
3 ULT And David said to the Gibeonites,“What shall I do for you, and with what shall I atone, then bless the inheritance of Yahweh?” BSB BSB: So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?”
4 ULT And the Gibeonites said to him,“{ There is} no silver or gold for us with Saul or with his house. And{ there is} not for us a man to kill in Israel.” And he said,“What are you saying I shall do for you?” BSB BSB: The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.
5 ULT And they said to the king,“The man who ended us and who intended against us{ that} we should be destroyed from stationing ourselves in all of the border of Israel, BSB BSB: And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel,
6 ULT let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before Yahweh at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Yahweh.” And the king said,“I, I will give.” BSB BSB: let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king.
7 ULT Now the king had compassion on Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath of Yahweh that{ was} between them, between David and between Jonathan, the son of Saul. BSB BSB: Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
8 ULT But the king took two of the sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and five of the sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel, the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. BSB BSB: But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 ULT And he gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill to the face of Yahweh, and the seven of them fell together. And they, they were killed in the days of the harvest, in the first{ days}, at the beginning of the harvest of barley. BSB BSB: And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 ULT And Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth, and she spread it for herself against a rock, from the beginning of the harvest until water was poured on them from the heavens. And she did not allow a bird of the heavens to rest on them by day or a beast of the field by night. BSB BSB: And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 ULT And it was declared to David what Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. BSB BSB: When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done,
12 ULT And David went, and he took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the lords of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the open area of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them there on the day the Philistines struck Saul at Gilboa. BSB BSB: he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa.
13 ULT And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of the hanged ones. BSB BSB: So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, and they also gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
14 ULT And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin, in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And God was entreated for the land after this. BSB BSB: And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
Four Battles against the Philistines (1 Chronicles 20:4–8)
15 ULT Now war was to the Philistines again with Israel. And David went down, and his servants with him, and they fought the Philistines. And David wearied. BSB BSB: Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines. But David became exhausted.
16 ULT And Ishbi Benob, who{ was} among the children of Rapha, and the weight of his spear{ was} 300{ shekels} of bronze in weight, and he was girded{ with} a new{ weapon}, and he said to strike David. BSB BSB: Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
17 ULT But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, helped him, and he struck the Philistine, and he killed him. Then the men of David adjured him, saying,“You shall not go out with us to battle anymore, so you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.” BSB BSB: But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
18 ULT And it happened after this that{ there} was a battle again with the Philistines, at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck Saph, who{ was} among the children of Rapha. BSB BSB: Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha.
19 ULT And{ there} was battle again with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan, the son of Jaare Oregim the Bethlehemite, struck Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear{ was} like the beam of weavers. BSB BSB: Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 ULT And{ there} was battle again at Gath, and{ there} was a man of stature, and the digits of his hands and the digits of his feet{ were} six and six, 24{ in} number. And he also was born to Rapha. BSB BSB: And there was also a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha,
21 ULT And he taunted Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, struck him. BSB BSB: and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
22 ULT These four were born to Rapha in Gath. And they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. BSB BSB: So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.