The Murder of Ish-bosheth 1 UST When Saul’ s son Ishbosheth heard that Joab had killed Abner at Hebron, he lost his courage. The people of the Israelite tribes he ruled worried greatly about what would happen next. BSB BSB: Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.
2 UST Two of the officers who led groups of soldiers for Ishbosheth were brothers whose names were Baanah and Rechab. Their father was Rimmon. They came from the city of Beeroth. People considered them to be Benjaminites because Beeroth is within the territory that Joshua assigned to the tribe of Benjamin. BSB BSB: Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin,
3 UST (But the{ original Gibeonite} inhabitants of Beeroth had fled to the town of Gittaim, and they are still staying there now.) BSB BSB: because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as foreigners to this day.
4 UST Saul’ s son Jonathan had a son whose name was Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was five years old when Saul and Jonathan died in the battle at Jezreel. When people came to Gibeah and told what had happened, Mephibosheth’ s nursemaid picked him up and ran away{ to escape from the Philistines}. She ran so fast that she dropped him. That injured his legs, so that he could no longer walk well. BSB BSB: And Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5 UST One day, Rimmon’ s sons Rechab and Baanah traveled to Ish Bosheth’ s house. They arrived there at the hottest time of the day. Ish Bosheth was lying on a bed in a cool part of his house where he rested when it was hot. BSB BSB: Now Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while the king was taking his midday nap.
6 UST Rechab and Baanah acted as if they were going into the house to get some wheat to give to their soldiers. This allowed them to get as far into the house as Ish Bosheth’ s private bedroom. He was asleep on his bed. They killed him by stabbing him in the stomach with their swords. Then they cut off his head. Rechab and Baanah fled from the house, carrying Ish Bosheth’ s head. They walked all night through the plain along the Jordan River BSB BSB: They entered the interior of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
8 UST so they could go to Hebron. When they got there, they presented Ish Bosheth’ s head to David. They told him,“Here is the head of Ish Bosheth, the son of your enemy Saul, who tried to kill you! Your Majesty, today Yahweh has allowed you to get revenge on Saul and his descendants.” BSB BSB: They brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. Today the LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”
The Execution of Rechab and Baanah 9 UST But David replied to them,“I swear by Yahweh, who was the one who kept Saul from killing me, that what I am about to say is true. BSB BSB: But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
10 UST When a messenger came to Ziklag and told me that he had killed Saul, he thought he was bringing news that I would be glad to hear. But instead, I told one of my soldiers to kill him. He expected me to reward him for bringing this news, but I gave him what he really deserved. BSB BSB: when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news!
11 UST If I punished him by killing him, I should certainly do the same to you. You two evil men murdered a man who had done nothing wrong, and you killed him while he was sleeping on his bed in his own house! Because you murdered him, it is right for me to punish you by executing you. I am going to remove you completely from the earth!” BSB BSB: How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”
12 UST Then David gave orders to his soldiers, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and their feet and hung them near the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish Bosheth and buried it respectfully in the tomb of Abner, there at Hebron. BSB BSB: So David commanded his young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.
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