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Chapter 21
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Verse 1

During the days of David, there was a famine for three years, year after year. David sought the presence of the Lord, and the Lord said, "It concerns Saul and his house, who are guilty of bloodshed, for he killed the Gibeonites."

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

Verse 2

So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn an oath to them, but Saul had tried to kill them in his zeal for Israel and Judah.)

And the king called the Gibeonites, and said 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 sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

Verse 3

David asked the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you? How can I make atonement so that you may bless the Lord’s inheritance?"

Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

Verse 4

The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." David asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"

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

Verse 5

They replied to the king, "The man who destroyed us and planned to exterminate us so that we would have no place anywhere in Israel—

And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

Verse 6

let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us to be executed before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the Lord’s chosen one." The king said, "I will give them to you."

Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

Verse 7

But the king spared Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath taken between David and Jonathan, son of Saul.

But the king spared 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.

Verse 8

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

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

Verse 9

He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who executed them on the hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

Verse 10

Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the sky to rest on them by day or the wild animals by night.

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Verse 11

When David was told what Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, Saul’s concubine, had done,

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

Verse 12

he went and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

Verse 13

David brought up the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his son, from there, and they also gathered the bones of those who had been executed.

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.

Verse 14

They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. They did everything the king commanded. After that, God responded to the prayers for the land.

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

Verse 15

Once again, there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight the Philistines, and he became exhausted.

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

Verse 16

Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose spear weighed three hundred bronze shekels and who was armed with a new weapon, said he would kill David.

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 girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

Verse 17

But Abishai, son of Zeruiah, came to David's aid. He struck the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

Verse 18

After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. At that time, Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha.

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

Verse 19

In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod.

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

Verse 20

In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in total. He too was descended from Rapha.

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

Verse 21

He taunted Israel, but Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down.

And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.

Verse 22

These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and his men.

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

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Chapter 21
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