2 Samuel 21-22

New Life Version

The Gibeonites Kill Seven of Saul’s Grandsons

21 While David was king there was a time without food for three years. David went to the Lord. The Lord said, “It is because of Saul and his house of blood, for he put the Gibeonites to death.” ² So the king called the Gibeonites. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the people who were left of the Amorites. The sons of Israel had made an agreement with them. But Saul had wanted to kill them because he thought so much of the sons of Israel and Judah.) ³ David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? How can I pay for the sin, so you may bring good to the land of the Lord?” ⁴ The Gibeonites said to him, “We will take no silver or gold from Saul or his family. And it is not for us to put any man to death in Israel.” David said, “I will do for you whatever you say.” ⁵ So they said to the king, “Saul destroyed us and planned to keep us from staying in any land of Israel. ⁶ Let seven men from his sons be given to us. We will hang them before the Lord at Gibeon on the Lord’s mountain.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

⁷ But the king kept alive Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because David had made a promise to Saul’s son Jonathan before the Lord. ⁸ The king took the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Armoni and Mephibosheth, whom she had born to Saul. And he took the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹ He gave them to the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord. The seven of them died together. They were put to death in the first days of gathering time, when the barley was ready to gather.

¹⁰ Aiah’s daughter Rizpah spread cloth made from hair on the rock for herself to lie upon, from the beginning of gathering time until the rain fell from the sky upon the bodies. She would not let the birds of the sky rest on them during the day, or the animals of the field during the night. ¹¹ David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s woman, had done. ¹² Then he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead. They had stolen them from the open space in the center of Bethshan. That was where the Philistines had hanged them on the day they killed Saul in Gilboa. ¹³ David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. They gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. ¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father. They did all that the king told them to do. After that, God heard and answered when they prayed for the land.

¹⁵ The Philistines were at war again with Israel. David went down with his servants and they fought the Philistines. And David became tired. ¹⁶ Then Ishbi-benob wanted to kill David. He was one of the sons of the very tall and strong people. His spear weighed as much as 300 pieces of brass, and he had a new sword. ¹⁷ But Zeruiah’s son Abishai helped David and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men promised him, “You will not go out again with us to battle. You might put out the lamp of Israel.”

¹⁸ After this there was war again with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the very tall and strong people. ¹⁹ There was war with the Philistines again at Gob. And Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite. Goliath’s spear was like the heavy piece of wood used by a cloth-maker. ²⁰ There was war at Gath again. There was a very tall man there who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. He was one of the sons of the very tall and strong people also. ²¹ When he spoke against Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him. ²² These four were sons of the very tall and strong people in Gath. They were killed by David and his servants.

David’s Song of Praise

22 David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord saved him from all who hated him, and from Saul. ² He said, “The Lord is my rock, my strong place, and the One Who sets me free. ³ He is my God, my rock, where I go to be safe. He is my covering and the horn that saves me, my strong place where I go to be safe. You save me from being hurt. ⁴ I call upon the Lord, Who should be praised. I am saved from those who hate me.

⁵ “For the waves of death were all around me. The storm that destroys made me afraid. ⁶ The cords of the grave were around me. The nets of death came against me. ⁷ In my trouble I called upon the Lord. Yes, I cried to my God. From His house He heard my voice. My cry for help came into His ears.

⁸ “Then the earth shook. The mountains were shaking. They shook because He was angry. ⁹ Smoke went up from His nose. Fire that destroyed came from His mouth. Burnt pieces of wood were set on fire by it. ¹⁰ He tore open the heavens and came down, with darkness under His feet. ¹¹ He sat on a cherub and flew. He was seen on the wings of the wind. ¹² He made darkness around Him his tent, gathering waters, and clouds of the sky. ¹³ From the light before Him, burnt pieces of wood were set on fire. ¹⁴ “The Lord thundered from heaven. The Most High let His voice be heard. ¹⁵ He sent out arrows, and made them run. He sent lightning, and made them troubled and afraid. ¹⁶ Then the bottom of the sea was seen. The bottom of the world lost its covering, at the strong words of the Lord, at the rush of breath from His nose.

¹⁷ “He sent from above. He took me. He pulled me out of many waters. ¹⁸ He saved me from those strong ones who hated me. For they were too strong for me. ¹⁹ They came upon me in the day of my trouble. But the Lord held me up. ²⁰ He brought me into a big place. He saved me, because He was pleased with me. ²¹ “The Lord has paid me for being right with Him. He has paid me for my clean hands. ²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord. I have not acted in sin against my God. ²³ For all His Laws were in front of me, and I did not turn aside from them. ²⁴ I was without blame before Him. I kept myself from guilt. ²⁵ So the Lord has paid me for being right with Him, for being clean in His eyes.

²⁶ “With the faithful You show Yourself faithful. With the one without blame You show Yourself without blame. ²⁷ With the pure You show Yourself pure. But with the sinful, You show Yourself wise. ²⁸ You save a troubled people. But Your eyes are on the proud whom You put to shame.

²⁹ “For You are my lamp, O Lord. The Lord gives light to my darkness. ³⁰ For by You I can run through an army. By my God I can jump over a wall. ³¹ As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord is proven true. He is a covering to all who go to Him to be safe.

³² “For who is God, but the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God? ³³ God is my strong place. He has made my way safe. ³⁴ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer. He sets me safe on high places. ³⁵ He makes my hands ready for battle, so that my arms can use a bow of brass.

³⁶ “You have given me the covering of Your saving power. Your help makes me strong. ³⁷ You give me a big place for my steps. I have not fallen. ³⁸ I went after those who hated me and destroyed them. I did not return until they were destroyed. ³⁹ I destroyed them and cut them through, so that they did not rise. They fell under my feet. ⁴⁰ For You have dressed me with strength for battle. You have put under me those who came against me. ⁴¹ You made those who fought me turn their backs to me. I destroyed those who hated me. ⁴² They looked, but there was no one to save them. They cried to the Lord, but He did not answer them. ⁴³ Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth. I crushed and stepped on them like the mud of the streets.

⁴⁴ “You have saved me from trouble with my people. You have kept me as head of the nations. People whom I have not known serve me. ⁴⁵ Strangers obey me. As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. ⁴⁶ Strangers lost their strength of heart. They came out of their secret places shaking with fear.

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives. Thanks be to my Rock. May God be honored, the Rock that saves me. ⁴⁸ He is the God Who punishes for me. He puts people under my rule. ⁴⁹ He makes me free from those who hate me. You lift me above those who come against me. You save me from the man who wants to hurt me. ⁵⁰ So I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord. I will sing praises to Your name. ⁵¹ With great power He saves His king. He shows loving-kindness to His chosen one, to David and his children forever.”