1 T here was a three-year famine in the days of David, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. The Lord replied, It is on account of Saul and his bloody house, for he put to death the Gibeonites.

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 S o the king called the Gibeonites—now the Gibeonites were not Israelites but of the remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah had sought to slay the Gibeonites—

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 S o David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? How can I make atonement that you may bless the Lord’s inheritance?

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 T he Gibeonites said to him, We will accept no silver or gold of Saul or of his house; neither for us shall you kill any man in Israel. David said, I will do for you what you say.

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 T hey said to the king, The man who consumed us and planned to prevent us from remaining in any territory of Israel,

So they said to the king, “Saul destroyed us and planned to keep us from staying in any land of Israel.

6 L et seven men of his sons be delivered to us and we will hang them up before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, of the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.

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 B ut the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

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 B ut the king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

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 H e delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hung them up on the hill before the Lord, and all seven perished together. They were put to death in the first days of barley harvest.

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 R izpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them, and she did not allow either the birds of the air to come upon them by day or the beasts of the field by night.

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 I t was told David what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s woman, had done.

12 A nd David went and took the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them up when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa.

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 H e brought from there the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son, and they gathered the bones of those who were hung up.

David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. They gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.

14 A nd the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son they buried in the country of Benjamin in Zelah in the tomb of Kish, father, and they did all that the king commanded. And after that, God heard and answered when His people prayed for the land.

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 T he Philistines had war again with Israel. And David went down and his servants with him and fought against the Philistines, and David became faint.

The Philistines were at war again with Israel. David went down with his servants and they fought the Philistines. And David became tired.

16 I shbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giants, the weight of whose spear was 300 shekels of bronze, was girded with a new sword, and thought to kill David.

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 B ut Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s aid, and smote and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men charged him, You shall no more go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.

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 A fter this, there was again war with the Philistines at Gob (Gezer). Then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph (Sippai), who was a descendant of the giant.

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 T here was again war at Gob with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.

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 A nd there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; he also was a descendant of the giants.

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 A nd when he defied Israel, Jonathan son of Shimei, brother of David, slew him.

When he spoke against Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, killed him.

22 T hese four were descended from the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

These four were sons of the very tall and strong people in Gath. They were killed by David and his servants.