2 Samuel 21:1–9

JUSTICE FOR THE GIBEONITES

21During David’s reign there was a famine for three successive years, so David inquired^B of the Lord. The Lord answered, “It is due to Saul and to his bloody family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”

²The Gibeonites were not Israelites but rather a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them,^d but Saul had tried to kill them in his zeal for the Israelites and Judah. So David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. ³He asked the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? How can I make atonement so that you will bring a blessing on^C the Lord’s inheritance?”

⁴The Gibeonites said to him, “We are not asking for silver and gold from Saul or his family,^e and we cannot put anyone to death in Israel.”^f

“Whatever you say, I will do for you,” he said.

⁵They replied to the king, “As for the man who annihilated us and plotted to destroy us so we would not exist within the whole territory of Israel, ⁶let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us so we may hang^D them in the presence of the Lord^g at Gibeah of Saul,^h the Lord’s chosen.”ⁱ

The king answered, “I will hand them over.”

⁷David spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between David and Jonathan, Saul’s son.^{j 8}But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, who were the two sons whom Rizpah^k daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, and the five sons whom Merab^El daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite ⁹and handed them over to the Gibeonites. They hanged them on the hill in the presence of the Lord; the seven of them died together. They were executed in the first days of the harvest at the beginning of the barley harvest.^G