2 Samuel 21–22

Saul’s Descendants Are Put to Death

21During David’s reign there was a severe famine which lasted for three full years. So David consulted the Lord about it, and the Lord said, “Saul and his family are guilty of murder; he put the people of Gibeon to death.” ^2*(The people of Gibeon were not Israelites; they were a small group of Amorites whom the Israelites had promised to protect, but Saul had tried to destroy them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.) ³So David summoned the people of Gibeon and said to them, “What can I do for you? I want to make up for the wrong that was done to you, so that you will bless the Lord’s people.”

⁴They answered, “Our quarrel with Saul and his family can’t be settled with silver or gold, nor do we want to kill any Israelite.”

“What, then, do you think I should do for you?” David asked.

⁵They answered, “Saul wanted to destroy us and leave none of us alive anywhere in Israel. ⁶So hand over seven of his male descendants, and we will hang them before the Lord at Gibeah, the town of Saul, the Lord’s chosen king.”

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

^7*But because of the sacred promise that he and Jonathan had made to each other, David spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul. ^8*However, he took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah the daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul; he also took the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai, who was from Meholah. ⁹David handed them over to the people of Gibeon, who hanged them on the mountain before the Lord—and all seven of them died together. It was late in the spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest, when they were put to death.

¹⁰Then Saul’s concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, used sackcloth to make a shelter for herself on the rock where the corpses were, and she stayed there from the beginning of harvest until the autumn rains came. During the day she would keep the birds away from the corpses, and at night she would protect them from wild animals.

¹¹When David heard what Rizpah had done, ^12*he went and got the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh in Gilead. (They had stolen them from the public square in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged the bodies on the day they killed Saul on Mount Gilboa.) ¹³David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan and also gathered up the bones of the seven men who had been hanged. ¹⁴Then they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in the grave of Saul’s father Kish, in Zela in the territory of Benjamin, doing all that the king had commanded. And after that, God answered their prayers for the country.

Battles against Philistine Giants

¹⁵There was another war between the Philistines and Israel, and David and his men went and fought the Philistines. During one of the battles David grew tired. ¹⁶A giant named Ishbibenob, who was carrying a bronze spear that weighed about three and a half kilogrammes and who was wearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. ^17*But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s help, attacked the giant, and killed him. Then David’s men made David promise that he would never again go out with them to battle. “You are the hope of Israel, and we don’t want to lose you,” they said.

¹⁸After this there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, during which Sibbecai from Hushah killed a giant named Saph.

¹⁹There was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair^f from Bethlehem killed Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver’s loom.

²⁰Then there was another battle at Gath, where there was a giant who loved to fight. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. ²¹He defied the Israelites, and Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shammah, killed him.

²²These four were descendants of the giants of Gath, and they were killed by David and his men.

David’s Song of Victory

22When the Lord saved David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang this song to the Lord:

²The Lord is my protector;

he is my strong fortress.

³My God is my protection,

and with him I am safe.

He protects me like a shield;

he defends me and keeps me safe.

He is my saviour;

he protects me and saves me from violence.

⁴I call to the Lord,

and he saves me from my enemies.

Praise the Lord!

⁵The waves of death were all round me;

the waves of destruction rolled over me.

⁶The danger of death was round me,

and the grave set its trap for me.

⁷In my trouble I called to the Lord;

I called to my God for help.

In his temple he heard my voice;

he listened to my cry for help.

⁸Then the earth trembled and shook;

the foundations of the sky rocked and quivered

because God was angry!

⁹Smoke poured out of his nostrils,

a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.

¹⁰He tore the sky apart and came down,

with a dark cloud under his feet.

¹¹He flew swiftly on his winged creature;^g

he travelled on the wings of the wind.

¹²He covered himself with darkness;

thick clouds, full of^h water, surrounded him;

¹³burning coals flamed up from the lightning before him.

¹⁴Then the Lord thundered from the sky,

and the voice of Almighty God was heard.

¹⁵He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;

with flashes of lightning he sent them running.

¹⁶The floor of the ocean was laid bare,

and the foundations of the earth were uncovered

when the Lord rebuked his enemies

and roared at them in anger.

¹⁷The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me out of the deep waters.

¹⁸He rescued me from my powerful enemies

and from all those who hate me—

they were too strong for me.

¹⁹When I was in trouble, they attacked me,

but the Lord protected me.

²⁰He helped me out of danger;

he saved me because he was pleased with me.

²¹The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;

he blesses me because I am innocent.

²²I have obeyed the law of the Lord;

I have not turned away from my God.

²³I have observed all his laws;

I have not disobeyed his commands.

²⁴He knows that I am faultless,

that I have kept myself from doing wrong.

²⁵And so he rewards me because I do what is right,

because he knows that I am innocent.

²⁶O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you,

and completely good to thoseⁱ who are perfect.

²⁷You are pure to those who are pure,

but hostile to those who are wicked.

²⁸You save those who are humble,

but you humble those who are proud.

²⁹You, Lord, are my light;

you dispel my darkness.

³⁰You give me strength to attack my enemies

and power to overcome their defences.

³¹This God—how perfect are his deeds,

how dependable his words!

He is like a shield

for all who seek his protection.

³²The Lord alone is God;

God alone is our defence.

³³This God is my strong refuge;

he makes^j my pathway safe.

^34*He makes me sure-footed as a deer;

he keeps me safe on the mountains.

³⁵He trains me for battle,

so that I can use the strongest bow.

³⁶O Lord, you protect me and save me;

your help has made me great.

³⁷You have kept me from being captured,

and I have never fallen.

³⁸I pursue my enemies and defeat them;

I do not stop until I destroy them.

³⁹I strike them down, and they cannot rise;

they lie defeated before me.

⁴⁰You give me strength for the battle

and victory over my enemies.

⁴¹You make my enemies run from me;

I destroy those who hate me.

⁴²They look for help, but no one saves them;

they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.

⁴³I crush them, and they become like dust;

I trample on them like mud in the streets.

⁴⁴You saved me from my rebellious people

and maintained my rule over the nations;

people I did not know have now become my subjects.

⁴⁵Foreigners bow before me;

when they hear me, they obey.

⁴⁶They lose their courage

and come trembling^k from their fortresses.

⁴⁷The Lord lives! Praise my defender!

Proclaim the greatness of the strong God who saves me!

⁴⁸He gives me victory over my enemies;

he subdues the nations under me

⁴⁹and saves me from my foes.

O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies

and protect me from violent men.

^50*And so I praise you among the nations;

I sing praises to you.

⁵¹God gives great victories to his king;

he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,

to David and his descendants for ever.