2 Samuel 21:7–14

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. ^f8But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, who were the two sons whom Rizpah ^gdaughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, and the five sons whom Merab ^hidaughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite ⁹and handed them over to the Gibeonites. They hanged ^jthem 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. ^k

The Burial of Saul’s Family

¹⁰Rizpah, Aiah’s daughter, took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock from the beginning of the harvest ^luntil the rain poured down from heaven on the bodies. She kept the birds of the sky from them by day and the wild animals by night.

¹¹When it was reported to David what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done, ¹²he went and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the leaders of Jabesh-gilead. They had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies the day the Philistines killed Saul at Gilboa. ^m13David had the bones brought from there. They gathered up the bones of Saul’s family who had been hung ⁿ¹⁴and buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in the land of Benjamin in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. They did everything the king commanded. After this, God answered prayer for the land. ^o