2 Samuel 21–22

The Famine Brings Justice

21There was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David inquired of Yahweh,^a and Yahweh said, “The bloodguilt is on Saul and on his household, because he killed the Gibeonites.” ²So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the Israelites;^b they were from the remainder of the Amorites. Now the Israelites^c had sworn to them,^d but Saul tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the Israelites^e and Judah. ³So David asked the Gibeonites, “What can I do for you, and with what can I make amends that you may bless the inheritance of Yahweh?” ⁴Then the Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter for us of^f silver or gold with Saul or with his household. It is not for us to put to death anyone in Israel.” He asked, “What are you saying that I should do for you all?” ⁵Then they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who plotted against us so that we were destroyed from existing in all of the territory of Israel, ⁶let seven men from his sons be given over to us, and we will execute them before Yahweh in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of Yahweh.” Then the king said, “I will give them over.” ⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the sworn oath of Yahweh which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸So the king took two of the sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, namely Armoni and Mephibosheth, and five of the sons of Michal the daughter of Saul whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹He gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they executed them on the mountain in the presence of Yahweh, and the seven fell together. Now they were put to death in the days of the harvest, at the beginning of the harvest of barley.

¹⁰Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took the sackcloth, and she spread it for herself on the rock at the beginning of the harvest until water gushed forth on them from heaven, but she did not allow the birds of heaven to rest on them by day nor the animals of the field by night. ¹¹David was told about what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. ¹²So David left and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the rulers of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shan, where the Philistines hung them when^g the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. ¹³He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of the executed. ¹⁴And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. They did all that the king had commanded, and afterward God was entreated for the land.

Battles with the Philistines Recounted

¹⁵There was war again for the Philistines with Israel, and David and his servants with him went down, and they fought the Philistines, and David grew weary. ¹⁶Now Yishbi in Nob, who was among the descendents of Raphah^h (now the weight of his spearhead was three hundredweight of bronze, and he was newly armed), said that he would kill David. ¹⁷But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and he attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out with us any longer to the battle, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.”

¹⁸It happened afterward that there was again battle at Gob with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph who was among the descendants of the Raphah.

¹⁹There was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim, the Bethlehemite, killed Goliathⁱ the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like the beam of a weaver.

²⁰Once again there was battle at Gath, and there was a man of great size.^j The fingers of his hand and the toes of his feet were six and six, twenty-four in number. He was also born to the Raphah. ²¹He taunted Israel but Jonathan the son of Shimei, the brother of David, killed him. ²²These four were born for the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

The Victory Song of David

22Then David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song,^a on the day Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

²And he said:

“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

³I take refuge in God, my rock,^b my shield, and the strength^c of my salvation.

My stronghold and my refuge, O my savior, you will save me from violence!

⁴I call upon Yahweh who is praiseworthy,

and I am saved from those who hate me.

⁵For the breaker waves of death engulfed me;

the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.

⁶The ropes of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

⁷In my distress I called upon Yahweh, and to my God I called.

He heard my voice from his temple,

and my cry for help was to his ears.

⁸The earth heaved and shook,

the foundations of heaven trembled and heaved

because he was angry.^d

⁹Smoke went up from his nostrils and fire from his mouth.

Burning coals devoured, they burned from him.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens and came down;

a very thick cloud was under his feet.

¹¹He rode upon a cherub and flew;

he was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹²He put darkness as a canopy all around him,

a collection of thick rain clouds.^e

¹³From the brightness before him

flamed burning coals of fire.

¹⁴Yahweh thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.^f

¹⁵He sent arrows and he scattered them,

lightning, and he directed them.

¹⁶Then the channels of water of the sea were exposed,

the foundations of the world,

at the rebuke of Yahweh,

from the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from a high position and took me;

he drew me from mighty waters.

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemies,

from those who hate me, for they were mightier than I.

¹⁹They approached me on the day of my disaster,

but Yahweh was my support.

²⁰He brought me out to a spacious place.

He delivered me because he delighted in me.

²¹Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

²²For I have kept the ways of Yahweh;

I have not acted wickedly against my God.

²³For all of his ordinances were before me,

and I did not turn aside from his statutes.

²⁴I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

according to my cleanness before his eyes.

²⁶With the loyal, you act as loyal,

and with the blameless, you show yourself blameless.

²⁷With the pure, you show yourself pure,

but with the crooked, you appear as a fool.

²⁸Humble people you will deliver,

but your eyes are on the haughty, whom you bring down.

²⁹For you, O Yahweh are my lamp,

and Yahweh lightens my darkness.

³⁰For by you I can run a raid;

by my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹This God, his way is blameless;

the promise of Yahweh is flawless.

He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God apart from Yahweh?

And who is a rock apart from our God?

³³God is my strong refuge,

he has fully opened my way.^g

³⁴He makes my feet^h like a doe deer,

and on my high places he has set me.

³⁵He trains my hands for the war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶You have given me the shield of your salvation;

your willingness to help has made me great.

³⁷You have broadened my steps beneath me;

my ankles have not wobbled.

³⁸I pursued those who hate me, and I destroyed them.

I did not turn back until finishing them.

³⁹I wiped them out and I smashed them;

they did not get up; they fell under my feet.

⁴⁰You have girded me with physical strength for the battle;

you caused those who rose up against me to kneel under me.

⁴¹My enemies you cause to retreat from me;ⁱ

I destroy those who hate me.

⁴²They looked out, but there was no deliverer,

even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

⁴³I beat them fine, like the dust of the earth;

like the mire of the streets, I crushed them, I stamped them down.

⁴⁴You delivered me from the strife of my people;

you preserved me as the head of the nations.

A people I had not known served me.

⁴⁵Children of a foreign land came cringing to me;

when they heard of me,^j they became obedient to me.

⁴⁶Children of a foreign land lost heart

and came trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock!

May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!

⁴⁸God does vengeance for me,

bringing down peoples under me.

⁴⁹He brings me out from my enemies,

and from those who rose up against me you lift me up,

and from men of violence you rescue me.

⁵⁰Therefore I will extol you, Yahweh, among the nations!

I will sing praises to your name!

⁵¹He makes great salvation for his king

and shows loyal love to his anointed one, David

and to his descendants forever.”