2 Samuel 21–24

The Gibeonites Punish Saul’s Family

21During the time David was king, there was a shortage of food that lasted for three years. So David prayed to the Lord.

The Lord answered, “Saul and his family of murderers are the reason for this shortage, because he killed the Gibeonites.” ²(Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites; they were a group of Amorites who were left alive. The Israelites had promised not to hurt the Gibeonites, but Saul had tried to kill them, because he was eager to help the people of Israel and Judah.)

King David called the Gibeonites together and spoke to them. ³He asked, “What can I do for you? How can I make up for the harm done so you can bless the Lord’s people?”

⁴The Gibeonites said to David, “We cannot demand silver or gold from Saul or his family. And we don’t have the right to kill anyone in Israel.”

Then David asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

⁵The Gibeonites said, “Saul made plans against us and tried to destroy all our people who are left in the land of Israel. ⁶So bring seven of his sons to us. Then we will kill them and hang them on stakes in the presence of the Lord at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the Lord’s chosen king.”

The king said, “I will give them to you.” ⁷But the king protected Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the promise he had made to Jonathan in the Lord’s name. ⁸The king did take Armoni and Mephibosheth, ⁿ sons of Rizpah and Saul. (Rizpah was the daughter of Aiah.) And the king took the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab. (Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite was the father of Merab’s five sons.) ⁹David gave these seven sons to the Gibeonites. Then the Gibeonites killed them and hung them on stakes on a hill in the presence of the Lord. All seven sons died together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest season at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰Aiah’s daughter Rizpah took the rough cloth that was worn to show sadness and put it on a rock for herself. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on her sons’ bodies. During the day she did not let the birds of the sky touch her sons’ bodies, and during the night she did not let the wild animals touch them.

¹¹People told David what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s slave woman, was doing. ¹²Then David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the men of Jabesh Gilead. (The Philistines had hung the bodies of Saul and Jonathan in the public square of Beth Shan after they had killed Saul at Gilboa. Later the men of Jabesh Gilead had secretly taken them from there.) ¹³David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from Gilead. Then the people gathered the bodies of Saul’s seven sons who were hanged on stakes. ¹⁴The people buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in Benjamin in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. The people did everything the king commanded.

Then God answered the prayers for the land.

Wars with the Philistines

¹⁵Again there was war between the Philistines and Israel. David and his men went out to fight the Philistines, but David became tired. ¹⁶Ishbi-Benob, one of the sons of Rapha, had a bronze spearhead weighing about seven and one-half pounds and a new sword. He planned to kill David, ¹⁷but Abishai son of Zeruiah killed the Philistine and saved David’s life.

Then David’s men made a promise to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle. If you were killed, Israel would lose its greatest leader.”

¹⁸Later, at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another one of the sons of Rapha.

¹⁹Later, there was another battle at Gob with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem killed Goliath ⁿ from Gath. His spear was as large as a weaver’s rod.

²⁰At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was one of the sons of Rapha. ²¹When he challenged Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.

²²These four sons of Rapha from Gath were killed by David and his men.

David’s Song of Praise

22David sang this song to the Lord when the Lord saved him from Saul and all his other enemies. ²He said:

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my Savior.

³My God is my rock.

I can run to him for safety.

He is my shield and my saving strength,

my defender and my place of safety.

The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.

⁴I will call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I will be saved from my enemies.

⁵“The waves of death came around me;

the deadly rivers overwhelmed me.

⁶The ropes of death wrapped around me.

The traps of death were before me.

⁷In my trouble I called to the Lord;

I cried out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my call for help reached his ears.

⁸“The earth trembled and shook.

The foundations of heaven began to shake.

They trembled because the Lord was angry.

⁹Smoke came out of his nose,

and burning fire came out of his mouth.

Burning coals went before him.

¹⁰He tore open the sky and came down

with dark clouds under his feet.

¹¹He rode a creature with wings and flew.

He raced on the wings of the wind.

¹²He made darkness his shelter,

surrounded by fog and clouds.

¹³Out of the brightness of his presence

came flashes of lightning.

¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven;

the Most High raised his voice.

¹⁵He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.

His bolts of lightning confused them with fear.

¹⁶The Lord spoke strongly.

The wind blew from his nose.

Then the valleys of the sea appeared,

and the foundations of the earth were seen.

¹⁷“The Lord reached down from above and took me;

he pulled me from the deep water.

¹⁸He saved me from my powerful enemies,

from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.

¹⁹They attacked me at my time of trouble,

but the Lord supported me.

²⁰He took me to a safe place.

Because he delights in me, he saved me.

²¹“The Lord spared me because I did what was right.

Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.

²²I have followed the ways of the Lord;

I have not done evil by turning from my God.

²³I remember all his laws

and have not broken his rules.

²⁴I am innocent before him;

I have kept myself from doing evil.

²⁵The Lord rewarded me because I did what was right,

because I did what the Lord said was right.

²⁶“Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal,

and you are good to those who are good.

²⁷You are pure to those who are pure,

but you are against those who are evil.

²⁸You save the humble,

but you bring down those who are proud.

²⁹Lord, you give light to my lamp.

The Lord brightens the darkness around me.

³⁰With your help I can attack an army.

With God’s help I can jump over a wall.

³¹“The ways of God are without fault;

the Lord’s words are pure.

He is a shield to those who trust him.

³²Who is God? Only the Lord.

Who is the Rock? Only our God.

³³God is my protection.

He makes my way free from fault.

³⁴He makes me like a deer that does not stumble;

he helps me stand on the steep mountains.

³⁵He trains my hands for battle

so my arms can bend a bronze bow.

³⁶You protect me with your saving shield.

You have stooped to make me great.

³⁷You give me a better way to live,

so I live as you want me to.

³⁸I chased my enemies and destroyed them.

I did not quit till they were destroyed.

³⁹I destroyed and crushed them

so they couldn’t rise up again.

They fell beneath my feet.

⁴⁰You gave me strength in battle.

You made my enemies bow before me.

⁴¹You made my enemies turn back,

and I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴²They called for help,

but no one came to save them.

They called to the Lord,

but he did not answer them.

⁴³I beat my enemies into pieces,

like dust on the ground.

I poured them out and walked on them

like mud in the streets.

⁴⁴“You saved me when my people attacked me.

You kept me as the leader of nations.

People I never knew serve me.

⁴⁵Foreigners obey me.

As soon as they hear me, they obey me.

⁴⁶They all become afraid

and tremble in their hiding places.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives!

May my Rock be praised!

Praise God, the Rock, who saves me!

⁴⁸God gives me victory over my enemies

and brings people under my rule.

⁴⁹He frees me from my enemies.

“You set me over those who hate me.

You saved me from violent people.

⁵⁰So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.

I will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹The Lord gives great victories to his king.

He is loyal to his appointed king,

to David and his descendants forever.”

David’s Last Words

23These are the last words of David.

This is the message of David son of Jesse.

The man made great by the Most High God speaks.

He is the appointed king of the God of Jacob;

he is the sweet singer of Israel:

²“The Lord’s Spirit spoke through me,

and his word was on my tongue.

³The God of Israel spoke;

the Rock of Israel said to me:

‘Whoever rules fairly over people,

who rules with respect for God,

⁴is like the morning light at dawn,

like a morning without clouds.

He is like sunshine after a rain

that makes the grass sprout from the ground.’

⁵“This is how God has cared for my family.

God made a lasting agreement with me,

right and sure in every way.

He will accomplish my salvation

and satisfy all my desires.

⁶“But all evil people will be thrown away like thorns

that cannot be held in a hand.

⁷No one can touch them

except with a tool of iron or wood.

They will be thrown in the fire and burned where they lie.”

David’s Army

⁸These are the names of David’s warriors:

Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite, was head of the Three. ⁿ He killed eight hundred men at one time.

⁹Next was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. Eleazar was one of the three soldiers who were with David when they challenged the Philistines. The Philistines were gathered for battle, and the Israelites drew back. ¹⁰But Eleazar stayed where he was and fought the Philistines until he was so tired his hand stuck to his sword. The Lord gave a great victory for the Israelites that day. The troops came back after Eleazar had won the battle, but only to take weapons and armor…