The Gibeonites Avenged

21 During the reign of David, there was a faminex for three successive years; so David soughty the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

2 The king summoned the Gibeonitesz and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”a

4 The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”b

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

5 They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposedc before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosend one.”

So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

7 The king spared Mephiboshethe son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oathf before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,g whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,a whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.h 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to deathi during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.j

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.k 11 When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saull and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.m (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan,n where the Philistines had hungo them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)p 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zelaq in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,r God answered prayers in behalf of the land.t

Wars Against the Philistines

21:15–22pp—1Ch 20:4–8

15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistinesu and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekelsb and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishaiv son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lampw of Israel will not be extinguished.x”

18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekaiy the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jairc the Bethlehemite killed the brother ofd Goliath the Gittite,z who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.a

20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he tauntedb Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,c David’s brother, killed him.

22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

David’s Song of Praise

22:1–51pp—Ps 18:1–50

22 David sangd to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:

“The Lord is my rock,e my fortressf and my deliverer;g

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,h

my shielda i and the hornb j of my salvation.

He is my stronghold,k my refuge and my savior—

from violent people you save me.

4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthyl of praise,

and have been saved from my enemies.

5 The wavesm of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of the graven coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

7 “In my distresso I calledp to the Lord;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

8 The earthq trembled and quaked,r

the foundationss of the heavensc shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming firet came from his mouth,

burning coalsu blazed out of it.

10 He parted the heavens and came down;

dark cloudsv were under his feet.

11 He mounted the cherubimw and flew;

he soaredd on the wings of the wind.x

12 He made darknessy his canopy around him—

the darke rain clouds of the sky.

13 Out of the brightness of his presence

bolts of lightningz blazed forth.

14 The Lord thundereda from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.

15 He shot his arrowsb and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

16 The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations of the earth laid bare

at the rebukec of the Lord,

at the blastd of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on highe and took hold of me;

he drewf me out of deep waters.

18 He rescuedg me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.h

20 He brought me out into a spaciousi place;

he rescuedj me because he delightedk in me.l

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;m

according to the cleannessn of my handso he has rewarded me.

22 For I have keptp the ways of the Lord;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

23 All his laws are before me;q

I have not turnedr away from his decrees.

24 I have been blamelesss before him

and have kept myself from sin.

25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,t

according to my cleannessf in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

27 to the pureu you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.v

28 You save the humble,w

but your eyes are on the haughtyx to bring them low.y

29 You, Lord, are my lamp;z

the Lord turns my darkness into light.

30 With your help I can advance against a troopg;

with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:a

The Lord’s word is flawless;b

he shieldsc all who take refuge in him.

32 For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rockd except our God?e

33 It is God who arms me with strengthh

and keeps my way secure.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;f

he causes me to stand on the heights.g

35 He trains my handsh for battle;

my arms can bend a bowi of bronze.

36 You make your saving help my shield;j

your help has madei me great.

37 You provide a broad pathk for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.

38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

39 I crushedl them completely, and they could not rise;

they fell beneath my feet.

40 You armed me with strength for battle;

you humbled my adversaries before me.m

41 You made my enemies turn their backsn in flight,

and I destroyed my foes.

42 They cried for help,o but there was no one to save them—p

to the Lord, but he did not answer.q

43 I beat them as fine as the dustr of the earth;

I pounded and trampleds them like mudt in the streets.

44 “You have deliveredu me from the attacks of the peoples;

you have preservedv me as the head of nations.

Peoplew I did not know now serve me,

45 foreigners cowerx before me;

as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.y

46 They all lose heart;

they come tremblingj z from their strongholds.

47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalteda be my God, the Rock, my Savior!b

48 He is the God who avengesc me,d

who puts the nations under me,

49 who sets me free from my enemies.e

You exalted mef above my foes;

from a violent man you rescued me.

50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

I will sing the praisesg of your name.h

51 “He gives his king great victories;i

he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,j

to Davidk and his descendants forever.”l