2 Samuel 21:1–24:25

David Avenges the Gibeonites

21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David ainquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, “It is because of Saul and his 1bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but bof the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them cin his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless dthe inheritance of the Lord?”

4 And the Gibeonites said to him, “We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.”

So he said, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

5 Then they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6 let seven men of his descendants be delivered eto us, and we will hang them before the Lord fin Gibeah of Saul, gwhom the Lord chose.”

And the king said, “I will give them.”

7 But the king spared hMephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of ithe Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of jRizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of 2Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she 3brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill kbefore the Lord. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 Now lRizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, mfrom the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done. 12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of nJabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of 4Beth Shan, where the oPhilistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in pZelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that qGod heeded the prayer for the land.

Philistine Giants Destroyed

15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. 16 Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of 5the rgiant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. 17 But sAbishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, t“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the ulamp of Israel.”

18 vNow it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then wSibbechai the Hushathite killed 6Saph, who was one of the sons of 7the giant. 19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where xElhanan the son of 8Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed ythe brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

20 Yet again zthere was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to 9the giant. 21 So when he adefied Israel, Jonathan the son of 1Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

22 bThese four were born to 2the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Praise for God’s Deliverance

22 Then David aspoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had bdelivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he csaid:

d“The Lord is my rock and my efortress and my deliverer;

3 The God of my strength, fin whom I will trust;

My gshield and the hhorn 1of my salvation,

My istronghold and my jrefuge;

My Savior, You save me from violence.

4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,

The floods of ungodliness 2made me afraid.

6 The ksorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress lI called upon the Lord,

And cried out to my God;

He mheard my voice from His temple,

And my cry entered His ears.

8 “Then nthe earth shook and trembled;

oThe foundations of 3heaven quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring pfire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

10 He qbowed the heavens also, and came down

With rdarkness under His feet.

11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

And He 4was seen supon the wings of the wind.

12 He made tdarkness canopies around Him,

Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him

Coals of fire were kindled.

14 “The Lord uthundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice.

15 He sent out varrows and scattered them;

Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

16 Then the channels of the sea wwere seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered,

At the xrebuke of the Lord,

At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17 “He ysent from above, He took me,

He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me;

For they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my zsupport.

20 aHe also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He bdelighted in me.

21 “The cLord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the dcleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me.

22 For I have ekept the ways of the Lord,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all His fjudgments were before me;

And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also gblameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

25 Therefore hthe Lord has 5recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to 6my cleanness in His eyes.

26 “With ithe merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And jwith the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

28 You will save the khumble 7people;

But Your eyes are on lthe haughty, that You may bring them down.

29 “For You are my mlamp, O Lord;

The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop;

By my God I can leap over a nwall.

31 As for God, oHis way is perfect;

pThe word of the Lord is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 “For qwho is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

33 8God is my rstrength and power,

And He smakes 9my way tperfect.

34 He makes 1my feet ulike the feet of deer,

And vsets me on my high places.

35 He teaches my hands 2to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You wenlarged my path under me;

So my feet did not slip.

38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen xunder my feet.

40 For You have yarmed me with strength for the battle;

You have 3subdued under me zthose who rose against me.

41 You have also 4given me the anecks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

42 They looked, but there was none to save;

Even bto the Lord, but He did not answer them.

43 Then I beat them as fine cas the dust of the earth;

I trod them dlike dirt in the streets,

And I 5spread them out.

44 “You ehave also delivered me from the 6strivings of my people;

You have kept me as the fhead of the nations.

gA people I have not known shall serve me.

45 The foreigners submit to me;

As soon as they hear, they obey me.

46 The foreigners fade away,

And 7come frightened hfrom their hideouts.

47 “The Lord lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let God be exalted,

The iRock of my salvation!

48 It is God who avenges me,

And jsubdues the peoples under me;

49 He delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the kviolent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among lthe Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your mname.

51 “He nis the tower of salvation to His king,

And shows mercy to His oanointed,

To David and phis descendants forevermore.”

David’s Last Words

23 Now these are the last words of David.

Thus says David the son of Jesse;

Thus says athe man raised up on high,

bThe anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 “The cSpirit of the Lord spoke by me,

And His word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel said,

dThe Rock of Israel spoke to me:

‘He who rules over men must be just,

Ruling ein the fear of God.

4 And fhe shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,

A morning without clouds,

Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,

By clear shining after rain.’

5 “Although my house is not so with God,

gYet He has made with me an everlasting covenant,

Ordered in all things and secure.

For this is all my salvation and all my desire;

Will He not make it increase?

6 But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away,

Because they cannot be taken with hands.

7 But the man who touches them

Must be 1armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,

And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.”

David’s Mighty Men

8 These are the names of the mighty…