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ギブオン人への償い
1ダビデの治世に、大ききんが三年も続きました。そのため、ダビデが特別に時間をかけて祈ったところ、主は答えました。「ききんの原因はサウルとその一族の罪にある。彼らがギブオン人を殺したからだ。」
2そこで、ダビデはギブオン人を呼び寄せました。ギブオン人はエモリ人の末裔で、イスラエルには属していませんでしたが、イスラエル人は彼らを殺さないという誓約を立てていたのです。にもかかわらず、サウルは熱烈な愛国心から、彼らの一掃を図ったのでした。
3ダビデは尋ねました。「あの罪を償いたいのだ。そしてあなたがたには、われわれのために神の祝福をとりなしてもらいたい。それには、いったいどうすればよいだろうか。」
4「なるほど。ただ、金銀で決着のつく問題ではありません。しかしまた、私たちとしても、復讐のためにイスラエル人を殺すようなこともしたくありません。」
「では、どうすればいいのか。遠慮なく言ってくれ。そのとおりにしたいのだ。」
5-6「では申し上げます。血まなこになって私たちを滅ぼそうとしたサウルの子、七人をお渡しください。彼らをサウルの町ギブアで、主の前にさらし者にします。」
「わかった。そうするとしよう。」
7ダビデは、サウルの孫、ヨナタンの息子メフィボシェテのいのちは助けました。ヨナタンとの間に誓いを立てていたからです。 8結局、ギブオン人に引き渡したのは、サウルのそばめリツパの息子アルモニとメフィボシェテの二人と、アデリエルの妻となった、サウルの娘メラブが産んだ五人でした。 9ギブオンの人々は七人を山で刺し殺し、主の前にさらし者にしました。処刑が行われたのは、大麦の刈り入れの始まるころでした。
10処刑された二人の息子の母リツパは、岩の上に荒布を敷き、刈り入れの期間中ずっと〔四月から十月までの六か月間〕、そこに座っていました。昼は昼で、はげたかが二人の死体をついばむことがないように、夜は夜で、死体を食い荒らす野獣から守るため見張っていたのです。 11リツパのこの姿に心を打たれたダビデは、 12-14その者たちの骨を、サウルの父キシュの墓に葬るよう取り計らいました。同時に、ヤベシュ・ギルアデから、サウルとヨナタンの骨を持って来ました。ギルボア山の戦いで倒れたサウルとヨナタンを、ペリシテ人がベテ・シャンの広場でさらし者にした時、あとでその遺体を盗み出したのがヤベシュ・ギルアデの人々でした。二人の骨はダビデのもとへ運ばれ、葬られました。その時、神は祈りを聞き、ききんを終わらせたのです。
ペリシテ人との戦い
15ある日、ペリシテ人が戦いをしかけて来ました。ダビデは家臣を率いて応戦しましたが、激しい戦闘に、ダビデは弱り果てていました。 16その時、穂先の重さだけでも三百シェケル（約三・五キログラム）の槍をかつぎ、新しいよろいを着たイシュビ・ベノブという大男が、ダビデを殺そうと近づいて来ました。 17しかし、ツェルヤの子アビシャイがダビデを助け、そのペリシテ人を打ち殺しました。こんなことがあってから、家臣たちは口々に勧めました。「王様、二度と戦いにはお出になりませんように。イスラエルのともしびを吹き消すような危険は冒せません。」
18そののち、ゴブでのペリシテ人との戦いでは、フシャ人シベカイがもう一人の大男サフを討ち取りました。 19同じ場所での別の戦いで、エルハナンはガテ人ゴリヤテの兄弟ラフミを倒しました。ラフミの槍の柄は、はた織機の巻き棒のように太いものでした。 20-21また、ガテでペリシテ人とイスラエル人とが戦った時、両手足が六本指の大男が、イスラエルをあざけったことがありました。するとその男を、ダビデの甥に当たる、ダビデの兄弟シムアの子ヨナタンが倒しました。 22以上の四人はガテの巨人族の子孫で、ダビデの家臣たちの手にかかって殺されたのです。
David Makes Things Right for the People of Gibeon
1For three years in a row there wasn’t enough food in the land. That was while David was king. So David asked the Lord why he wasn’t blessing his people. The Lord said, “It is because Saul and his family committed murder. He put the people of Gibeon to death.”
2The people of Gibeon weren’t a part of Israel. Instead, they were some of the Amorites who were still left alive. The Israelites had promised to spare them. But Saul had tried to put an end to them. That’s because he wanted to make Israel and Judah strong. So now King David sent for the people of Gibeon and spoke to them. 3He asked them, “What would you like me to do for you? How can I make up for the wrong things that were done to you? I want you to be able to pray that the Lord will once again bless his land.”
4The people of Gibeon answered him. They said, “No amount of silver or gold can make up for what Saul and his family did to us. And we can’t put anyone in Israel to death.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
5They answered the king, “Saul nearly destroyed us. He made plans to wipe us out. We don’t have anywhere to live in Israel. 6So let seven of the males in his family line be given to us. We’ll kill them. We’ll put their dead bodies out in the open in the sight of the Lord. We’ll do it at Gibeah of Saul. Saul was the Lord’s chosen king.”
So King David said, “I’ll give seven males to you.”
7The king spared Mephibosheth. He was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul. David had made a promise in front of the Lord. He had promised to be kind to Jonathan and the family line of his father Saul. 8But the king chose Armoni and another Mephibosheth. They were the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah. Saul was their father. The king also chose the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab. Adriel, the son of Barzillai, was their father. Adriel was from Meholah. 9King David handed them over to the people of Gibeon. They killed them. They put their dead bodies out in the open on a hill in the sight of the Lord. All seven of them died together. They were put to death during the first days of the harvest. It happened just when people were beginning to harvest the barley.
10Aiah’s daughter Rizpah took some rough cloth people wear when they’re sad. She spread it out for herself on a rock. She stayed there from the beginning of the harvest until it rained. The rain poured down from the sky on the dead bodies of the seven males. She didn’t let the birds touch them by day. She didn’t let the wild animals touch them at night. 11Someone told David what Rizpah had done. She was Aiah’s daughter and Saul’s concubine. 12David went and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. He got them from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. They had stolen their bodies from the main street in Beth Shan. That’s where the Philistines had hung their bodies up on the city wall. They had done it after they struck Saul down on Mount Gilboa. 13David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from Jabesh Gilead. The bones of the seven males who had been killed and put out in the open were also gathered up.
14The bones of Saul and his son Jonathan were buried in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. The tomb was at Zela in the territory of Benjamin. Everything the king commanded was done. After that, God answered prayer and blessed the land.
Wars Against the Philistines
15Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines. He became very tired. 16Ishbi-Benob belonged to the family line of Rapha. The tip of his bronze spear weighed seven and a half pounds. He was also armed with a new sword. He said he would kill David. 17But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, came to save David. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men made a promise. They said to David, “We never want you to go out with us to battle again. You are the lamp of Israel’s kingdom. We want that lamp to keep on burning brightly.”
18There was another battle against the Philistines. It took place at Gob. At that time Sibbekai killed Saph. Sibbekai was a Hushathite. Saph was from the family line of Rapha.
19In another battle against the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother. Elhanan was the son of Jair from Bethlehem. Goliath was from the city of Gath. His spear was as big as a weaver’s rod.
20There was still another battle. It took place at Gath. A huge man lived there. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. So the total number of his toes and fingers was 24. He was also from the family of Rapha. 21He made fun of Israel. So Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was the son of David’s brother Shimeah.
22Those four Philistine men lived in Gath. They were from the family line of Rapha. David and his men killed them.
