Ish-Bosheth Is Murdered
1Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul, heard that Abner had died in Hebron. Then he wasn’t so brave anymore. And all the Israelites became alarmed. 2Two men in Ish-Bosheth’s army led small fighting groups that attacked their enemies. The names of the men were Baanah and Rekab. They were sons of Rimmon from the town of Beeroth. Rimmon was from the tribe of Benjamin. Beeroth is considered to be part of Benjamin. 3That’s because the people who used to live in Beeroth had run away to Gittaim. They have lived there as outsiders to this day.
4Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son named Mephibosheth. Both of Mephibosheth’s feet were hurt. He was five years old when the news that Saul and Jonathan had died came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran. But as she hurried to get away, he fell down. That’s how his feet were hurt.
5Rekab and Baanah started out for the house of Ish-Bosheth. They were the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth. They arrived there during the hottest time of the day. Ish-Bosheth was taking his early afternoon nap. 6Rekab and his brother Baanah went into the inside part of the house. They acted as if they were going to get some wheat. Instead, they stabbed Ish-Bosheth in the stomach. Then they slipped away.
7They had gone into the house while Ish-Bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They stabbed him and killed him. Then they cut off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night through the Arabah Valley. 8They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to King David at Hebron. They said to him, “Here’s the head of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul. Saul was your enemy. He often tried to kill you. Today the Lord has paid back Saul and his family. He has let you get even with them. You are our king and master.”
9David gave an answer to Rekab and his brother Baanah. They were the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth. David said, “The Lord has saved me from every trouble. 10Someone once told me, ‘Saul is dead.’ He thought he was bringing me good news. But I grabbed him. I had him put to death in Ziklag. That’s the reward I gave him for his news! And that’s just as sure as the Lord is alive. 11Now you evil men have killed a man in his own house. He hadn’t done anything wrong. You killed him while he was lying on his own bed. You spilled his blood. So shouldn’t I spill your blood? Shouldn’t I wipe you off the face of the earth?”
12Then David gave an order to his men. They killed Rekab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet. They hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they buried the head of Ish-Bosheth in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.
Asesinato de Isboset
1Cuando Isboset, hijo de Saúl, se enteró que Abner había muerto en Hebrón, se acobardó y con él todo Israel. 2Isboset contaba con dos sujetos que lideraban bandas armadas. Uno de ellos se llamaba Baná y el otro, Recab; ambos eran hijos de Rimón el berotita y pertenecían a la tribu de Benjamín. Berot se consideraba parte de Benjamín, 3pues los habitantes de Berot se habían refugiado en Guitayin, donde hasta la fecha residen.
4Por otra parte, Jonatán, hijo de Saúl, tenía un hijo de cinco años, llamado Mefiboset, que estaba tullido. Resulta que, cuando de Jezrel llegó la noticia de la muerte de Saúl y Jonatán, su nodriza lo cargó para huir; pero con el apuro, se le cayó y por eso quedó cojo.
5Ahora bien, Recab y Baná, los hijos de Rimón el berotita, partieron para la casa de Isboset y llegaron en pleno calor del día, cuando él dormía la siesta. 6Con el pretexto de sacar un poco de trigo, Recab y su hermano Baná entraron al interior de la casa y allí mismo lo apuñalaron en el vientre. Después de eso, escaparon.
7Se habían metido en la casa mientras Isboset estaba en la alcoba, acostado en su cama. Lo mataron a puñaladas, luego le cortaron la cabeza y se la llevaron. Caminaron toda la noche por el Arabá 8y, al llegar a Hebrón, entregaron a David la cabeza de Isboset y le dijeron al rey:
—Aquí traemos la cabeza de Isboset, hijo de su enemigo Saúl, que intentó matarlo a usted. El Señor ha vengado hoy a mi señor el rey por lo que Saúl y su descendencia hicieron.
9Pero David respondió a Recab y a Baná, los hijos de Rimón el berotita:
—El Señor me ha librado de todas mis angustias y, tan cierto como que él vive, 10les aseguro que quien me anunció la muerte de Saúl se imaginaba que me traía buenas noticias, ¡pero la recompensa que le di por tan “buenas noticias” fue apresarlo y matarlo en Siclag! 11¡Y con mayor razón castigaré a los malvados que han dado muerte a un inocente mientras este dormía en su propia cama! ¿Acaso no voy a vengar su muerte exterminándolos a ustedes de la tierra?
12Entonces David ordenó a sus soldados que los mataran y que además les cortaran las manos y los pies, y colgaran sus cuerpos junto al estanque de Hebrón. En cambio, la cabeza de Isboset la enterraron en Hebrón, en el sepulcro de Abner.
