The Gibeonites Avenged
1During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought 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.”
2The king summoned the Gibeonites 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.) 3David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”
4The 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.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
5They 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, 6let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.”
So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
7The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,21:8 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and Septuagint manuscripts Michal whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9He 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 death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.
10Rizpah 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. 11When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) 13David 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.
14They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of 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, and he became exhausted. 16And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels21:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17But Abishai 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 lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”
18In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-Oregim. the Bethlehemite killed the brother of21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of. Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.
20In 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. 21When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.
22These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
基遍人向掃羅家復仇
1在大衛執政期間，連續有三年饑荒，大衛就求問耶和華。耶和華說：「發生這饑荒是因為掃羅一家人的血債，他們殺害了基遍人。」 2原來基遍人不是以色列人，他們是亞摩利人的遺民。以色列人曾起誓不傷害他們，但掃羅為以色列人和猶大人發熱心，試圖剷除基遍人。大衛就召來基遍人， 3問他們：「我可以為你們做些什麼？我該怎樣贖罪，你們才願意祝福耶和華的子民21·3 「子民」希伯來文是「產業」。呢？」 4基遍人答道：「金銀不能解決我們和掃羅一家人的問題，我們也不想處死任何以色列人。」大衛說：「你們要我怎麼辦？」 5他們說：「掃羅曾試圖滅絕我們，把我們從以色列境內剷除。 6請把他的七個子孫交給我們，我們好在耶和華面前把他們吊死在基比亞，就是耶和華選立掃羅的地方。」王說：「我必把他們交給你們。」
7大衛王因為與掃羅的兒子約拿單在耶和華面前起過誓，就沒有把掃羅的孫子、約拿單的兒子米非波設交出來。 8他把愛亞的女兒利斯巴為掃羅所生的兩個兒子亞摩尼、米非波設，以及掃羅女兒米拉為米何拉人巴西萊的兒子亞得列所生的五個兒子交給基遍人。 9基遍人在耶和華面前把他們七人吊死在山上。他們都一同死去，那時正好是收割大麥的時候。
10愛亞的女兒利斯巴取麻布為自己鋪在磐石上。她白天不讓飛鳥靠近，夜間不容野獸走近，從開始收割大麥，一直守到降下雨來。 11大衛知道掃羅的嬪妃——愛亞的女兒利斯巴的事以後， 12就去基列·雅比人那裡把掃羅和約拿單的骸骨運來。從前非利士人在基利波殺死掃羅和約拿單，把他們的屍體掛在伯·珊的廣場，後來基列·雅比人把屍體偷走了。 13大衛運回掃羅和約拿單的骸骨，又收殮了掃羅那七個子孫的骸骨。 14眾人按照大衛的吩咐，把掃羅和約拿單的骸骨埋葬在掃羅父親基士的墓裡，在便雅憫境內的洗拉。此後，上帝垂聽了人們為國家的禱告。
與非利士人交戰
15非利士人又和以色列人交戰，大衛親自出征。在他十分疲倦的時候， 16一個名叫以實·比諾的巨人佩戴新刀，手拿三公斤半重的銅矛，衝上來要殺他。 17洗魯雅的兒子亞比篩趕來救駕，殺死了非利士巨人。這事以後，大衛的部下向他起誓說：「你絕不可再跟我們一起出戰，免得以色列的燈熄滅。」 18後來，以色列人與非利士人在歌伯交戰，戶沙人西比該殺了另一個非利士巨人撒弗。 19在歌伯與非利士人的另一次交戰中，伯利恆人雅雷·俄珥金的兒子伊勒哈難殺了迦特人歌利亞。歌利亞的槍桿粗如織布機的軸。 20在迦特的一次交戰中，有一個非利士巨人每隻手和腳各有六個手指和腳趾，共二十四個手指和腳趾。 21他向以色列人罵陣，大衛的哥哥示米亞的兒子約拿單殺了他。 22這四個迦特巨人的後裔都死在大衛和他的部下手裡。
