2 Samuel 21

There was a famine in the days of Dawud three successive years; and Dawud sought the face of Allah. Allah said, It is because of Talut, and his bloodthirsty house, because he put to death the Gibeonites. 2The king called the Gibeonites, and said to them (now the Gibeonites were not of Bani-Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. Bani-Israel had sworn protection to them, but Talut sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah). 3Dawud said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of Allah? 4The Gibeonites said to him, It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Talut, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. Dawud said, Whatever you say, I will do for you. 5They said to the king, The man who consumed us, and who plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel, 6let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them before Allah in Gibeah of Talut, the chosen of Allah. The king said, I will give them. 7But the king spared Mephibosheth IbnJonathan, Ibn Talut, because of Allah’s oath that was between them, between Dawud and Jonathan Ibn Talut. 8But the king took the two sons of Rizpah Bint Aiah, whom she bore to Talut, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal Bint Talut, whom she bore to Adriel Ibn Barzillai the Meholathite: 9He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before Allah, and they fell all seven together. They were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of barley harvest. 10Rizpah Bint Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain poured on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day, nor the animals of the field by night. 11It was told Dawud what Rizpah BintAiah, the concubine of Talut, had done. 12Dawud went and took the bones of Talut and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines killed Talut in Gilboa; 13and he brought up from there the bones of Talut and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14They buried the bones of Talut and Jonathan his son in the country of Binyamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. After that God heeded the prayer for the land. 15Once again the Philistines had war with Israel; and Dawud went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. Dawud grew faint; 16and Ishbibenob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, who was wearing a new sword, thought he could kill Dawud. 17But Abishai Ibn Zeruiah helped Dawud, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of Dawud swore to him, saying, You shall go no more out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel. 18It came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant. 19There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan Ibn Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Jalut the Gittite’s brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 20There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and on each foot six toes, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21When he defied Israel, Jonathan Ibn Shimei, Dawud’s brother, killed him. 22These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of Dawud, and by the hand of his servants.

 

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