David Avenges the Gibeonites
1 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 his1 bloodthirsty 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 aof the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them bin 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 athe 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 ato us, and we will hang them before the Lord bin Gibeah of Saul, cwhom the Lord chose.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared aMephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of bthe 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 aRizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of1 Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she2 brought 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 abefore 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 aRizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, bfrom 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 aJabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of1 Beth Shan, where the bPhilistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Book Notes:
Barnes' Book Notes
Introduction to 2 Samuel
See the Introduction to Samuel in the notes on First Samuel
Join 137,346+ readers
A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.