2 Samuel 21

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

During David's reign, a harsh famine lasted for three years. Year after year, the people suffered. David, in his desperation, sought answers from God. God revealed that the famine was a consequence of Saul's violent actions against the Gibeonites.

And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

The king summoned the Gibeonites, who were not Israelites but survivors from the Amorites. The Israelites had promised to protect them, but Saul, in his fervor for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out.

Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

So David asked the Gibeonites, "What can I do for you? How can I make amends so you can bless the Lord's inheritance?"

And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

The Gibeonites firmly declared, "We don't want Saul's silver or gold, nor do we want anyone in Israel to be killed on our behalf." He responded, "I will do as you ask."

And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

They replied to the king, "The man who tormented us, plotted our downfall, and aimed to wipe us off the map of Israel."

Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

Give us seven of his sons, and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah, the town of Saul, the man the Lord chose. The king agreed, saying, "They are yours."

But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

Out of respect for the sacred promise made to Jonathan, the king showed mercy to his son Mephibosheth, sparing him.

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

The king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons Rizpah, Aiah's daughter, had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons of Michal, Saul's daughter, whom she had raised for Adriel, Barzillai's son.

And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and 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.

He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who executed them on the hill in sight of God. All seven fell simultaneously, their lives ended during the early days of the barley harvest.

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Rizpah, Aiah's daughter, spread sackcloth on a rock for herself. From the start of harvest till the heavens wept rain on the bodies, she guarded them. She allowed neither birds to perch on them during the day nor beasts to approach at night.

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

News reached David about the actions of Rizpah, Saul's mistress and Aiah's daughter.

And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

With a heavy heart, David retrieved the remains of Saul and his son Jonathan. They had been taken by the men of Jabeshgilead from Bethshan's street, where the Philistines had cruelly displayed them after killing Saul in Gilboa.

And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

He lovingly retrieved the remains of Saul and his son Jonathan from that place. Together, they collected the bones of those who had been hung.

And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

Saul and his son Jonathan were laid to rest in their homeland of Benjamin, in Zelah, within their forefather Kish's tomb. They honored all the king's wishes. Afterward, God blessed the land in response to their prayers.

Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.

Once again, the Philistines waged war on Israel. David, accompanied by his loyal men, bravely battled them. However, David grew weary and weak.

And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

Ishbibenob, a descendant of giants, with a spear as heavy as 300 shekels of brass, armed with a shiny new sword, was determined to kill David.

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

Abishai, Zeruiah's son, bravely defended him, striking down the Philistine and ending his life. Afterwards, David's men made a heartfelt promise to him. They pleaded, "Please, don't join us in battle anymore, we can't risk losing the guiding light of Israel."

And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

After this, another conflict with the Philistines erupted at Gob. During this, Sibbechai the Hushathite courageously defeated Saph, a descendant of the giant.

And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

Once more, a fierce battle erupted in Gob against the Philistines. In the midst of the chaos, Elhanan, a brave warrior from Bethlehem and son of Jaareoregim, faced a daunting challenge. He courageously defeated the brother of the infamous Goliath, a giant whose spear was as large as a weaver's beam.

And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

In the city of Gath, another fierce battle raged. Amidst the chaos, a towering man stood out, a unique figure with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, a total of twenty-four. He too was descended from the giant.

And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

When he dared to challenge Israel, David's nephew Jonathan, son of Shimeah, bravely struck him down.

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Four mighty giants, born in Gath, met their end at the hands of David and his loyal servants.