2 Samuel

Focuses on King David's reign, his troubles, successes, and the promise of his dynasty.

Chapter 21

1 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.

*Then, during David's time, there was a famine that lasted three years in a row. David asked the Lord what was causing it. The Lord replied that it was because of Saul and his family, who had killed the people from Gibeon.

2 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 talked to the Gibeonites and said, "You are not part of Israel's family, but come from the leftover Amorites. The children of Israel promised to protect you, but Saul, in his strong love for Israel and Judah, wanted to kill you."

3 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 will bless the land that belongs to God?"

4 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 told him they didn't want any money from Saul or his family, and they also didn't want him to kill anyone in Israel. He agreed to do whatever they asked.

5 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 told the king, "The person who caused our destruction and planned for us to be wiped out from all of Israel's shores."

6 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.

*Let seven of his sons be given to us, and we will sacrifice them to God in a place called Gibeah, where God chose Saul as a leader. The king agreed to provide them.

7 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.

*But King David saved Mephibosheth, who was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson, because they had made a promise to each other under God's guidance. This promise was between David and Jonathan, Saul's son.

8 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:

*But the king took Rizpah's two sons from Saul, named Armoni and Mephibosheth, as well as Michal's five sons, raised for Adriel, son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

9 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 gave them to the Gibeonites, who hung them on a hill for the LORD to see. All seven of them died at the start of the harvest season, during the time when barley is first harvested.

10 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, daughter of Aiah, put a cloth on a rock during harvest time. She did this until water came from the sky. She didn't let birds in the sky or animals at night touch the cloth or what was on it.

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

*They informed David about how Rizpah, Saul's concubine and daughter of Aiah, acted.

12 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:

*David retrieved Saul's and Jonathan's bones from the people of Jabeshgilead. They had taken the bones from the place where they hung on a street in Bethshan after the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa.

13 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 got the remains of Saul and those of his son Jonathan from there, and they collected the bones of those who had been hung.

14 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.

*They buried Saul and his son Jonathan in a place called Zelah, where Kish, Saul's dad, was also buried. They did what the king asked. Then people prayed to God for the land.

15 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.

*So, the Philistines fought with Israel again, and David went with his helpers to battle them. During the fight, David became very tired.

16 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 giant's son, had a very heavy spear - it weighed as much as 300 bronze coins. He wore a brand new sword and tried to kill David.

17 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.

*But Abishai, Zeruiah's son, helped David and defeated the Philistine, killing him. Afterward, David's soldiers promised him, "You won't fight with us again because you might extinguish Israel's hope."

18 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 event, there was another fight with the Philistines at Gob. In this battle, Sibbechai, a man from Hushah, killed Saph, who was one of the giant's sons.

19 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.

*There was another fight in Gob against the Philistines. Elhanan, a man from Bethlehem and son of Jaareoregim, killed Goliath's brother. The brother's spear was as big as a loom's beam.

20 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 Gath, there was a big fight. There was a man with very large hands and feet. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, totaling 24. He was born to a giant.

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

*When he challenged Israel, Jonathan, David's brother, killed him.

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

*These four giants came from Gath city and were killed by David and his helpers.

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