1 Un Dāvida valdīšanas laikā bija bads trīs gadus no vietas, gadu pēc gada, un Dāvids meklēja Tā Kunga vaigu. Un Tas Kungs sacīja: "Uz Saulu un viņa namu guļ asinsgrēks, tāpēc ka viņš nogalināja gibeoniešus." 2 Tad ķēniņš saaicināja gibeoniešus un runāja ar viņiem. Tomēr gibeonieši nebija no Israēla bērniem, bet bija cēlušies no amoriešu atlikušajiem ļaudīm. Un Israēla bērniem ar viņiem bija noslēgta ar zvērestu apstiprināta derība, bet Sauls bija meklējis tos nokaut savā lielajā dedzībā par Israēla un Jūdas bērniem. 3 Un Dāvids jautāja gibeoniešiem: "Ko lai es jums daru, un ar ko lai es to izlīdzinu, ka jūs varētu Tā Kunga mantojumu, Viņa tautu, svētīt?" 4 Un gibeonieši tam atbildēja: "Mums nevajag Saula un viņa nama dēļ ne sudrabu, ne zeltu; mēs arī negribam, lai mūsu dēļ tiktu Israēlā kāds nonāvēts." Tad viņš jautāja: "Ko tad jūs sakāt - ko man jums būs darīt?" 5 Tad tie atbildēja ķēniņam: "Tas bija vīrs, kas mūs gandrīz vai nobeidza un kura nodoms bija mūs pilnīgi iznīcināt, lai mēs nemaz vairs Israēla robežās nepastāvētu. 6 Tāpēc izdodiet mums no viņa pēcnācējiem septiņus vīrus, ka mēs viņus pakaram Tā Kunga kalnā Saula Gibeā, Tā Kunga izredzētajā pilsētā." Un ķēniņš sacīja: "Es došu!" 7 Tomēr ķēniņš saudzēja Mefibošetu, Jonatāna dēlu, Saula dēladēlu, tā zvēresta dēļ, ko Dāvids un Jonatāns, Saula dēls, savā starpā Tā Kunga priekšā bija zvērējuši. 8 Un ķēniņš ņēma Ricpas, Ajas meitas, abus dēlus, Armonu un Mefibošetu, ko tā bija Saulam dzemdējusi, un arī vēl piecus Merabas, Saula meitas, dēlus, ko tā bija dzemdējusi Adriēlam, meholatieša Barzillaja dēlam. 9 Un viņš tos nodeva gibeoniešu rokā, un tie tos pakāra Tā Kunga kalnā. Un visi septiņi gāja bojā un mira pļaujas laika sākumā, kad sākās miežu pļauja. 10 Tad Ricpa, Ajas meita, ņēma maisu un to sev izklāja pār akmeni guļasvietai no pļaujas sākuma, līdz kamēr pār tiem nolija lietus no debesīm; un viņa neatļāva uz tiem dienā nolaisties debesu putniem, nedz arī lauku zvēriem tos aizskart naktī. 11 Un Dāvidam tika pateikts, ko Ricpa, Ajas meita, Saula blakussieva, bija darījusi. 12 Tad Dāvids nogāja un pieprasīja Saula un viņa dēla Jonatāna kaulus no Jābešas iedzīvotājiem Gileādā, ko tie bija sev zagšus paņēmuši no Rehob-Bet-Šanas tirgus laukuma, kur filistieši bija kādreiz Saulu un viņa dēlu pakāruši, kad viņi bija Saulu sakāvuši Gilboā. 13 Un viņš atveda no turienes gan Saula, gan arī Jonatāna, viņa dēla, kaulus, un viņš tiem pievienoja arī šo pakārto kaulus; 14 un viņš tos apglabāja līdz ar Saula kauliem un viņa dēla Jonatāna kauliem Benjamīna cilts zemē klintī Kīša, viņa tēva, kapu vietā. Kad viss bija pēc ķēniņa pavēles izdarīts, tad pēc tam Dievs atkal apžēlojās par šo zemi. 15 Un vēl viens karš cēlās starp filistiešiem un Israēlu. Un Dāvids nogāja kopā ar saviem kalpiem, un viņi cīnījās ar filistiešiem, bet Dāvids pagura. 16 Un tur bija kāds vīrs, vārdā Jišbī-Benobs, viens no Rafas dzimuma, un tā šķēps bija no vara trīs simti seķeļu smags, un viņš bija apjozies ar jaunu zobenu un bija nodomājis Dāvidu nogalināt. 17 Bet viņam uzbruka Abišajs, Cerujas dēls, un tas sita šo filistieti un viņu nonāvēja. Toreiz Dāvida vīri viņu ļoti lūdza, sacīdami: "Tu vairs nenāksi mums līdzi karā, lai līdz ar tevi neizdziest gaisma Israēlā!" 18 Pēc tam atkal izcēlās karš ar filistiešiem Gobā; toreiz atkal Sibeka, Hušaja dēls, nokāva Safu, kas arī bija Rafas dzimuma. 19 Un vēl vienu reizi izcēlās karš pret filistiešiem Gobā; tad Ēlhanans, Jair-Oregima dēls, no Bētlemes, nogalināja Goliātu no Gātas, kura šķēpa kāts jau vien bija kā audēja riestava. 20 Kad vēlreiz izcēlās karš Gātā, tad tur bija kāds ļoti liela auguma vīrs. Viņam bija seši pirksti katrai rokai un seši katrai kājai, pavisam kopā divdesmit četri pirksti; arī tas bija no Rafas cilts. 21 Un, kad viņš bija noniecinājis Israēlu, tad to nosita Jonatāns, Šimeja dēls, Dāvida brāļa dēls. 22 Šie visi četri bija Rafas dzimuma no Gātas, bet tie krita no Dāvida vai viņa karavīru rokas.
Saul's Descendants Are Put to Death
1 During David's reign there was a severe famine which lasted for three full years. So David consulted the Lord about it, and the Lord said, “Saul and his family are guilty of murder; he put the people of Gibeon to death.” ( 2 The people of Gibeon were not Israelites; they were a small group of Amorites whom the Israelites had promised to protect, but Saul had tried to destroy them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.) 3 So David summoned the people of Gibeon and said to them, “What can I do for you? I want to make up for the wrong that was done to you, so that you will bless the Lord's people.”
4 They answered, “Our quarrel with Saul and his family can't be settled with silver or gold, nor do we want to kill any Israelite.”
“What, then, do you think I should do for you?” David asked.
5 They answered, “Saul wanted to destroy us and leave none of us alive anywhere in Israel. 6 So hand over seven of his male descendants, and we will hang them before the Lord at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the Lord's chosen king.”
“I will hand them over,” the king answered.
7 But because of the sacred promise that he and Jonathan had made to each other, David spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul. 8 However, he took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah the daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul; he also took the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai, who was from Meholah. 9 David handed them over to the people of Gibeon, who hanged them on the mountain before the Lord—and all seven of them died together. It was late in the spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest, when they were put to death.
10 Then Saul's concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, used sackcloth to make a shelter for herself on the rock where the corpses were, and she stayed there from the beginning of harvest until the autumn rains came. During the day she would keep the birds away from the corpses, and at night she would protect them from wild animals.
11 When David heard what Rizpah had done, 12 he went and got the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh in Gilead. (They had stolen them from the public square in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged the bodies on the day they killed Saul on Mount Gilboa.) 13 David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan and also gathered up the bones of the seven men who had been hanged. 14 Then they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in the grave of Saul's father Kish, in Zela in the territory of Benjamin, doing all that the king had commanded. And after that, God answered their prayers for the country.
Battles against Philistine Giants
(1 Chronicles 20.4-8)15 There was another war between the Philistines and Israel, and David and his men went and fought the Philistines. During one of the battles David grew tired. 16 A giant named Ishbibenob, who was carrying a bronze spear that weighed about seven and a half pounds and who was wearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's help, attacked the giant, and killed him. Then David's men made David promise that he would never again go out with them to battle. “You are the hope of Israel, and we don't want to lose you,” they said.
18 After this there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, during which Sibbecai from Hushah killed a giant named Saph.
19 There was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom.
20 Then there was another battle at Gath, where there was a giant who loved to fight. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. 21 He defied the Israelites, and Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shammah, killed him.
22 These four were descendants of the giants of Gath, and they were killed by David and his men.
