2 Samuel 21:1-3

The Message

Famine and War

21 There was a famine in David’s time. It went on year after year after year—three years. David went to God seeking the reason.

God said, “This is because there is blood on Saul and his house, from the time he massacred the Gibeonites.”

² So the king called the Gibeonites together for consultation. (The Gibeonites were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites, and protected by a treaty with Israel. But Saul, a fanatic for the honor of Israel and Judah, tried to kill them off.)

³ David addressed the Gibeonites: “What can I do for you? How can I compensate you so that you will bless God’s legacy of land and people?”