The king spared Mephibosheth(A) son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath(B) before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah,(C) whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,[a] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.(D) He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death(E) during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.(F)

10 Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night.(G) 11 When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12 he went and took the bones of Saul(H) and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead.(I) (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan,(J) where the Philistines had hung(K) them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)(L) 13 David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela(M) in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,(N) God answered prayer(O) in behalf of the land.(P)

Wars Against the Philistines(Q)

15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines(R) and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[b] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai(S) son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp(T) of Israel will not be extinguished.(U)

18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai(V) the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[c] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of[d] Goliath the Gittite,(W) who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.(X)

20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted(Y) Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah,(Z) David’s brother, killed him.

22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

David’s Song of Praise(AA)

22 David sang(AB) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

“The Lord is my rock,(AC) my fortress(AD) and my deliverer;(AE)
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(AF)
    my shield[e](AG) and the horn[f](AH) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(AI) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

“I called to the Lord, who is worthy(AJ) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
The waves(AK) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave(AL) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

“In my distress(AM) I called(AN) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
The earth(AO) trembled and quaked,(AP)
    the foundations(AQ) of the heavens[g] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire(AR) came from his mouth,
    burning coals(AS) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds(AT) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(AU) and flew;
    he soared[h] on the wings of the wind.(AV)
12 He made darkness(AW) his canopy around him—
    the dark[i] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning(AX) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(AY) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(AZ) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(BA) of the Lord,
    at the blast(BB) of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high(BC) and took hold of me;
    he drew(BD) me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued(BE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.(BF)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(BG) place;
    he rescued(BH) me because he delighted(BI) in me.(BJ)

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(BK)
    according to the cleanness(BL) of my hands(BM) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(BN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(BO)
    I have not turned(BP) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(BQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(BR)
    according to my cleanness[j] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(BS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(BT)
28 You save the humble,(BU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(BV) to bring them low.(BW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(BX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[k];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:(BY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(BZ)
    he shields(CA) all who take refuge in him.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 21:8 Two Hebrew manuscripts, some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 1 Samuel 18:19); most Hebrew and Septuagint manuscripts Michal
  2. 2 Samuel 21:16 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms
  3. 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew Jaare-Oregim.
  4. 2 Samuel 21:19 See 1 Chron. 20:5; Hebrew does not have the brother of.
  5. 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
  6. 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  7. 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
  8. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
  9. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
  10. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  11. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade

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 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:

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.

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.

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

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

22 And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;

The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.

14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.

16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.

25 Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

29 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.

30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.

31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.